Getting in the Last Few Moments on the Island

Friday was our last day on Oahu.  We had a list of things we wanted to do before having to head to the airport.  Our first stop was Puu Ualakaa Park. This park contains the best views from Mount Tantalus. In fact, if you watch the movie Blue Hawaii with Elvis Presley, this is where he and his girlfriend went for a picnic. In the movie you can see how the park and skyline of Honolulu and Waikiki looked almost 40 years ago. It is much different today.

On to the next lookout:

From this lookout, you have a clear view of the windward side of the island.  Needless to say, it’s a bit windy at the top.

Did I mention that it tends to be windy at this spot?

This spot is also famous for a battle.

Our last stop was back downtown where we were on Thursday.  The boys wanted to visit the Queen’s Medical Center and learn about some history regarding their grandfather.

In 1959, the First Open Heart Surgery in Hawaii was performed at The Queen's Medical Center. This was only 2 years after open heart surgery was performed on the Mainland.  A heart and lung machine (which allows blood to be oxygenated and circulated during surgery) was custom built by the physicians for a cost of $13,000. The procedure took 4 hours and blood diverted for 25 minutes. The patient was 36 year old Harumi Yoshimoto who had a congenital heart defect. The surgical team consisted of 14 heath professional and was lead by Dr. Scott Brainard.

The first open heart surgery in Hawaii, shown above, was performed at Queen's in 1959.

In 2007, a new wing was dedicated in the cardiac unit of the hospital.  Scott’s dad was not able to travel to Hawaii for the ceremony, but if you look in the photo just to the right of Nick’s head, the woman on the phone is Harumi Yoshimoto, the woman they performed the first surgery on in 1959.  She is on the phone to Scott’s dad.  So in a way, he was able to be there that day.

They boys were also blessed to meet this nurse who had worked with their grandfather and had many wonderful things to say about him.

I had already visited the hospital the last time we were in Hawaii and I chose to take advantage of the last hour of our vacation exploring downtown.  This was something the boys needed to do by themselves.

I had really wanted to take a tour of the ‘Iolani Palace.  This palace was constructed in 1882 and was outfitted with the most up-to-date amenities, including indoor plumbing. Gas chandeliers installed when the Palace was first built were replaced by electric lighting five years later (less than seven years after Edison invented the first practical incandescent bulb). The King also installed a modern communications system that included the recently invented telephone.

Queen Lili`uokalani took over rule on January 29, 1891 and was determined to strengthen the political power of the Hawaiian monarchy and to limit suffrage to subjects of the kingdom.

Her attempt to promulgate a new constitution galvanized opposition forces into the Committee of Safety, which was composed of Hawaii-born citizens of American parents, naturalized citizens and foreign nationals, many of whom were businessmen,sugar plantation owners, and businessmen. This group, with the support of the American Minister to Hawaii, orchestrated the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy and the establishment of a provisional government. On January 17, 1893, Queen Lili`uokalani yielded her authority.

In 1895, an abortive attempt by Hawaiian royalists to restore Queen Lili`uokalani to power resulted in the queen's arrest. She was forced to sign a document of abdication that relinquished all her future claims to the throne. Following this, she endured a humiliating public trial before a military tribunal in her former throne room.

Convicted of having knowledge of a royalist plot, Lili`uokalani was fined $5000 and sentenced to five years in prison at hard labor. The sentence was commuted to imprisonment in an upstairs bedroom of `Iolani Palace.

During her imprisonment, the queen was denied any visitors other than one lady in waiting. She began each day with her daily devotions followed by reading, quilting, crochet-work, or music composition.

After her release from `Iolani Palace, the Queen remained under house arrest for five months at her private home, Washington Place. For another eight months she was forbidden to leave Oahu before all restrictions were lifted.

The tour was great, I wish I would have had a little more time to look around, or been there an hour earlier for the guided tour.  Add another item on the list of things to see next time.

On my way back to The Queen’s Medical Center, I came across these three touring the State Capital building.

Soaking it all in up to the very last moment!

Our trip was wonderful!  Everyone got along great and I really think that we were able to fit in something for each of us.  It doesn’t matter how much time you have, it’s never enough. 

Thanks for joining us on our adventure.  Be sure to tune again soon to see what new adventures we can get ourselves into.