There's a First Time for Everything

My first trip to Hawaii was in 1979. I went with my entire family and we invited the girl friends of two of my older brothers. We stayed in a vacation rental two blocks away from the beaches of Lanikai, Kailua, O’ahu, and man was that nice. At that time I was a junior in high school so it was necessary to take a week off from school, and that sure made my track coach angry. I was so excited because I had been learning Polynesian dances now for nearly 3 years and in my mind I was an expert on everything there is to know about Hawaii.

Finally, after all of the day dreaming, reading “Pidgin To Da Max,” and watching the Don Ho Show, I was landing in the Pacific Island Paradise that I someday wanted to make my home. As I disembarked the aircraft there were only two things on my mind, calling my “Calabash Cousin,” who lived on the island of Lana’i, and going to the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC). I will never forget the first fragrances that greeted me as I stepped out of that wide-bodied jet. They are the same fragrances that I relive every time that I land in Hawaii.

I remember the drive up the Pali as I recounted the stories that I had heard back in California from some of the Kupuna (Ederly) that resided there. I thought out loud what I had learned about crossing over the pali, but I was too embarrassed to actually ask if anyone by chance had any pork with them. Coming out of the tunnel I saw a beautiful sight that was breathtaking, almost beyond description. I wanted Dad to stop the car and fortunately there was a place to pull over and park at the scenic lookout. Kane’ohe & Kailua Bays and the majestic Ko’olau mountain range were a natural amphitheater that boldly made up Ko’olaupoko. As I stood there looking out over Windward O’ahu, I hummed in my mind trying to recall the lyrics, “Nani Ko’olau a’e po anu….”

The drive through old Kailua town had my attention focused on the hot local girls in their surf shorts, bikini tops, and rubbah slippah’s. As we came closer to our destination, Kalapawai Store caught my eye, or maybe it was the two young tita’s in front of it using the pay phone. Later I came to find out that Kalapawai Store would serve as a land mark proclaiming the gateway to the Kailua Beach areas and the pay phone in front of Kalapawai Store would serve as our only means of communication to the outside world. Passing Kailua Beach Park, we finally rounded the bend known as Alala Point, as I took notice of the old cement and stone monument that announced our arrival to, LANIKAI.

Our first excursion to the beach had my brothers and I walking down the hill from our temporary abode with a fabulous view of Na Mokulua (the two islands) called Moku Nui and Moku Iki (Big Island & Little Island). The sand was incredibly soft and fine between our toes and a bit hot too. I couldn’t believe how picture perfect was this post card that had come to life. Bleached white sands, naupaka shrubs lining the properties that met the beach line, small one man outrigger canoes, and real coconut palms swaying just as I had envisioned them from the popular Hapa Haole Songs that I had learned to hula to. It wasn’t long before we learned that Lanikai beach wasn’t known for its waves, so by my oldest brother’s request, our next beach adventure took us to Sandy Beach, the pride of Hawaii Kai.

Now Sandy’s (as the locals called it) was its own kind of body surfing extravaganza . Crowded with primarily local youth I came to understand that most of these island peers of mine were raised in these waters. It was definitely a different body surfing experience, leaving a greater impression on me than my wave riding stomping grounds outside of L.A. The wave would form quickly, creating what appeared to be a steep ninety degree vertical wall, extending 20 feet into the sky. As the wave curled over my head I had about half a second before it would just smash down on top of me and anything else in its way. It was astonishingly amazing how these young kama’aina (child of the land) could ride these waves with such precision, dropping quickly down its face and then navigating their bodies into the tube and just before the wave would close out, they somehow manage to immerse themselves back into the body of the wave before it came crushing down on top of them.  It wasn’t long before I re-embraced my love for life and decided that my body surfing days at Sandy’s had pretty much come to an end.

I don’t recall too much more that we did on that family vacation. I did go down to Kalapawai Store to use the phone and call my calabash cousin on Lana’i. I tried speaking in my best Pidgin English to impress the local girls that were waiting to use the phone after me. My oldest brother took us to a movie at the old Kailua Drive-In Movie Theater near Kapa’a Quarry Rd. I also remember pleading with my parents to either let me fly to Lana’i or take us to the PCC. My brothers voted to send me to Lana’i, but my parents wouldn’t let me go it alone, and we couldn’t get a unanimous vote to drive up to Laie.

Even though I didn’t get to stay in Hawaii, fly over to Lana’i, or spend a day at the PCC while on my first trip, I’m glad to say that the desires of my heart would be realized at a later time. This experience would be followed by a visit each summer thereafter. I traveled alone in 1980 and in 1981, but it was the trip in 1982 as we traveled as a Hula Halau (hula school), that I did not return with the troupe, but rather lingered a bit longer and made Hawaii my home. As a youth I guess I was brave enough to follow my dreams and I would encourage anyone at any age to do the same and fill their life with adventure and happiness.