The Ala Wai Canal

The Ala Wai Canal. . Ala Wai (freshwater way) Canal was at the heart of the Waikīkī Reclamation Project launched in the early 1900s “to reclaim an unsanitary and most unsightly portion of the city.” The duck farms and the millions of mosquitoes that stagnant ponds bred were the culprits. Residents complained, the Territorial government responded, and work began in 1922. With the canal’s completion in 1928, the taro and rice fields, the fish and duck ponds, all vanished. The reclaimed acres turned into the house lots which eventually turned into apartments, stores, restaurants, hotels, and one of the world’s greatest destination areas. , Although the primary use of the Ala Wai is to provide drainage of water flowing into Waikīkī, the Canal also provides recreational space for canoe paddlers, boaters, joggers, and sightseers throughout its history. , Begun in 1995, the Hawai‘i Convention Center is the largest public building of its kind in Hawai‘i. It is situated on 10 acres of land, contains more than one million square feet of floor space, three acres of gardens, a 200,000 square foot Exhibit Hall, 100,000 square feet of meeting rooms, and a 36,000 square foot ballroom! Funded by the State of Hawai‘i, this world class facility truly captures Waikīkī’s “Hawaiian Sense of Place” in its design, materials, gardens and art forms. , The site of this marker is located along a historically significant promenade which has been enhanced to restore and preserve its historic use for pedestrians along the Ala Wai Canal.