Honolulu Sightseeing Tours

  Tours and Activities from Honolulu, Hawaii

The city of Honolulu is the capital of the state of the Hawaii, 50th of the United States of America. It is found on the island of Oahu, which belongs almost entirely to the city of Honolulu (City and County of Honolulu), area 1560 km2, population about 900,000 residents (in 1999).

The name Honolulu means "bay (Hono or Hana) protected", and is the name of a village of one of the little natural ports of the Hawaiian Islands. The population before modern contact did not use ports, given that the canoes themselves ran aground simply on the beaches, but after contact, Hawaii was then used for the whaling ship industry, which agreed to anchor in secure ports, between those of Honolulu.

In 1804 the king of the Hawaiian Islands, King Kamehameha, carried the capital to Waikiki (nowadays part of Honolulu), and in 1809 to Honolulu.

Conventionally the name of Honolulu is reported mainly to the zone around the port of Honolulu. Other zones of the city (some rural) include (in hourly order from the center), Kalihi, international atomic energy agency, Pearl Harbor and Pearl City, Waipahu, Ewa, Waianae, Makaha, Haleiwa, Kaneohe, Kailua, Waimanalo, Hawaii Kai, Kahala, Kaimuki, and Waikiki, with Mililani and Wahiawa to the inside of the island.

Honolulu History
It is unknown when Honolulu first was settled or the name first used. Oral traditional stories point out that the area was settled for the first time in the 12th century byPolynesians. The Honolulu harbor was named earlier "Kulolia" until the Europeans came. The first European was Captain William Brown of the English ship "Butterworth"; he came in 1794 and named the harbor "Fairly Haven". Others named the harbor "Brown's Harbor". The name "Honolulu" came a few years later.

In 1845, King Kamehameha III changed the capital of the kingdom of Hawaii, which was Lahaina, in Maui
, to Honolulu.  During his reign and that of his successor, Honolulu was transformed into a modern capital, with the construction of buildings as the Cathedral of San Andrés, the Iolani Palace and City Hall.  At the same time, Honolulu became the center of the commerce in the islands, with the establishment of large businesses in the center of Honolulu by the descendants of the American missionaries.  In spite of the turbulent history of the 19th century and principles of the 20th century, which includes the fall of the Hawaiian monarchy, the annexation to the United States and the attack of the Japanese in World War II
, Honolulu continued to be the capital, and larger city maritime port of the islands.  After the inclusion of Hawaii as state of the Union, an economic explosion was produced and a rapid growth for Honolulu and Hawaii in general.  The modern air transportation would bring to thousands, and further on millions of visitors each year to the islands.  At present, Honolulu is a modern city with numerous skyscrapers and Waikiki is the center of the tourist industry in Hawaii, with thousands of hotel rooms. 

Honolulu became the fastest and the largest harbor in Hawaii. Further Honolulu was an important provision point for whale catchers.

Traffic

Aviation
Honolulu has an international airport at the western outskirts of Honolulu.

Car
Freeways in Honolulu: 
Interstate H-1, which goes past the west of Hickam Air Force base and airport, tightly north of the Downtown passes and goes East through Makiki. West of Downtown, it is connected to the Interstate H-2 and the Interstate H-3. 

Interstate H-201, also under the name "Moanalua Freeway" well known and earlier also than Hawaii State Rte. It is connected at two places to Interstate H-1, at the Aloha Stadium and in Fort Shafter. 

Interstate H-3, also well known as John A. Burns Freeway, begins near the Aloha Stadium. There it connects to the Interstate H-1 and Interstate H-201. 

Public transportation

Bus
The earlier mayor of the city, Frank F. Fasi constructed the bus system, under the name TheBus. It was prized twice by the American Public Transportation Association as "America's best transit system" (America best traffic system), once in 1994-1995 and once in 2000-2001.

Train
At the moment, there is no active railroad in Hawaii. To construct one, mayor suggested a railroad system, the "Honolulu Area Rail rapid transit project" generally well known as "HARD". The project was nearly realized; however, this was abandoned by the mayor in 1981, who also annulled the project, and the financing.

Some suggestions were made after the annulment of "HARD", such as a "fixed rail measured to construct transit system". All suggestions were delayed in the city advice of Honolulu. In 2004 it was approved that the city could construct in the County and in the Country a system in single steps. The initially proposed line should connect Kapolei in the west with the University of Hawaii. However was approved accommodates of the city advice at that on December 22, 2006 a system of rail and bus, a trace bus system. This should lead Kapolei in the west to Ala Moana, with routes after.

Economy
Honolulu is an important airline and shipping junction (Honolulu airport). Because of the tropical climate tourism is of most importance. In the vicinity of Honolulu are two very important tourist attractions: the famous Waikiki beach and the US navy base Pearl Harbor, the place of the surprise attack from the Japanese which took place on December 7th 1941.

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