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Death and Life

Old Old Hawaii Memories

A friend of a friend is going to Honolulu and asked for some advice on where to go and what to do with her elderly and not very mobile mother. I suggested some classics like having Mai Tais at the Royal Hawaiian or going to The House WIthout A Key at the Halekulani (I've never been but hear amazing things). I also suggested the Arizona memorial (assuming they could get a wheelchair if necessary) and 'Iolani Palace. And lastly, a drive around the island with lunch on the North Shore.

I started thinking about Oahu from "small kid time" as we say in Hawaii. We moved to Maui just before I turned nine so Oahu holds some deep memories for me that are more like dreams sometimes. One North Shore destination I mentioned was Matsumomoto Shave Ice. I don't think I've ever been there myself, but have heard of it and seen it on various "what to do when in Hawaii" shows. The reason I mention it now is because when I found their website, the first image on the front page took my breath away:

HaleiwaBridge

That white bridge is a tiny kernel of a memory from weekends of camping when my parents were still married. I say "weekends" but we may have only gone once to Mokuleia with the giant green and yellow canvas tent and the camping bunk beds. Mokuleia was just past Haleiwa and we drove over that bridge. It seemed to take ALL DAY to get there in my three or four year old mind. Kurt and my mom and I drove around the island a few years ago and it seemed to hardly take any time at all. But that bridge sticks with me, reminds me of strange adventures at the beach -- fishermen catching a sea turtle and all of us rushing to see, polo ponies in corrals near the beach, dad firing up the campstove to make breakfast. The tent being wet in the rain. That bridge led to a far away place and to salty sweet hazy memories.

Another location nearer to where we lived when the parents were married was Hanauma Bay. It was right up/over the hill from our house on Kalalau Ave. We went there all the time and it is so beautiful that if I lived on Oahu, I would hope I would still go there often. I was the youngest of the siblings and neighborhood friends, so I don't know who took us there or dropped us off or came with us. All I remember is that we would walk the long (to a little kid) road down to the beach from the parking area and plant ourselves in front of the keyhole. See that round open spot in the coral in the middle of the picture? That's the "keyhole".

Hanauma-bay

Here's a better shot of the Keyhole at what looks like very low tide:

Famous-Hanauma-Bay-Oahu

When you were a bit older, you know, like seven or eight, you would walk around the left side of the bay to the Toilet Bowl.

Hanaumabaymap

There was a hole in the rocks and waves would come in from beneath, with action like a flushing toilet. The "bowl" was not deep. Check out this video:

There are disclaimers aplenty on this video, but basically the kids look like how we looked (though without parents around), enjoying jumping in and out, riding up and down with the flushing action. Those were the awesome carefree Free Range days!

I love going back to Oahu to see these places and stir up memories from deep storage in my memory banks. I look forward to taking Sweet Potato there and giving her some memories of her own.

 

 

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