You may not realize it yet, but you probably already have a little piece of
Hawaii's most famous beaches in your home already. Don't believe
us? Look on the wall. Do you have a picture of sunset on a sandy, palm-tree
line beach? Is your calendar displaying waves lapping the shore at sunset? Chances
are these photos weren't taken outside of a Pacific Northwest manufacturing plant, Oakville homes , or London river. They were taken on Waikiki
beach, one of the most famous places in the world and the biggest tourist destination
on the Hawaiian Islands. Living in Honolulu puts this gorgeous scenery at your
disposal, so read on to see what you're currently missing.
Waikiki the Neighborhood
The name Waikiki means "sprouting fresh water" in Hawaiian. The
Honolulu neighborhood gets its name from the fact that at one point before intensive
development set in, the beaches of Waikiki were separated from the rest of the
island by wetlands. The neighborhood extends from the Ala Wei Canal along shorelines
that real estate agents in Kitsilano would kill for all the way to Diamond
Head. As a neighborhood it's primarily commercial and recreational, with
the majority of the accommodation consisting of hotels like the Hilton, Hyatt,
and Sheraton.
Surfing in Waikiki
People have been surfing on the beaches in Waikiki for more than 200 years.
Even before the arrival of Europeans, the area was a resort complex. It was
reserved for Hawaiian royalty who would spend their free time catching waves
on longboards. Today half of the beach is marked off to keep hapless tourists
visiting from real estate in London
from being whacked on the head by surfers descending the swells. The water conditions
are generally characterized by long rolling breakers because of the shallow
water, making it an excellent place for beginning surfers or people who prefer
long boards or tandem surfing.
Other Things to Do in Waikiki
Surfing isn't the only thing you can do on a pristine beach that's
nearly always warm and sunny. You can lie on the warm sand with your computer
selling off Poughkeepsie, NY homes and sipping pina coladas, go for a swim,
build a sandcastle, take a walk, snorkel, or go boating. You can even watch
a free movie on a 30 foot outdoor screen, an event known as Sunset on the Beach.
Waikiki is also continually hosting international competitions in a variety
of sports from surfing to hula dancing and outrigger canoe racing. All the tourists
also make it a popular spot for musical and theatrical performances.
Money Money Money
As you might imagine, Waikiki rakes in more tourism dollars than any other
place on the islands, probably more in a day than top salesmen make in a month
of selling Ajax homes for sale. The money comes from surfing lessons and hotel
rooms of course, but also from the variety of tourist-oriented shops, bars and
restaurants. Some of this money goes toward the preservation of the beach, which
suffers from erosion. In order to save the sand, breaks and groins have been
set up and occasionally sand from California is imported to augment the existing
sand.
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