by northeasterly trade winds which blow
almost all the time and usher in an occasional shower. During spring and
summer these rains are few and come mostly at night. In winter the
trades are sometimes replaced by Kona winds coming up from the south
with sticky or stormy weather in tow. But Kona winds are infrequent and
rarely last more than a couple days.

Rainfall varies greatly according to local conditions. It's wetter to
the windward of the mountains and fairly dry on the leeward coast. The
average rainfall in Waikiki is about 20 to 25 inches per year, slightly
more in Honolulu.

[Illustration]

OAHU'S PAST

The volcanic cataclysms that pushed Oahu through the surface of the
Pacific four to six million years ago originated in a fault in the
earth's crust at the bottom of the ocean. Complete with rumbling,
sputtering and spectacular fireworks, it was a dramatic premiere
performance. Today this gentle island, green and golden, belies its
violent birth. A millennium of rain, sunshine, waves and trade winds have
sculpted Oahu into a tropical jewel of lush valleys, mountains and
curved sandy beaches.

The Polynesians were the first to successfully sail the vast reaches of
the uncharted Pacific to land in Hawaii. They dragged their huge
double-hulled canoes ashore more than 1000 years ago. The original
inhabitants of Oahu from the Marquesas Islands were followed by several
waves of Tahitian immigrants.

Their primitive way of life came to an end with the arrival of Captain
Cook in 1778. By the middle of the 19th century Honolulu Harbor had
become a key Pacific port for whalers, sandalwood and fur traders. In
1850 the Hawaiian Royal Court moved permanently to Honolulu which has
been the seat of government for monarchy, republic, territory and state.

Immigrants came to Hawaii's tropical shores in continuing waves. New
England missionaries made their first hazardous trip around Cape Horn in
1820 bringing new concepts of religion, agriculture, commerce and
democratic government. As the native population dwindled due to western
diseases, laborers were needed to work the fields for the rapidly
growing sugar industry. Chinese, Japanese and Filipino immigrants
followed by Koreans, Portuguese and Puerto Ricans added new languages
and cultures to the island population.

In 1893 a provisional government was set up to replace the monarchy and
one year late