Waik?k? (; Hawaiian: [v?j'ti:'ti:, w?j'ti:'ti:]) (also known as Waikiki Beach) is a neighborhood of Honolulu on the south shore of the island of O?ahu in the U.S. state of Hawaii.
Waikiki is most famous for Waik?k? Beach, which is one of six beaches in the district, along with Queen's Beach, Kuhio Beach, Gray's Beach, Fort DeRussy Beach and Kahanamoku Beach. Waikiki Beach is almost entirely man-made.
Waik?k? is home to public places including Kapi?olani Park, Fort DeRussy, Kahanamoku Lagoon, K?hi? Beach Park and Ala Wai Harbor.
Video Waikiki
Etymology
Waik?k? means spouting fresh water in the Hawaiian language, for springs and streams that fed wetlands that once separated Waik?k? from the interior.
Maps Waikiki
History
The area was a retreat for Hawaiian royalty in the 1800s who enjoyed surfing there on early forms of longboards.
A few small hotels opened in the 1880s. In 1893, Greek-American George Lycurgus leased the guest house of Allen Herbert and renamed it the "Sans Souci" (French for "without worries") creating one of the first beach resorts. Later that year Robert Louis Stevenson stayed at the resort; subsequently it became a popular destination for mainland tourists. The area at coordinates 21°15?49?N 157°49?17?W is still called "Sans Souci Beach".
Waikiki has had erosion problems since the late-1800s, because hotels and homes were built too close to the natural shoreline, while seawalls and other structures blocked the natural ebb and flow of sand along the beach. By 1950, more than 80 structures, including seawalls, groins, piers and storm drains, occupied the Waikiki shoreline.
The area became filled with large resort hotels, such as the Hilton Hawaiian Village, Halekulani, the Hyatt Regency Waik?k?, Marriott Waikiki, Sheraton Waik?k?, and historic hotels dating back to the early 20th century (such as the Moana Surfrider Hotel and the Royal Hawaiian Hotel). The beach hosts many events, including surf competitions, outdoor performances, hula dancing and outrigger canoe races. The many amenities, shops, and hotels enable Waik?k? to generate approximately 42 percent of Hawai?i's visitor revenue.
In the early 1900s, Waik?k? was home to many wetlands, which were believed to harbor disease-carrying mosquitoes. To get rid of the mosquitoes, islanders created the Ala Wai canal. The canal, originally known as the Waik?k? Drainage Canal, was created by a Hawaiian dredging company run by Walter F. Dillingham. The project took about seven years, 1921-1928.
In the early 20th century, Duke Kahanamoku became a well-known surfer in Waikiki. Throughout his life and after competing in the Olympics, many people around the world wanted to learn to surf. Duke's influence made Waikiki beach a surfing hotspot. "Dukes", a club in Waikiki named for Kahanamoku, helped Don Ho produce music and hosted the longest-running show in Waikiki.
In the 1920s and 1930s sand was imported from Manhattan Beach, California, via ship and barge.
In the early 1900s, plans for the Ala Wai Canal were developed to help with drainage and seawalls and groynes began to appear. These helped build sand at one beach, but typically appropriated sand from others. Before 1950, Waikiki beaches were continuous. They became separated into sections, some with sandy beach and others without.
Following World War II, Waikiki beach restoration efforts have occurred every few years. Sand was imported to this artificial beach from the 1920s to the 1970s, once by boat and barge from Southern California. 1,730 feet of shoreline was replenished at a cost of $2.4 million following chronic erosion of more than a foot a year.
Importing stopped in the 1970s. In March of 1971, the Department of the Army Pacific Ocean Division, created a Draft Environmental Statement for the Kuhio Beach Sector of Waik?k?, which aimed to improve the overall quality and size of the fading and narrowing shoreline.
A partial restoration was completed in the spring of 2012. The project imported sand from nearby shoals and widened the 1,700-foot (520 m) long beach by about 37 feet (11 m) between the Royal Hawaiian Hotel concrete groyne and the K?hi? Beach crib wall. The project temporarily restored the beach to its 1985 shoreline.
In 2017, beach erosion worsened with "king tides" along with elevated sea level. Honolulu's mayor stated: "I'm not a scientist, but I'll get a jackhammer in there and remove all the concrete that's there creating this backwash and sucking out more sand, plus it's just downright dangerous."
Two aging groins were removed in 2012, which worsened the situation.
Geography
The neighborhood extends from the Ala Wai Canal (a channel dug to drain one-time wetlands) on the west and north, to Diamond Head (L??ahi, tuna brow) on the east. Waik?k? Beach is noted for its views of the Diamond Head tuff cone, its usually warm and cloud-free climate and its surf break.
The Waik?k? skyline is filled with high-rises and resort hotels. Half of the beach is marked off for surfers. For some distance into the ocean the water is quite shallow, with numerous rocks on the bottom. The waves can have some force, particularly on windy days. The surf is known for its long rolling break, making it ideal for long boarding, tandem surfing and beginners.
Beaches
Largely as a result of shoreline development, Waikiki has eight distinct beaches. They are Ft. DeRussy, Duke Kahanamoku, Halekulani, Royal Hawaiian, Kuhio, Kapiolani, Queens and Kaimana. Since 1951, nearly 80,000 cubic meters of sand have been added to restore Waikiki beaches. Today, however, it is believed that very little of the added sand remains.
Ala Moana Beach Park, Hawaii's single most popular beach, is adjacent to but not technically part of Waikiki, and was also artificially made.
Thoroughfares
Waik?k?'s main thoroughfare is Kalakaua Avenue, named after King Kalakaua, which houses most of the high-end hotels (Royal Hawaiian, Sheraton, Hyatt, Moana Surfrider Hotel), most of the luxury designer brand stores (Apple Store, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Burberry, Dior, Tiffany & Co., Fendi, Cartier, Gucci, and Coach) and popular surf clothing brand stores (Quiksilver, Billabong, Volcom). Waik?k?'s other main thoroughfare, Kuhio Avenue, named after Prince Kuhio, is better known for its restaurants, cafes and grocers, along with its clubs, nightlife and prostitution.
Beach problems
Erosion
Waik?k? beach has had repeated problems with erosion, leading to the construction of groynes and beach replenishment projects. Imported sand came from California and from local beaches such as P?p?haku Beach on Moloka'i, and a sandbar from O?ahu's Northern side near Kahuku. Officials look for ways to sustain the existing sand by eliminating loss due to tidal flow.
Erosion claims about one foot of beach per year.
Water quality
Waikiki Beach has had repeated contamination problems with sewage spills.
Education
Hawaii state Department of Education operates conventional public schools throughout Hawaii. Thomas Jefferson Elementary School is located in Waik?k? proper, while Waik?k? Elementary School is located nearby, at the makai (seaward) edge of the Kapahulu neighborhood.
The Hawaii State Public Library System operates the Waik?k? Public Library.
Twin towns - sister cities
Waikiki is twinned with:
- Freshwater, New South Wales, Australia
- Bixby, Oklahoma, United States
Gallery
See also
- List of leading shopping streets and districts by city
- Save Our Surf
- Waikiki Trolley
References
External links
- Waikiki Info
- "DTS--Live Images, City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii". 2010-01-18. Archived from the original on 2010-01-18. Retrieved 2018-08-08.
Source of article : Wikipedia
0 Comments