Theme Park

The Real Waikiki

The big tourist dung heap, Waikiki, is also the locale of the “old folks home.” Well, aside from that nauseating tidbit, Waikiki is currently the major concern in Hawai’i because it essentially is the economy. Yet, few people know that Waikiki is even more fake than its tawdry theme park façade. Most of Waikiki didn’t even exist before 1900 (the year). That’s right. Waikiki was essentially overgrown marshland. There was no beach.

The Ala Wai Canal became the conduit to drain the swamp into the ocean. Then, after dredging, the entire area was filled to create the “land” for development. The beach, too, is fake. Tons of sand were imported to create the tiny strip of beach. The sand must routinely be replaced because of natural erosion by the ocean tides. In essence, Waikiki really is a cheesy theme park.