The story happened at the Eva Parker Woods Cottage Museum, a wooden structure that rises above fishponds to face the sea. But the story isn’t about Eva. It’s about Francis Hyde I`i Brown, a public man who lived a secluded private life and left a legacy of global achievement.

Brown’s family history spans the history of Hawai`i. His grandfather was John Papa I`i, an ali`i who served Hawai`i’s high chiefs, converted to Christianity, and wrote Fragments of Hawaiian History, an eyewitness foundational work for anyone interested in pre-contact Hawai`i.

Brown’s mother, Irene Kahalelaukoa I`i married Charles A. Brown in 1886. In 1898, she divorced Brown to marry Carl S. Holloway. Irene built a reputation as a philanthropist, which I’m sure she was. Undoubtedly she was also a strong-minded woman, divorcing at a time when such events were rare. Mr. Brown is remembered as a “retired capitalist,” if anyone thinks of him at all.

Francis Hyde I`i Brown, Irene’s second son, was born in Honolulu on September 16, 1892. With other boys of his class and time, Francis attended Punahou School before transferring to Fessenden School in West Newton, Mass. As a young man, Francis enlisted in the Army and was an ambulance driver during World War I.

After the war, Francis returned to Hawai`i. On January 30, 1919, Francis married Stephanie Wichman, but he didn’t settle down. Not unlike other young men of Hawai`i, Francis became an athlete. He excelled at golf, traveled extensively and owned fourteen cars. In 1925, Francis was elected to the Territorial House of Representatives. Two years later, he became a Territorial Senator and served almost continuously until 1947.

Though he was a strong swimmer and renowned surfer, golf was Brown’s premier sport. In 1924 Brown set a course record at the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland with a score of 67. Three years later, he set the record at Pebble Beach Golf Links. And between 1920 and 1930, Brown reigned as Amateur Champion in Hawai`i, Japan, and California. Pretty heady stuff, yet Brown kept things in perspective. Brown’s nephew, Kenny Brown, later recalled his uncle

“was the only man to drive the 12th green at Waialae (432 yards) and to carry over the 18th green at Pebble Beach (548 yards) in two shots . . . but in response to my awe he told me, ‘Remember nephew, in those days they didn’t water so heavily, so the fairways were hard as rock. And the ball was smaller too.’”

In 1936, Brown paid $6000 to purchase the small cottage James Frank Wood built for his bride Eva Parker with the surrounding 1,359 acres at Kalahuipua`a. Brown wanted to spend time there with the woman known as the love of his life, Winona Love. Half Hawaiian and half-English, Winona was known for her beauty and graceful hula. The dapper athlete and fluid dancer met at the opening of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in 1927, and stayed together the rest of their lives.

If you want to see what the youthful couple looked like, follow these links to individual pictures of Brown and Love in their prime.

In describing the cottage at Kalahuipua`a, Kenny Brown remembered

“a tiny bedroom set out in the middle of one of the fishponds where he slept with his lady friend Auntie Winona Love…(There was) a small house for cooking and eating. Near that he built a large screened, tin roof structure where 15 to 20 guests could sleep in one room.”

And a spring fed swimming pool Brown built at the back where he and Love “went for cool dips in the crystal waters on hot sultry afternoons.”

The couple were known for ho`okipa (hospitality). An attentive host, Brown often asked guests what they wanted for dinner – and then caught it, either diving or throwing his fishing net.

Who says life can’t be like a movie? Speaking of which, Winona Love became Hollywood’s ideal island beauty. She featured in travelogues Aloha Hawaii (1929) and Blond Captive (1931). Director David O. Selznick hired Love to teach Dolores del Rio how to do the hula in the RKO film The Bird of Paradise (1932).

At this point you may be wondering how the Eva Parker Wood Cottage became part of Mauna Lani Resort. Look no further for the answer. In 1964 Brown attended the Tokyo Olympics and became friends with Noboru Gotoh, chairman of the Tokyu Corporation. Brown invited Gotoh to visit him at Kalahuipua`a. At the time, access was by foot or boat. But the men envisioned, according to Kenny Brown,

“an international resort where affluent people could come together to relax and play golf in a atmosphere of total harmony.”

To get things started, in 1972 Brown sold the property to Mauna Lani Resort which changed the name Kalahuipua`a to Mauna Lani (Mountains Reaching Heaven) in reference to the five volcanic mountains surrounding the area.

Francis I`i Brown didn’t live to see his dream become a reality. He died in August 1976 at his home in Pebble Beach. He was 83 years old.

Acknowledgments:

All Photos by Author.

Featured Image: Eva Parker Woods Cottage Museum. Photo by Author.

Kalahuipua`a. Coffee Times. Here.

Obituary: Kenneth Francis Kamuokalani Brown. Posted Feb 12, 2014. Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Here.

Mauna Lani Golf. Here.

Hawai`i Sports Hall of Fame. Here.

George F. Nellist, Editor. Hawaii and Its Buildings. Honolulu Star Bulletin. 1925. Here.

Renee Wright. Mementos of a Royal Hawaiian Love Story. Worthpoint. Here.

John Papa I`i. Fragments of Hawaiian History. Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum Special Publication. 1959.

The Bird of Paradise. 1932. Here.

Winona Love. Square One. Here.

The post Francis Hyde I’i Brown: “The Last Ali`i” first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

Waikīkī Beach Facts

The word Waikīkī means “spouting water” and is said to refer to the rivers and streams that once flowed in the district and drained into swamps. In 1928, the water was diverted to the Ala Wai Canal, and the swamps disappeared.

Starting at the western end, Waikīkī is composed of at least seven named beaches:

1. Duke Kahanamoku Beach is a man-made beach and lagoon in front of the Hilton Hawaiian Village.  The Port Hilton Dock on this beach is an entry point for tourists boarding Atlantis Submarines and various dinner cruises.
2. Fort DeRussy Beach is the widest stretch of white sand in Waikīkī, located in Fort DeRussy Park near the Hale Koa Hotel.
3. Gray’s Beach is a short stretch in front of the Halekulani Hotel.  The beach takes its name from a boarding house called Gray’s-by-the-Sea, Mrs. LaVancha Gray, proprietress.
4. Royal Manoa Beach fronts the Royal Hawaiian Hotel & Sheraton Moana Surfrider.
5. Kuhio Beach, part of Kuhio Beach Park, is between the Moana hotel and Kapahulu Groin.
6. Queen’s Surf Beach, also part of Kuhio Beach Park, is named for Queen Liliuokalani.
7. San Souci Beach, also called Kaimana Beach, is located between the War Memorial Natatorium and the New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel.

My Walk

I started my stroll at Gray’s Beach, about 9:00 in the morning.  Before Mrs. Gray built her boarding house and pier, Hawaiians knew the beach as a place of healing.  A channel in the reef fronting the beach was called Kawehewehe.  A sick person might walk into the water wearing a seaweed lei made of limu kala.  The supplicant left the lei in the water as an offering, hoping to be forgiven for any wrongs and therefore healed.

I receive mental healing when I release my mind to roam where it will on this seaside walk.  Tranquility, peace, time to disconnect.  So, here is the opening picture.

Walking east towards the structures in the left side of the picture, I took picture below.  As much as is reasonably possible, I try to forget the cosmopolitan recreational and shopping destination Waikīkī has become, and look for traces of what might have once been.  Consequently, I am more interested in what is happening near the water.

Here I’m nearing the Waikīkī Beach Center next to the Moana Hotel.  Take out the high rise buildings and it might have looked this way before tourism became such big business.  Surf, sea, and Diamond Head.

The Queen’s Beach Long Board Surf Competition took place the day I was walking, and people came early to find the best observation points.  Recreational surfers shared the water with early competitors trying the waves.

If you want to learn how to surf, or take a short ride on an out-rigger canoe or catamaran, you can find vendors to assist you.  But, just in case you think it’s OK to sit on the beached canoes, note the sign.  Beach craft is private property, and don’t forget it.  Kinda spoiled my mental illusion.

Next I sauntered towards Queen’s Beach.  I find this stretch endearing.  The breakwater makes a wonderful swimming area for our smallest keiki (children) – and a few adults as well.

Queen’s Beach is named for Queen Liliuokalani, Hawai`i’s last reigning monarch.  The queen’s beach house and pier once stood on the approximate site where we now see beach volley ball courts and the huge outdoor move screen.  Honolulu City & County often shows movies here as part of the “Sunset on the Beach” series.  This is also where Hawai`i 5-O holds its seasonal premiers. “Book ‘em, Danno.”

Now we come to the walkway known as Kapahulu Groin, because of the way it juts out into the sea.

By now, I was a bit tired. More so, because I was walking on very warm concrete in bare feet.  But, I refused to quit, because just ahead I saw the War Memorial Natatorium, seen here in profile – the entry to the left and saltwater pool on the right.

When World War I ended in 1919, Europeans and Americans built memorials to the war dead.  Since it was supposed to be the last war in history – sold to Americans as the “War to End all Wars,” the memorials were impressive.

In 1921 the Territorial Legislature of Hawai`i approved construction of a Natatorium to serve as a Living Memorial for Hawai`i’s 101 dead and 10,000 veterans.  But it was not your average war memorial.  It was a 100 x 40 meter saltwater swimming pool to host recreation, competitive swimming events, and visitors.

Duke Kahanamoku, Hawai`i’s 1912 Olympic Gold Medal swimmer, swam the first laps before a capacity crowd.  Other celebrity swimmers testing the waters were Esther Williams, competitive swimmer and film star, Johnny Weismuller, who defeated Duke Kahanamoku for the Olympic Gold in 1924 and later starred in Tarzan movies, and Buster Crabbe who took Olympic Gold in 1932 before becoming an actor.  Ah, those were the glory days.

Of course they could not last.  Owned by the State of Hawai`i; operated by the City & County of Honolulu, the facility fell into neglect and closed in 1979.

This photo shows the War Memorial’s recently restored façade.

Restoration, however, remains incomplete.  In 2001, the locker rooms, bleachers, and the façade were repaired.  Then work stopped.  To the right of the above main (inaccessible) entrance is the side entry with sign shown below.  The signage is not inaccurate about holes in the deck.  While politicians haggle, conditions deteriorate.  One might say a natatorium was a poor choice for a memorial.  Of course, hindsight is twenty-twenty.

I started the journey back to Gray’s Beach.  It was near 10:30.  The walkway was hard, the beach more crowded.  But once I hit the sand, I was again delighted.  If you look between the high-rise hotels, you can make out three low structures.  The first is the Moana hotel, sometimes called the First Lady of Waikīkī.  The Moana opened her doors in 1901, the first resort hotel on Waikīkī.  Visitors came for the Season, and brought their cars.

It’s easy to pick out the “Pink Palace.”  The Royal Hawaiian Hotel opened in 1927 with a black tie event.

Just on the far left hand side is the Halekulani Hotel, first opened in 1907 as the Hau Tree.  Juliet and Clifford Kimball bought the site in 1917 and built a resort around a house, five bungalows, and a bathhouse – 21 rooms in total.  Over time, the property expanded to 115 rooms.  In 1981, Mitsui Fudosan (USA), Inc. took over the property, and created a new Halekulani.  It won’t take you on a trip down memory lane, but the site provides a serene oasis almost independent of the beach life around it.

Kalākaua Avenue, the street running parallel to Waikīkī beach, has undergone various gentrification efforts.  One of these resulted in the statue below, depicting Makua and Kila enjoying the surf.  The image comes from a children’s story by Fred Van Dyke.  Once there was a boy, Makua, who swam with a Hawaiian monk seal called Kila.  Makua lived at Sunset Beach on the other side of the island, but never mind.  Waikīkī is about dreams, after all.

In the sea behind Makua we see surfers waiting for a ride to shore.  Here ends my beach walk story.  We don’t have to travel around the world to have new experiences.  We only have to open our eyes and minds.

All photos by Author.  All Rights Reserved

For more information, check out

http://waikiki.com/play/waikiki_beach.html

http://www.aloha-hawaii.com/oahu/beaches/grays/

http://natatorium.org

http://www.halekulani.com/i/downloads/History_Book.pdf

Or, just Google Waikīkī Beach

The post THE BEACHES AT WAIKĪKĪ first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.