Waikiki Tiki; Art, History and Photographs OFFICIAL THREAD

I'm actually desperate to have a last viewing of this killer piece/s, and really appreciate your info/link, but the chances of me getting into town currently are nil. However, I commend your preservation efforts to the utmost, I'm sure you pulled some magical moves just to have any chance.
If you succeed, it'll be a major coup'.

Aloha!

Well, the condition of the place was just about what I expected... Pretty darn bad...

Central Pacific Bank Clock stopped at the time power went off at the instant it was closed...

A coconut fish suspended in a back room. Apparently there was a great deal more Tiki decoration here during the heyday of this place. Descriptions speak of many things long gone.

Balls...

There were plenty of 10-20 year old shoes lying around, but none in my size... Bummed about that... Rifled the files in the business office and found nothing of real interest. Moving on...

Poster...

Sign...

And of course it WAS A bowling alley...

There is some good news about the Bowlodrome... I'll let you in on that later...

On to the mural... which is what you care about...

Let's start with a full shot of the Diamondhead facing wall so you can see the context...

The artist signed her work... Jacquelyn Anderson, Waikiki...

As you can see, the damage is pretty extreme on the Makai side of the mural...

Eating poi to the strums of ukulele... (Of course, we all know the uke wouldn't have been here at this ancient village, having been introduced much later to the islands.)

And a Menehune stealing fish IS seen as we move Maulka...

I note that the mural had been covered with varnish at some point as a preservation measure (probably to save it from the cigarette smoke). It peeled away very easily. You can see the original blue colors of the pond from where I peeled away some. This must have been VERY vibrantly colored in 1954.

He's carrying a pig and she's playing ukulele.

Hula maidens rule! Their frolic is enchanting...

Hawaiian Bowling... U'lu maika is being depicted here with round lava rocks being thrown...

And the MONEY SHOT.

The Ewa wall of the Bowlodrome once contained another mural, long painted over... I found a few remnants of it under the peeling paint, I can only imagine the breath and scope of it. Perhaps a picture will one day surface...

Good news? Yes. Someone with money is thinking about restoring this space to it's pristine glory. We spoke a bit. He will, if all goes to plan, preserve as much of the old mural as possible and comission new works of art.

Waikiki Tiki; Art, History, and Photographs.
Available now from Bess Press Hawaii.

[ Edited by: Phillip Roberts 2012-01-27 23:45 ]

Just friggin' WOW, Phillip, you da' man!
Tragic that it's damaged much more than I'd hoped but blessed it's as intact as it is. You got some great shots, and the isolation of the menehune is choice. The shellac probably retained it all these years so you could get the pix. It must have been spectacular in the days of our youth.
The fragments from the other mural suggests it wasn't by the same artist, and maybe wasn't so worthy of keeping. But, it's worth knowing.
And that there's a sugar daddy hoping to restore the place is another dream come true.
Thanx, Phillip!

Congratulations Phil, those are the great days in the life of an urban archeologist!

WOW!!!!

Aloha!

Thanks guys!! I feel pretty darn good about the results. I have another TIKI excursion planned for EARLY this Sunday morning before I hit a superbowl party. This should be EPIC!

I'm still doing research on the artist who cast this concrete gate for the HECO transformer site. I think it might be an Edward M. Brownlee...

BEST,

Phillip

Aloha, Phillip
Is that the one on Kuwili St., off Iwilei?

Aloha,

No. It's on Leahi Street.

Waikiki Tiki; Art, History, and Photographs.
Available now from Bess Press Hawaii.

[ Edited by: Phillip Roberts 2012-02-02 23:00 ]

Aloha,

Excursions don't always turn out as planned... :(

This photo is from one of the very first Tiki Treks did with TC members in like 1999-2001ish... Im kinda embarrassed I don't remember their TC Handles... Johnny Dollar?? A little help?

This Photo didn't turn out and it's the only one I have of it...

Was a picture of this taken by the peeps I took on tour? It was on the little hula stage near the food court...

Waikiki Tiki; Art, History, and Photographs.
Available now from Bess Press Hawaii.

[ Edited by: Phillip Roberts 2012-02-09 16:16 ]

Aloha,

Currently relocated (and most probaby temporarily) from the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus to the state capitol to protest GMO, is this carving of Haloa...

Aloha,

The Black Fly's Sunglass shop at the International Market Place has a new Tiki. I must say I do find the head most disturbing.

Waikiki Tiki; Art, History, and Photographs.
Available now from Bess Press Hawaii.

[ Edited by: Phillip Roberts 2012-02-21 12:57 ]

Aloha,

Things are well. A tour this weekend and a super lead to follow up on in Hawaii Kai! More art from the Hula Cafe on Kapahulu. This is the other side of the Column that I posted awhile back

Grrr... Im on a temporary setup as I deal with yet more computer issues... At least I'm in Paradise!

Why are you taking pics. of poles when you could be chasing Hula Girls and taking pics. to post here!

Aloha,

On 2012-02-29 16:23, mudbone wrote:
Why are you taking pics. of poles when you could be chasing Hula Girls and taking pics. to post here!

Thank you for your question. The simple answer is that this is NOT Hulagirls Central. Tiki Central CELEBRATES classic and modern Polynesian Pop.

I am personally very interested in the HISTORY of these islands and ART contained within.

I think others are too.

"Waikiki Tiki: Art, History and Photographs" is an excellent book that you should (if not already) own or at least have read.

You can get it here on Amazon

The book contains 17 years of photographs, research and collecting focused on one island of the Hawaiian chain. That is my passion. I do have other photographs that are not Tiki-related, but I choose not to post them here.

However, the 263 pages of Waikiki Tiki were not enough to include everything 'Tiki' that I photographed during that period. There are also new discoveries that deserve to be brought to your attention. This thread stays on topic and provides interesting eyecandy seen nowhere else. For instance, this stone sculpture is in Haleiwa. Ever seen it before?

best,

Phillip

Aloha,

I don't recall EVER seeing something SO dumb as this. I assure you it is not me. But gasp and laugh in wonderment at what could only be loosely termed as "filmmaking."

Must use Martin Denny to soothe mind. Filmed at Ulu Mau Village. Tiki about 2:26 in background. Really quite wonderful footage.

Waikiki Tiki; Art, History, and Photographs.
Available now from Bess Press Hawaii.

[ Edited by: Phillip Roberts 2012-03-15 20:24 ]

[ Edited by: Phillip Roberts 2012-03-15 20:56 ]

Aloha,

Always happy to see more Tiki pop up in the neighborhood!!

On 2012-03-10 16:59, Phillip Roberts wrote:

I don't recall EVER seeing something SO dumb as this.

I dunno, Phillip. Actually I find that video so BAD, that it's GOOD !! You just can't take it seriously. It's really funny stuff... pure satire. It poses no threat to what constitutes classic Tiki-style. And where can I get one of those costumes ?? I want to wear it to Tiki Oasis and walk around with a boom box blasting Hip Hop and bust some cool moves. I'll hire Lucas Vigor to be my "character escort" just like they have at Disneyland. :)

But on the other hand those garishly colored Tiki's above, especially the one with the pineapple head. Now THOSE are truly horrifying !!

Getto Tiki Rap !! Fuck Yeah...ha ha Proud of You Buddy!!! Love your Work!!!

Aloha,

Aloha,

On 2012-03-18 13:33, The Sperm Whale wrote:
Ghetto Tiki Rap !! Fuck Yeah...ha ha Proud of You Buddy!!! Love your Work!!!

I was never more proud of you than when you signed this at Don Ho's Island Grill. We drank many FREE shots on them That DAY, Sir!

The Grill in better days... Closed now...

John-O... It is horrid, but...Well, it's not completely devoid of interest. There are a few moments of the 3D Tiki Glow Golf course which is now gone.

And where can I get one of those costumes ??

I'm looking into it for you.

Waikiki Tiki; Art, History, and Photographs.
Available now from Bess Press Hawaii.

[ Edited by: Phillip Roberts 2012-03-22 22:18 ]

Aloha,

This Brownlee Maori carving is in the Waikiki Tiki, but the shot used was from the storage room. This scan is from when it was upright at the back entrance.

Hey, I was on the Ray Boylan Show 4/5! Was some fun talk!

Waikiki Tiki; Art, History, and Photographs.
Available now from Bess Press Hawaii.

[ Edited by: Phillip Roberts 2012-04-05 14:32 ]

Aloha,

I'm off to Waikiki to follow a lead and do a tour for some Florida Ohana!

More pictures later! But here's a shot of the ticket lobby at the Honolulu International Airport that might amuse you!

Aloha!

Here's a shot of the now destroyed Laie Inn

See more in this very highly entertaining thread on Tiki Central.

The trio of Tiki that fronted the Inn are still MIA.

Thank you, Philip, for the rare shot of my all-time favorite tiki family. Had I known there was any chance of those great pieces coming down I'd have done everything possible to save them, or at least know where they were going. Do you have more unused angles?

Got another angle... :)

Luv it, thanx!

Aloha,

Good Stuff Freddie!! Here's a shot from the Holokai Grill Grand opening in 2008. The restaurant, a sister to Tiki's Grill and Bar lasted about year. Most of the Tiki carved by the Tikimaster migrated there. I think the Waka Canoe Salad bar is in his warehouse...

Aloha,

Here's another angle from the 3 Regents Apartment complex in Salt Lake!! If you are coming to the islands, please let me know! Always like to meet up with like minds! Got a friend in town tomorrow from California, so we'll meet for some drinks and tiki chat! Good times!

Aloha,

More friends here on vacation and one asked me about the iron sculptures on the (long gone) Cinerama Theater on King Street pictured toward the end (maybe 20 pages from the back?) of Waikiki Tiki. It's now an auto parts store and the icons are long gone.

The manager disavows that they were ever there. I still think they are still in a storage area somewhere on site.

Here's a close up...

I can identify a few of them... but any ideas on the others?

Top left Confirmed: Japanese Kabuki Noh Devil Mask...
Top right? Is it an Balinese or Japanese devil dog figure?
Middle left: ???
Middle right? is it an Ultraman (or Kikaida) or a Lono?
Bottom Left Confirmed: Mayan Golden Burial Mask form! I've identified that one for sure.

Sorry if this is already answered in the thread somewhere, but do we know who carved the large City of Refuge park tikis, and when?

Aloha Greg,

On 2012-05-04 08:26, Greg_D_R wrote:
Do we know who carved the large City of Refuge park tikis, and when?

Yes I do and it has not been addressed in this thread or any other about about Honaunau. I thank you for your question.

But first, a little background, briefly...

The Ki'i (also known as Hawaiian Temple Sculpture) were a part of the site until the death of Kamehameha I in 1819. As Kamehameha II assumes the throne of the Kingdom, (with the urging of his mother) he declares the Kapu system over. He orders the heiau walls broken and the idols burned. His law does not take root overnight but the islands are now ruled by more Western-styled laws.

Many images are burned. Others are simply ignored and left to decay naturally in the elements. Others still go into hiding in private collections, caves, and of course museums like the B.P. Bishop. It takes many years for the images to return to the site. 147 years to be exact.

The Honolulu Star Bulletin reports in their Thursday March 31, 1966 issue... (Sadly the pictures from the article are not currently available to post... I have to go back and scan the article again. :( )

Hawaiian Temple Sculpture revived at Big Isle's Honaunau.

Hawaiian temple sculpture is being revived at Honaunau on the Big Island.

At left, Ako Grace, employee of the National Park Service works on a green ohia log, felled from the Honaunau Forest. For speed, he uses a steel instead of a stone adz but his cutting edges are shaped like those used two centuries ago when the City of Refuge was just that, and not a national park.

Grace and other employees are being directed by Jacob Lindberg-Hansen, professor emeritus of art from the University of California at Santa Barbara. Their designs are based on early sketches and on sculptures in British Museums.

A half dozen sculptures are complete and being displayed near the entrance of the park. Eventually they and some three dozen others will be moved to the restored Hale-'O-Keawe within the old sacred area that provided inviolable sanctuary for ancient Polynesians fleeing from their enemies or the government.

The sculpture is part of the general restoration of the area being undertaken by the National Park Service. Superintendent Russell A. Apple estimates it will take two or three years to complete the carving. One central carving will be made using a stone adze.

It is my understanding that occasionally replacements are carved by the park service with assistance by students of Kamehameha Schools-Hawaii, but most of the work is original to the 1966 restoration. Your tax dollars ARE at work!

Here is a slide scan from 1967 (that I think came from Sabu the Coconut Boy in a trade) that shows a ranger explaining the carving process to interested visitors!

best,

Phillip

By the way, take a Virtual Tour Here

Waikiki Tiki; Art, History, and Photographs.
Available now from Bess Press Hawaii.

[ Edited by: Phillip Roberts 2012-05-04 16:16 ]

On 2012-05-04 16:07, Phillip Roberts wrote:
Aloha Greg,

On 2012-05-04 08:26, Greg_D_R wrote:
Do we know who carved the large City of Refuge park tikis, and when?

Yes I do and it has not been addressed in this thread or any other about about Honaunau. I thank you for your question.

Phillip, thanks much! Isn't it amazing that these specific carvings are the source of so many ripples and imitations through our culture, they're modern, and it's hard to find out who did them? This is the first place I have been able to learn anything about them, besides where they were.

Phillip, you've come thru big time yet again! I've long hoped to have a capture of this iconic facade, as those pieces always intrigued me, and I only wish I could have personally insured their salvage when the theater closed. Their whereabouts or demise is indeed a seemingly tight lipped mystery!

Aloha,

On 2012-05-06 00:59, msteeln wrote:
Their whereabouts or demise is indeed a seemingly tight lipped mystery!

Well, I remember once they took them down for repainting and I got some pictures on a Quicktake100. That was when the Cinerama was still operating so 2003ish? The pictures where of really low quality and I think on a disc somewhere. I'm still working on tracking down the disk...

I've actually been going through old computer discs lately and finding some cool stuff.

Like... 1950 this article about Don The Beachcomber... before the library system had a decent working microfilm scanner.

But magically you can almost read it now that! It really sums up what the Beachcomber was and what he did for this resort! (NOTE, I have made it bigger! 5/13)

If in town, try the Big Kahuna on Kuhio! They have a drink in a fishbowl and a custom Tiki mug.

Waikiki Tiki; Art, History, and Photographs.
Available now from Bess Press Hawaii.

[ Edited by: Phillip Roberts 2012-05-13 23:12 ]

Neat, that article looks worthy of finding my magnifying glass.
Looking forward to what more you find on those discs.

Aloha,

On 2012-05-13 03:58, msteeln wrote:
Looking forward to what more you find on those discs.

Spence Weaver of the Spencecliff Corporation at the Tahitian Lanai, Waikiki in Hawaii. I tried to clean it up but you can just see the carving in the background...

On 2012-05-13 23:23, Phillip Roberts wrote:
Aloha,

On 2012-05-13 03:58, msteeln wrote:
Looking forward to what more you find on those discs.

Spence Weaver of the Spencecliff Corporation at the Tahitian Lanai, Waikiki in Hawaii. I tried to clean it up but you can just see the carving in the background...

WAY COOL Phillip!
~kele

Aloha,

Mahalo Kele!

Here's a nice picture for the weekend!

Waimea Falls. Hale o' Lono.

UPDATE!!

Hawaiian Hut A-Frame GONE!

Waikiki Tiki; Art, History, and Photographs.
Available now from Bess Press Hawaii.

[ Edited by: Phillip Roberts 2012-05-20 04:06 ]

Aloha,

Happier days at the Hawaiian Hut!! Check out the detail of the carving of Maui pulling up the islands with his magic fishhook.

I'm still really annoyed about the loss of the A-Frame (and the whole darn thing, really) at the Ala Moana Hotel's Hawaiian Hut South Seas Village showroom.

Perhaps it's just that I have had a stye (for the last day or so) over my right eye. Perhaps not.

Aloha,

Hmmm, found where one of the Hawaiian Hut panels of "Maui pulling up the islands" ended up. Have to get a pic in the next few days when the light is right...

Here's something I'm doing some research on...

A tourist place shopping place near Ala Moana Center called the "Hawaii Manufacturing Center." This ad from 1972 seems to have promise.

Descriptions of say it was full of the kind of art we like. Anyone went there in the day?

Most of the Good stuff from HH is at Gecko's house :)

On 2012-05-24 21:32, Phillip Roberts wrote:
I'm still really annoyed about the loss of the A-Frame (and the whole darn thing, really) at the Ala Moana Hotel's Hawaiian Hut South Seas Village showroom.

Huge, irreplaceable loss, as it was one of the best & last remaining examples of that style.
What is there now?

Aloha,

On 2012-06-04 08:00, christiki295 wrote:

Huge, irreplaceable loss, as it was one of the best & last remaining examples of that style.
What is there now?

I don't know where it has ended up. Yet. But I very much doubt it is at Gecko's house.

This ad ran in around 1971...

Hmmmm, I wonder what scent these refills were? And how do you add them to a burnt candle for hours of more enjoyment?

It looks like it could have been an oil lamp and not a candle. A very cool moai oil lamp.

Aloha,

On 2012-06-04 14:09, AceExplorer wrote:
It looks like it could have been an oil lamp and not a candle. A very cool moai oil lamp.

Good thought Ace. Anyone have one of these Easter Island oil lamps? I have never seen one (plenty candles) but assume it would be ceramic...

Royal Hawaiian Mai Tai bar and their award from the 2009 Mai Tai festival... Ask for the 1944 'Trader Vic' version. Bong and I recommend it...

On 2012-05-31 20:51, Phillip Roberts wrote:
Aloha,

Hmmm, found where one of the Hawaiian Hut panels of "Maui pulling up the islands" ended up. Have to get a pic in the next few days when the light is right...

Here's something I'm doing some research on...

A tourist place shopping place near Ala Moana Center called the "Hawaii Manufacturing Center." This ad from 1972 seems to have promise.

Descriptions of say it was full of the kind of art we like. Anyone went there in the day?

HIP pendants tagged

From Buzzy's collection...Thanks for the pict Buzzy!

Aloha,

Sharp eyes Freddie! It seem they were quite a big deal in the day assuming they had the pull to get special tags on the HIP originals...

Ulu Mau Village-Ala Moana location from 1965 from a microfilm scan... You can see a much better color shot of this giant in Waikiki Tiki.

Btw, a soft opening at the International Market Place of "Tiki Town" a new outdoor bar/restaurant is happening later today. I was by Wednesday as they were setting some of it up! I'll take pics later...

On 2012-06-09 23:15, Phillip Roberts wrote:
Aloha,

On 2012-06-04 14:09, AceExplorer wrote:
It looks like it could have been an oil lamp and not a candle. A very cool moai oil lamp.

Good thought Ace. Anyone have one of these Easter Island oil lamps? I have never seen one (plenty candles) but assume it would be ceramic...

Maybe more wax inserts?

Aloha,

Well done Freddie! Nice catch from 'Tiki finds' It seems Bongofury owns it.

Well, it seems "Tiki Town" isn't ready to open yet... I'll keep you informed.