Travel In War Time.

Waipawa Mail, Volume XXXVII, Issue 7917, 11 August 1917, Page 1 (Supplement)

Travel In War Time.

HONOLULU

(Contributed by C.G.Y.) ll.* lj tP r u very pleasant run of seven from Pago Pago —Honolulu—“The of the Pacific” is sighted. The ri n ituru crossing the equator, was posed ou June 3rd, and fcrid i» with the usual celebrations, ! hot, so hot (the American says Lt,") that eating and sleeping, and Jo reading and talking were extreme.jjficult teats. njuiond Head, the entrance to HonHurbour, came into view’ at 0 and practically everybody was up J joiug, anxious to get ashore. The „ anchored in the stream, and prior jhe Doctor’s arrival, the time wa3 i; .pjed speculating upon what the jjid had in store for us and guessing (he size cf the enormous sharks enjhng the steamer. The water is very parent here, and these sea monranging in length from 10 to 15 /made themselves very conspicuous d’hov*T**d around us until the projar* churned up the water. It really X olio's blood run cold to see them. berthed at 8 a.m., and were soon W v, with eight hours at our disposior sight-seeing. Honolulu, capital of the Hawaiian hnvs, has a population of 08,000 It was annexed and became territory of the United States with ,other island* of the group in 1878, \is a city of considerable importthe day of our arrival an elec- , [or the Mayor, Sheriff, and other [lie official*, was in course of prothere being much bustle and exwnt •' n«i practically all the autoijil iii the locality were requisitioned the respective parties. The Hawaii- . Mauds were discoverel by Capt. m January 1779, and it was here u the intrepid explorer met his L : death at the hands of the natives, ta* same year. A monument erectbv his fellow countrymen stands at liakt-kua Hay, to mark the spot *e Cook fell. The limited time lit (disposal was not sufficient to admit i visit of inspection to this historic I, Honolulu is unquestionably the a cosmopolitan city in the world, |it is surely entitled to such a jiioand unenviable distinction. Comrt as it is of over thirty different Bon.ilitios. Japanese al>ound everygp. in fact, the great.; reponderanco •> pm illation of the Islands is couiH of Japs, approximating soukJ)) Everywhere you go Japanese im**t with, men. women and oliili There are Japanese butchem, |op«e t’ilors, Japanese labourer.*, jHi’so waiters, Japanese barbers,, si loon attendants, and Japw vendors of fruit, vegetables, and ml food stnffs. Then many of the are owned by Japs, such as Jap--9 candy stores, drug stores, teals. hair-d-easing saloons and such i It is all very much “JAPPY JAP JAPPY.” utions of the globe practically are risen ted here, and beside the Japh the population is constituted ot nicaa, British, Russian, German, kse Hawaiian, Negroes, Portuie. Filipinos, Porto Ricans, Spanii.ami sundry other breeds, and halfci>. They are a regular motley eg I can a&sure you. tor.- are some very fine and palatiil ill m Honolulu, and a number cf we institutions and public builclHait generally speaking, the arentare is not of a very pretentious acter. Although fairly Americantkere are no skyscrapers. The malt of the bu si lies 3 premises are combos and airy, while the streets are sept but narrow. All traffic is dirt on the right hand principle, exfas exists in the States, and we fre<l? ribbed shoulders with an auto , hgli our strict observance of the Balian and New Zealand rules of nad. Hie temperature was 78deg ui date June sth, and it ap>d tint while we were basking ;n kiom tropical sunshine with ts bficent blue skies overhead, you w Zealand were right in the midst tod. rain, and sleet, and possibly r on the Ranges. Honolulu has -i rqunble climate, which varies but ithe year round. The highest sumtemperature is 8. J0g., the lowest fc temperature but 55deg., while Wan.J-, are credited with an absence cold snaps, intense heat and r rapid climatic changes. During *iy, .several sliarp tropical showers experienced. These were quite tent to wet you through unless ulifer. but they only lusted a couple ttutes, and then the sun would iglv break through the mists. • Tramway Service is an excellent thara'-terised hv efficiency, short tag places and politeness of the o. The trams are similar in deli those -in tlu N.Z. cities, and toli> and roomy. The transfer sys--8 in vogue here, all fares a nickel (2RI. our money.) If you ride * block it costs a nickel, but you «o travel for the same fare, per *r or direct, practically from one (the city to the other. This sys--8 i dupted right throughout the ►Dinger Directions, printed on « didos and posted in conspicuous '.•>!! over the cars, were fine prota> of Yankee advertising, and [W to me immensely. Each slide ’’B headlines in red as follows: D'KTY FlßST”—end the follo.v----“K in black type underneath, [•want to make travel safe.” *. CJ " Mp US.” ■frl.Nsness causes most accidents.' i;t -- Be sure the car lias stoppe 1 jWc you get on or off.” SEN WATCH YOUR STEP.” Qc ’> caution to the children.” top—look—end listen before crossj.th? track.” [tang chance* means gambling death.” UY SAFE.” piKMßEß—Accidents injure yo.i than they do us.” Party took trams almost ever»- : ,1s we wishel to see as much .of 55 -I s possible in the time availfamous Waikiki Beach, about tnilfc front the city, was visited, *hif h route is seen in abundance Vk th" most gorgeous tropical folifclm, cocoanut tree*?, and other ■that, it is possible to imagine, with the same are flower and -hrubj* of such trans--1 of colouring that words describe the glory of the scene. 1 a veritable fairyland of charm

and colour, set off by magnificent residences built on the most modern stylo ot architecture, nestling amongst the foliage. WAIKIKI BEACH. So much had been heard, read, and such glowing descriptions been given oi this particular beach that the visitor expected to see something of unusual grandeur. But I must confess t-o a feeling of disappointment. The grandeur appears to ho in the magnificent colouring of the water which in places very much resembles the famous blue, green, and opal lakes of Rotorua. Hundreds of bathers and surfers are to be found here daily. The beach is a very sate one, being enclosed by a large barrier reef of coral which effectually guards the bather from intrusion of sharks and other denizens of the deep, which abound profusely in this locality. The natives here are certainly adepts at surfing, or “riding the breakers,” and scores of them are to be seen daily at Waikiki Beach with their surfboards, dashing shoreward on the crest of the oncoming breakers. It is quite an alluring pastime, and is one of the principal attractions of Honolulu. Hawaii ’.s the home of the famous swimmer, Duke Kahnnamoku, who toured New Zealand some two years ago. The Duke is still one of the big swimming attractions of the big eitv aud is daily to lie seen at. Waikiki Beach. THE AQUARIUM. Situated at Kapiolana Park, Waikiki Beach, tin* Aquarium is one of the chief sights of the city. There are innumerable varieties of fishes found in the Hawaiian waters, remarkable in shape, and strikingly beautiful in colour — contrasting all imaginable combinations of shades. In the Aquarium alone, there are from G'K) to 1000 specimens approximating *2OO varieties. The fish exhibits at the Honolulu Aquarium are most unique and are claimed to be the finest collection in the world. Certain it is that the shading and colouring, as well as the fantastic shapes of these fish, are truly remarkable and baffle* description. One writer referring to the Aquarium says, “ Language cannot do the subject justice. No words can accurately portray what one .has seen here. The fish are odd in shape, and have all tl.j hues of the rainbow. Tie' tints are laid on as if with a brush, and vet no painter could imitate them.” The Aquarium was built in 1904, and and is being continually improved.