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Daily Smile

[{"type":"text","text":"A bus filled with doggos? Yes please!"}]

Smile 26 10 24

<title>Daily Smile: Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026</title>

A bus filled with doggos? Yes please!

Daily Smile: Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026

Hawai'i Skies

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Gail Fujimoto on Oʻahu. "Sunset as the waves come crashing on the rocks for a magnificent shot!"

To submit your Hawai'i Skies photo, visit us 

Gail Fujimoto 2

<title>Hawaiʻi Skies: Crashing waves</title>

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Gail Fujimoto on Oʻahu.

Hawaiʻi Skies: Crashing waves

De Soto 2025

DeSoto Brown

Hawai‘i History

Columnists

What happened to Waikīkī? Specifically, what happened to Waikīkī during its greatest period of change that began in the 1950s? Let’s look at these “then & now” comparisons of Waikīkī views to see very clearly how different things look today.

Why did Waikīkī change so much in the last 70 years? The growth of tourism, of course, was responsible. Speaking economically, it’s extremely fortunate that tourism did increase so dramatically during this period as it served to fill in the gap created as large-scale agriculture (sugar and pineapple) either contracted dramatically, or died altogether. These had been the foundation of the economy of the Hawaiian Islands but were outcompeted by other tropical countries, where workers were paid considerably less and thus their agricultural products were cheaper as well. This has been, and continues to be, the reason for the loss of domestic production in the United States and indeed worldwide.

When did Waikīkī's major changes begin? This is easy to pinpoint: it was the year 1955. That was when four new 10-story buildings were completed here; the Waikīkī Biltmore Hotel, the Princess Ka‘iulani Hotel, the Reef Hotel, and the Rosalei apartments. As insignificant as this would seem today, it marked a shift away from downtown as the focus of new construction, as well as starting Honolulu on its vertical growth.

We can also single out the shift in transportation for Waikīkī's increase in density, which was the replacement of cruise ships by airplanes for increasing numbers of tourists after World War II. While air travel grew significantly during the 1950s it was really the introduction of jets that kicked off the explosion. The first jets arrived in Hawai‘i in 1959, cutting hours from the trip from the west coast, carrying far more passengers on each flight compared to propeller planes and — most significantly — reducing air fares. Waikīkī couldn’t help but grow to accommodate all these new people. A major milestone was unexpectedly realized in late 1967 when the one-millionth tourist arrived for that year, ahead of what economists had predicted. There would be no looking back.

A change you might notice in these various pairs of Waikīkī views is the great increase in growing green vegetation today. This has been true in many parts of Honolulu and because trees increase so slowly in size, we don’t notice how large they’ve become until we see an older photo to be able to spot the difference. Kalākaua Avenue has benefitted from more than one improvement project since the 1960s, to where today’s sidewalks are paved with hand-set stones, many with inscriptions in Hawaiian. Shady shower trees along with grass and various shrubs greatly enhance the district’s appearance, and maintenance workers are on the job each day to sweep and clean. Waikīkī creates the biggest part of the income from tourism and its importance in keeping this income steady was recognized years ago — so this necessary work goes on.

By the late 1970s much of Waikīkī looked as it does today, because while more towers have certainly been constructed since then, much of what we know now was in place. Although Waikīkī has been a crowded and densely urbanized district for decades, and has been criticized for that, it must be said that a great many visitors enjoy this vitality and the over-abundance of things to see and do. And even while Waikīkī is undeniably a city of itself, it is still located on the magnificently blue Pacific Ocean, with the Ko‘olau Mountains as one backdrop and Diamond Head as another, with the trade winds often blowing through it. And love it or hate it, we owe our economy to it, and had therefore better make sure it continues to function as smoothly as possible.

1 Kuhio Ave 64 16x9

<title>What happened to Waikīkī?</title>

Back in the Statehood era, you could see Punchbowl from Kalākaua Avenue and Diamond Head from Kūhiō Avenue. ASD history columnist DeSoto Brown pairs then-and-now photos to show the dramatic changes from a low-rise Waikīkī to today's bustling mini-metropolis.

What happened to Waikīkī?

Lopaka and Tanya Kapanui

Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya Kapanui

As you’re driving towards Wai‘anae, there are spots on the H-1 freeway that allow glimpses of the wide expanse of the ‘Ewa Plain, famous for its dry, flat landscape filled with homes and businesses. Within the ‘Ewa moku (district) is the largest ahupua‘a (land division) on O‘ahu that extends from the Wai‘anae mountains to the sea, called Honouliuli. Although it may seem like the area was once uninhabitable, the reality is quite the opposite.

For generations, Hawaiians used every available resource not only to survive, but to thrive on the rugged plain. The coastal plain contained limestone and coral formations, including natural depressions where soil accumulated. Freshwater moved through the area both above ground, in streams, and underground through the porous limestone and its network of cavities and passages.

The rich soil and fresh springs provided the elements needed for agriculture, including the special kāī koi kalo renowned for making exceptional poi. It was so highly regarded that accounts describe people traveling to ʻEwa just to taste it, and being so impressed that they wanted to stay.

Along the coast, people fished and gathered other marine resources. The waters off ʻEwa were once famous for their abundance of limu. Oneʻula, along the Honouliuli coast, was known as Hale o Limu, or the House of Limu, where extensive beds of seaweed grew along the reefs. Among the limu gathered there was limu manauea, prized as food and remembered by kūpuna as especially abundant in ʻEwa. My wife fondly remembers her grandparents, who lived in ʻEwa, fishing and gathering limu from the shore for dinner.

The name Oneʻula is often interpreted as “red sand,” although other sources may consider it as “blood sand” or “royal sand.” Archaeological records have identified settlement areas with features suggesting people lived and worked there for generations. Among the items found were house platforms, trails, garden plots, and burial sites.

By the late 19th century, the landscape began changing on a massive scale. The discovery of artesian water beneath the ʻEwa Plain in 1879 made it possible to irrigate land that had previously been difficult to farm on an industrial scale. Sugar cane fields spread across the plain, eventually covering thousands of acres. What had once been a landscape of Hawaiian villages, agricultural fields, trails, wetlands, and coastal resources became a vast plantation landscape of cane fields, irrigation ditches, roads, rail lines, and plantation communities.

For much of the 20th century, if you traveled through this part of ʻEwa, sugar cane was the landscape. The fields stretched across the plain, and the rhythms of life were tied to the plantation and its crops. But the sugar era eventually came to an end.

In 1988, the land that would become Ocean Pointe was purchased for development, beginning another major transformation of the area. Over the following years, former agricultural land was gradually converted into residential neighborhoods, streets, schools, parks, and the community we know today as Ocean Pointe.

It is easy to look around Ocean Pointe now and see only a modern suburban community. The community is still young, but beneath the buildings, houses, and pavement is a much older story. In particular, the ‘Ewa Plain is considered to be within the broad expanse of Kaupe‘a, the gathering place for wandering spirits who did not make it to their final ancestral realm. There are also mo‘olelo about the menehune and the huaka‘i pō, or night marchers.

People approach us all the time about strange things happening in their Ocean Pointe homes. One family described small footprints that appeared on their walls and ceiling. Another mentioned strange noises, like things moving around in their daughter’s closet. One man said that during the two years he and his girlfriend lived in their Ocean Pointe home, they’ve had their feet pulled while they were sleeping, seen shadows where no one was standing, had a strange mark that looked like blood appear on their wall, and found a small handprint, like that of a child, but they don’t have any children. Another woman talked about how she panicked one night after feeling like someone tugged on her leg, even though her husband was sleeping and there was no one else in the room.

Around 2014, we received an email from a family living in Ocean Pointe. They were having spiritual trouble in their home and mentioned it to their neighbor, who suggested the family contact us.

One morning, while the wife and son were in their rooms, they heard a ruckus downstairs that sounded like the dog tearing up the Christmas tree. But when they got to the loft area overlooking the living room, they saw their Christmas tree spinning around. The wife clarified that they didn’t have a rotating stand; it was just a simple tree stand with the long screws that held the tree still. Yet, there it was, spinning around.

The husband said that in their upstairs bedroom, they would find the dresser drawers open, with all the clothes strewn about. In the two sons’ bedroom, they claimed they had weird feelings to the point where it felt like someone was sitting on them, pinning them both to their beds. The daughter said her bedroom had a strong presence and that she never felt alone there, as if someone wasn’t just watching her but literally judging her every move. One son even had deep scratch marks on the back of his calf, but he had no memory of how he got them. His calf just started burning, and when he looked, he saw the scratches.

Our team then went to the home and conducted our investigation while the family waited at a nearby fast food place. As I walked into the living room behind our team, an orb of light floated past me. One of my team members also saw it, right there, plain as day. The family had security cameras set up in their house and were watching from their phone when they, too, saw the same orb of light.

After some discussion and a blessing, the family said they still felt that their house was haunted, but it was much less stressful than before. Knowing the history of the area in which they lived allowed them to be better prepared, both psychologically and spiritually.

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Ocean Pointe Community Ctr

<title>Wandering Spirits in an ‘Ewa Neighborhood</title>

Before the suburbs and before sugar, the ‘Ewa plain had a thriving Native Hawaiian community and was renowned for its poi. It was also within the region known as Kaupe‘a, the gathering place for wandering spirits ... who perhaps wander there still.

Wandering Spirits in an ‘Ewa Neighborhood

[{"type":"text","text":"Everyone's getting into the Halloween spirit!"}]

Smile 26 10 19

<title>Daily Smile: Monday, Oct. 19, 2026</title>

Everyone's getting into the Halloween spirit!

Daily Smile: Monday, Oct. 19, 2026

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Scott Dillon at Diamond Head Beach. "Start of another beautiful day in paradise. Ready for some time in the water."

Scott Dillon

<title>Hawaiʻi Skies: Canʻt wait for time in the water</title>

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Scott Dillon at Diamond Head Beach.

Hawaiʻi Skies: Canʻt wait for time in the water

Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

Arts & Entertainment

 of the atomic bombing of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima on Aug. 6 and Nagasaki on Aug. 9.

The City and County of Honolulu — which is a 

 —  will host two commemorative events.

Hiroshima named Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangardi an honorary citizen as part of exchanges between the sister cities on Aug. 4.

On Wednesday, Aug. 6, there will be an outdoor film projection of “Lotus Body Hiroshima,” directed by Noe Tanigawa, with live performances by Butoh Master Hiroko Tamano and Taiko Master Kenny Endo at the Waikīkī War Memorial Natatorium to commemorate the bombing of Hiroshima. The free event starts at 7 p.m. 

The art experience is part of the Renkon Project, which is being sponsored by the Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts and the Puʻuhonua Society with fiscal sponsorship from the Hoʻākea Source and Andy Warhol Foundation of the Arts.

On Saturday, Aug. 9, there will be a concert featuring Tanigawa’s film with contemporary dance by Peiling Kao along with taiko drumming performances to honor Nagasaki at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Kennedy Theatre. 

Honorary citizen

<title>Honolulu remembers Hiroshima and Nagasaki with film, music</title>

To commemorate the 80th anniversary of bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, there will be a film projection at Waikīkī War Memorial Natatorium on Wednesday and a musical performance at the University of Hawaiʻi’s Kennedy Theatre on Saturday.

Daily Smile: Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026

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Daily Smile: Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026

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