Oahu.......Part 2

One of the most visited sites on Oahu is the Polynesian Cultural Center. Located in Laie, Oahu, about an hour’s scenic drive from Waikiki — is the top paid Hawaii attraction and a “must see” Hawaii activity.
    As early as 1844, missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (popularly called the Mormons) were working among the Polynesians in Tahiti and surrounding islands.Missionaries arrived in the Sandwich Islands (Hawai'i) in 1850. By 1865, the LDS Church had purchased the 6,000-acre plantation that encompasses all of Laie.The LDS Temple in Laie — started in 1915 and dedicated on Thanksgiving Day 1919 — attracted more islanders from throughout the South Pacific.
    By the 1920s, LDS Church missionaries had carried their Christian teachings to all the major island groups of Polynesia, by living among the people and speaking their languages. In 1921, Matthew Cowley was finishing his first round of missionary service in New Zealand. There, he developed a deep love for the Maori people and other Polynesians. In time, he also became another important LDS leader who was concerned with the erosion of traditional island cultures. 
  In a speech Cowley delivered in Honolulu, he said he hoped "...to see the day when my Maori people down there in New Zealand will have a little village there at Laie with a beautiful carved house...the Tongans will have a village too, and the Tahitians and Samoans and all those islanders of the sea.

 http://polynesianculturalcenter.com

 This is a reality today and we highly recommend this side trip, as it will prepare you for the culture and history of the other islands.

Pearl Harbor was an experience which none of us will ever forget. It is a tribute to all the fallen heroes that fateful day on December 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked the military base at Oahu. The Japanese managed to destroy nearly 20 American naval vessels, including eight enormous battleships, and almost 200 airplanes. More than 2,000 Americans soldiers and sailors died in the attack, and another 1,000 were wounded. The day after the assault, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan. This was especially poignant for the members of our group who had served in the military......a photo of my brother, who is a Gulf War veteran.......




 Before we leave Oahu, here are some random photos of the city of Honolulu and the surrounding areas......

Next stop: The Big Island of Hawaii!!!!