Day 78 – Honolulu, Oahu Island, Hawaii

Birthplace of Barack Obama, Herman Melville, Robert Louis Stevenson and Bruno Mars, Honolulu is the capital and most populous city of the United States state of Hawaii. A large high-rise city, Honolulu has a population of approximately 1 million people. Located 2350 miles off the coast of California, Honolulu is also the most remote United States city and one of the most isolated cities in the world.

Polynesian immigrants are believed to have settled in Oahu in the 11th century. In 1794 Captain William Brown of Great Britain was the first foreigner to sail into Honolulu Harbour. The settlement grew in the early 19th century when the ruler Kamehameha chose it as the place of his residence in 1810. In 1845, Kamehameha moved the capital of Hawaii from Maui to Oahu and he and his descendants transformed Honolulu into a modern city.

The nation of Hawaii was annexed by the United States in 1898. In 1941, Pearl Harbor in Honolulu was attacked by the Japanese, bringing the United States into World War II.

Hawaii has a hot semi arid climate, although due to insufficient annual rainfall, it cannot be classified as tropical. The islands of Hawaii have a thriving tourist sector, receiving some 1.5 million visitors a year. However, climate change has presented significant challenges with increasing droughts, sea level rises and consequent flooding, resulting in a declining population with many Hawaiians migrating to mainland US. Hawaii is also of great strategic military importance. Property and cost-of-living are high and the city has a significant problem with homelessness and substance abuse.

Today we spent time walking around the city and catching up on some shopping before heading over to Waikiki to check out the world famous beach (nothing to write home about!) and have dinner. We found the city to be pleasant and modern but with a very obvious homelessness issue. The people are very friendly however, and we walked several miles in the endless sunshine.