Moanalua Park

Moanalua Park Area

Moanalua Park and Gardens (two encampments) offer both a manicured park and a wilderness area.  Moanalua is said to be named for two taro patches where travelers could rest.  Here a summer house was built in 1867 for King Kamehameha V.  Walking tours are available through the Moanalua Gardens Foundation.  Residing at Moanalua was the historian, Nāmakahelu, who was one of the best sources of what pre contact life was like on O’ahu. She was well-known as the chantress of Kahikilaulani, expanding the early settlement of O’ahu.  Moanalua Park also has a great example of a monkey pod tree here; in fact, Hitachi (Japan) has used this very tree as their company logo.

Overlooking Moanalua Park

Tripler Medical Center is a distinct landmark in this area. The huge pink hospital contains a 550-bed facility, making it the largest military medical center in the Pacific.  The hospital is named for Major General Charles Stuart Tripler, a medical director during the Civil War.  There are several versions of why the building is pink.  The first story is that Mrs. Tripler liked pink but she had died long before the hospital was ever planned.  Second is that this was paint left over from the Royal Hawaiian Hotel but how could there have been so much extra paint?  The third possibility and the one that I believe correct is that when the Army purchased the paint from Sherwin Williams, the wrong color was sent from the mainland.  Rather than send it all back and wait for a second correct shipment, the company offered the Army a “good deal” on the paint that had been sent.  And thus, the hospital was painted pink.

Last Words on Moanalua Park

Moanalua Park may be a bit off the normal “tourist routes”, but if you do get over that way, have a look!  From here, on to Dole Pineapple Plantation.