I've only been to Honolulu and a couple other places on Oahu. But that was 25 years ago. I certainly liked it a lot, but Honolulu is pretty urban so keep that in mind. If you want rustic, Honolulu ain't rustic.
shareI lived there in Waianae. Remember it well, but too young to enjoy it. Dad was in the navy & stationed at Barber’s Point. I went to school on the base. My mom, baby brother & I flew there on a MARS aircraft which landed on water. My poor mom’s companion was a barf bag while I was visiting the cockpit with the pilots. They gave me a pair of wings which got lost.
https://planehistoria.com/jrm-mars/
My dad was stationed at Schofield Barracks and we also lived on that base. My go to beach was Waianae, as it was a designated beach for military personnel and families. Used to take an Army shuttle bus there on a regular basis. I see now that there are a number of beaches there: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g60661-Activities-c61-t52-Waianae_Oahu_Hawaii.html
I used to work in the kitchen of the NCO club at Fort Shafter, a pretty good job for a 16year old at the time, so I was definitely old enough to enjoy everything that tour had to offer. https://installations.militaryonesource.mil/in-depth-overview/schofield-barracks-fort-shafter
We lived in a quonset hut in Waianae. The community was military housing. It had well kept grass for kids to have a place to play and it was very close to the beach. I can still smell that delicious aroma coming from the stationary grills on the beaches. I have photos somewhere packed away.
https://imgs.6sqft.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/21130609/Quonset-huts-Canarsie-679x345.jpg
Our next tour following Hawaii was Okinawa, Japan. We lived on an Army base next to the Air Force base mentioned here. I can't remember or locate the name of it. I'm surprised I never encountered any of those in either Hawaii or Okinawa. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tT1uRDGhuwo
sharehttps://www.flickr.com/photos/vic-and-becky/5589944047/
The above was in 1954. We lived in Waianae, I think, in 1951-1952. I recall crossing the road to get to the beach. There wasn’t any houses between the road and beach, so this photo of Waianae was taken of a more populated area.
I don’t recall the interior of the Quonset hut, btw manufactured in Quonset, Rhode Island. Probably because I lived most of the time outdoors. I ran free all over the place including crossing the aforementioned road and going down to the beach by myself. I would go just to the water’s edge. I shudder to think if I had been brave enough I would have entered the water. My parents would never know what happened to me!
Yup, that's the beach I used to go to. I was there in the mid-60s and this image is exactly how I remember it: https://fineartamerica.com/featured/waianae-beach-eddie-freeman.html
This is the high school I attended when I was there. It was in a town called Wahiawa, which was about four miles from Schofield Barracks. https://www.leilehua.k12.hi.us/ Again, a daily ride on an Army shuttle bus.
This photo depicts how we lived in Waianae while Dad was stationed at Barber’s Point.
https://pricebuildings.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/military-quonset-huts.jpg
I don't think I ever heard of Barber's Point until now. Looked it up and learned a few things.
This is the closest image I could find to what we had, only it was constructed of stucco instead of wood: https://www.loc.gov/resource/hhh.hi0472.photos/?sp=4&st=image
Dad was a naval flight engineer. There came a time when his plane went missing, but all turned out well. He was gifted in math.
I just noticed the MARS aircraft (in which we flew to Hawaii) was manufactured by The Glenn L. Martin Company, also known as The Martin Company from 1917 to 1961.
Later Dad went to worked & retired at Martin Marietta. I never was aware of the connection. He must have informed at some time, but I don’t recall. What a coincidence!
Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwoʻole:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1bFr2SWP1I
One of my favs. He WAS Hawaii.
Great video! ❤
shareI've been there 4 times - once was a land trip and the others cruises. Beautiful place - too bad it takes me so long to get there from Ohio. The Caribbean is much closer for a tropical vacation.
shareYes, I've been to Hawaii, four of the islands, but it was a very long time ago. For me, it was a once-in-a-lifetime trip. Kauai was my favorite island, then Maui, the Big Island and Oahu. At the time, I thought is was a magical paradise, almost surreal.
I'm still devastated at the loss of historic Lahaina, my favorite town in the state of Hawaii.
I don't think I'd want to visit again because I'm sure it's overrun with tourists like so many popular places in the world.
If you're only going for the exotic tropical beach aspect, there's way cheaper and more practical ways to get it than flying to Hawaii. The main problem with Hawaii now is the culture there has been obliterated. Mingling with the natives is the whole reason to go anywhere.
shareI turn 60 in 2 years and I might book a trip to Maui then to Celebrate which will have been 30 Years since I went in 1996. Go for like 10 Days and stay at the Hyatt
share