Waikīkī today is the piko (center) of Hawaiʻiʻs visitor industry. But long before visitors began arriving, Waikīkī was a center for government, a hub of food production, a respite for our high chiefs, a fishing village and a seaside kamaʻāina neighborhood. The stories of this wahi pana were highlighted in the dedicated research of Dr. George Kanahele, co-founder of NaHHA. His aim was to restore the 'Hawaiianness' of Waikīkī.
In this one hour and thirty minute in-person session, we will discuss the history of Waikīkī and its relevance to the evolution of tourism in Hawaiʻi where we will learn the cultural stories and history of some of the most beloved, visited, and sometimes misrepresented places and people of Waikīkī through historian and pupil of Dr. Kanahele, Mr. Peter Apo.
