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Hawai'i Skies

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Lois Leinani Whitney in Wailuku, Maui. "

This colorful moonbow appeared over Central Maui one night when I had driven up to Hali’imaile, in tears, upset over an awful conversation with a friend. Seeing it immediately filled me with a sense of peace and gratitude, and even a few more tears feeling like my ancestors were watching over me. It was the first moonbow I had ever seen, and the colors seemed completely impossible at night."

To submit your Hawai'i Skies photo, visit us 

Lois Leinani Whitney

<title>Hawaiʻi Skies: Colorful moonbow</title>

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Lois Leinani Whitney in Wailuku, Maui.

Hawaiʻi Skies: Colorful moonbow

Today&#039;s Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Lois Leinani Whitney in Wailuku, Maui. &quot;This colorful moonbow appeared over Central Maui one night when I had driven up to Hali’imaile, in tears, upset over an awful conversation with a friend. Seeing it immediately filled me with a sense of peace and gratitude, and even a few more tears feeling like my ancestors were watching over me. It was the first moonbow I had ever seen, and the colors seemed completely impossible at night.&quot; To submit your Hawai&#039;i Skies photo, visit us online or email: general@alohastatedaily.com

 was taken on Maui at sunset, about 6:25 p.m. on Sept.15, at an overlook north of Kihei. 

"We sat there for what seemed like hours," said 

"It was worth the wait. I wanted to capture the perfect moment. I think I did."

Sky 10 20 26

<title>Hawaiʻi Skies: 'It was worth the wait'</title>

This photo by Julie Hammond was taken at sunset in Kihei, Maui.

Hawaiʻi Skies: 'It was worth the wait'

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?

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Government & Politics

 has issued a flash flood warning East Maui, extending to 10:30. 

"radar indicated heavy rain over east Maui," said the NWS bulletin. "Rain was falling at a rate of 1 to 2 inches per hour. The heaviest rain is   falling over the Kaupo area. Additional heavy showers are expected   through the morning. Some locations that will experience flash flooding include Kīpahulu, Kaupō, Nāhiku, Hāna, Ke‘anae, Haleakalā National Park, Wailua and Hāmoa."

A flash flood watch is in effect for West and central Maui and Hawai‘i Island through the afternoon.

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Gov. Josh Green said some $40 million of roads will need to be replaced following last weekend’s Kona low storm.

On Monday evening, Green said that, while damage assessments following the storms are ongoing, the state will need to spend millions to repair damage to infrastructure throughout the state.

“We’re going to have to replace [Kula] Hospital on Maui, it looks like … Some $40 million of roads are going to need to be replaced, $100 million at the airport and hundreds of millions of dollars of houses are going to be registered as damage.”

Randy Collins, director of the Honolulu Department of Emergency Management, said the county is still conducting surveys of damage throughout the North Shore in order to present damage assessments to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and, ultimately, to get President Donald Trump to declare the incident a disaster, which will make the state eligible for more federal assistance.

In the meantime, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said the City and County of Honolulu will establish sites where affected residents can dump storm debris as they clean up their properties. He said the county will waive dump tipping fees and permit requirements for the time being.

Further federal, state and county assistance programs for people impacted by the storms will be coming online throughout the next weeks.

Aloha United Way CEO Michelle Bartell said Monday evening that residents are encouraged to call United Way’s help line at 211 to help connect residents with any resources they need.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Original story:"}]

Ongoing rains have prompted a flash flood warning for O‘ahu, which remains in effect until 4:30 p.m.

According to the National Weather Service in Honolulu, at 1:25 p.m. "radar indicated heavy rain over Windward O‘ahu and extending into Mānoa Valley and Pālolo Valley," falling at 2 to 4 inches per hour, with streams in the valleys rising.

 also is in effect for the east side of Hawai‘i Island until 3:45 p.m. Just after 1 p.m., radar showed "an area of very heavy rain" between Laupāhoehoe and Mountain View, falling at a rate of 2 to 4 inches per hour, the warning notes.

 is in effect for the Big Island through this afternoon.

The Honolulu Ocean Safety Department says people should stay out of the ocean after the recent heavy rains.

The state Department of Health issued a Brown Water Advisory for Oʻahu "and recommends that everyone should avoid ocean waters for at least 72 hours after the last rainfall," a Monday announcement from the city notes. "Even beyond that timeframe, the public should continue to avoid entering areas where the water is brown or murky, especially near stream mouths, drainage outlets, and other locations where runoff flows into the ocean.

[{"type":"text","text":"Here are some key safety reminders:"}]

There currently no beach closures and ocean conditions "may appear calm," the city says.

In a separate announcement Monday, the city also urged the public to refrain from entering storm-affected areas in Waialua and Hale‘iwa unless you're a resident, an authorized worker, emergency personnel or involved in recovery efforts.

Officials have received reports of individuals traveling into impacted areas to observe damage, creating dangerous conditions and slowing emergency and cleanup operations," the city says. "Storm-affected areas remain active emergency and work zones. Unnecessary travel into these areas is causing traffic congestion and creating safety hazards for emergency responders, repair crews and utility workers working to restore services and stabilize impacted communities."

The Honolulu Police Department also asks drivers to avoid unnecessary travel to Kaukonahua Road and the Otake Camp area in Waialua this week as storm cleanup continues.

"HPD officers are deployed in the area to provide traffic control and security in support of recovery efforts," the city says. "Motorists in the area must follow directions from HPD officers managing traffic and restricting access where necessary."

A second Kona Low storm system — which battered O‘ahu and Maui 

, prompting evacuations and causing damage that could top $1 billion, according to Gov. Josh Green — on Monday continued to "move rapidly towards the northeast away from the state and a high pressure system builds in quickly as the low departs," according to a forecast from the National Weather Service in Honolulu.

"An upper level subtropical jet stream and deep unstable band of tropical moisture lingers over the Big Island today," the forecast notes. "This larger scale moisture band will drift eastward as high pressure builds in from the northwest, allowing more stabilizing trade winds to spread down the island chain. These cooler moderate to locally breezy trade winds will lower humidity levels and continue blowing across the Islands through next weekend with passing showers favoring windward and mountain areas."

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