Highlight of the Tour

Tony began the tour with a presentation. He showed how 19th-century Waikiki looked before the swamps were drained. He talked about the Moana hotel's construction in 1901,Jane Stanford's murder, how Duke Kahanamoku brought surfing to the West Coast from Hawaii, and the popularization of Hawaiian music across America by radio.

The bombing of Pearl Harbor transformed the face of Hawaii, as vast armadas of men and materiel traversed the Crossroads of the Pacific toward Japan. The U.S. military brought something else, Spam, the canned meat product that is now a fixture of Island cuisine.

Tony proudly displayed his visual aid: twelve varieties of Spam that he had found on the shelves of local markets. His wife allowed the purchases only if he promised to eat every can, which he did. One does not have to rush one's enjoyment of Spam---your humble servant recently purchased cans marked "Best by 2015".

The tour wended through the old wing of the Moana and ended by the banyan that has grown to dominate the rear patio. We bade aloha and mahalo to Tony, who lives less than a mile away in Kapahulu. A man who has found his calling.

(The historical tour of the Moana runs from 11 to 12:15 on M-W-F.)