Waikiki: Nine Walks Through Time

A Waikiki Wanderer Book Review

Waikiki: Nine Walks Through Time, by Dr. Veneeta Acson, is everything a book about Waikiki should be. It's accurate, informative, entertaining, and above all, it's respectful.

There aren't really a lot of books currently in print about Waikiki (leaving aside pure tourist guides). A number of these are "coffee table" books, and though there are several that we'd call outstanding, we're afraid that many readers glance at the pictures and set the book back down.

But Nine Walks is a book that engages and even challenges the reader, to get out there on the streets and take the walks. While the book is interesting reading in and of itself, it's meant above all to be used, and it's written and arranged in such a manner as to make that easy to do.

Nine Walks Through Time was first published in 1983. Dr. Acson revised and updated the book in 2003. Much had changed in the interim. Waikiki is anything but static, and now a little of the content of the 2003 edition is out of date. For instance, the Waikiki Theatre, about which Dr. Acson waxes eloquent, has gone the way of Fong's Inn and other former landmarks. But the vast majority of the content remains fresh and relevant.

 

Walk V: Garden path, Tusitala Street

The walks consist of maps, photographs, and extensive, well-researched commentaries on various waypoints along the routes. The walks are in the one to two mile range and take about an hour and a half each, depending on walking speed and how much time is spent at each waypoint.

Walk I: Marker honoring Queen Lili`uokalani on the Ala Wai,

and part of the Waikiki Historic Trail

A walk along the Ala Wai canal begins the book; the adventure continues with a tour of the old Kalia area, once the location of fertile fields and ponds. The Early Royalty walk covers central Waikiki and includes a long stroll along the beach. The Miracle Mile walk takes the reader along Kalakaua Avenue, with an insightful look at the past and the present.

Walk I: `Apuakehau Stream meets the Ala Wai

The fifth walk, in central Waikiki and called Last Days of the Monarchy showcases locations related to the last rulers of the royal line. A walk on the Diamond Head side of Waikiki gives a view of local life today. The seventh walk covers Kapi`olani Park and the Honolulu Zoo.

 

Walk I: Canoes on the mauka side of the Ala Wai

Walk eight ranges outward to the foot of Diamond Head itself. The ninth and last walk is a purely delightful stroll along the sands of Waikiki, as fabled in film and song.

Walk V: In the Tusitala garden path

We could write at length about the high quality of the writing, the depth and accuracy of the historical research, the excellent photographs, the compelling descriptions, and everything else that goes into making this a wonderful book which everyone who visits or lives in Waikiki should have. But to us, what really makes this book something above and beyond the rest is the respect, even reverence, that the author shows for the land, the people, and their collective history.

Walk V: Tusitala is Samoan for "Teller of Tales" 

and refers to Robert Louis Stevenson

Waikiki has been called a "concrete jungle" by some, and is unfortunately--- and we believe quite mistakenly--- regarded by many kama`aina as a place best avoided. But someone once told us that the mana, the spirit, of old Waikiki is still here. It's been covered over and buried underneath hotels and condos and all the rest, but it's still here, and it's still strong; you just have to search harder to find it.

Nine Walks in Time is a book that will lead you to the mana of Waikiki if you open your mind and heart. Take the walks. Take your time with them. Read what Dr. Acson has to say about each waypoint. It won't be long before you start to feel in touch with the things that made Waikiki special then, vital now, and ever unique in days to come.