Honolulu Star-Advertiser © Susan Scott
November 23, 1998
THANKSGIVING Day is nearly here, a holiday that always reminds me of one thing: beach parks.
OK, turkey, too. But since I spent my first Hawaii Thanksgiving at one of Oahu’s prime beach parks, the two have been as firmly linked in my mind as mashed potatoes and gravy.
I had been living in Hawaii for about five months when a friend called, inviting me to Thanksgiving dinner. My heart sank. The last thing in the world I wanted to do on a day off in Hawaii was sit in someone’s sweltering dining room and stuff myself with food.
But it was a nice offer and I accepted.
“It’s a planned potluck,” my friend said. “Can you bring pumpkin pies? Oh, and bring your boogie board. We’re going to Bellows this year, and the waves there are really fun.”
“Bellows?”
“It’s a beach park. Each year, we pick a different one for our Thanksgiving picnic. I think you’ll like it.”
Like it? I never got over it. Not only did the traditional turkey and trimmings taste exquisite on a picnic table, the park offered nearly endless entertainment. Instead of watching TV, we rode waves, walked the beach and examined marine animals blown ashore by the tradewinds.
I later learned that besides its wide sand beach and charming ironwood forest, Bellows Beach Park also has a colorful history.
Starting in 1917, the area was called the Waimanalo Military Reservation. Then in 1933, this firing range and gunnery-training site was renamed after F.B. Bellows, an Army lieutenant killed in a plane crash.
On Dec. 7, 1941, the Japanese Navy attacked Bellows Field, killing two Americans. The next morning, a Japanese naval officer swam ashore after running his two-man submarine aground on the reef.
American soldiers captured him, making this man the first Japanese prisoner of World War II. Later, the body of the other crew member washed ashore.
During that war, Bellows Field expanded, playing an important role in training men for combat in the Pacific.
In 1964 the Army gave 46 acres of Bellows’ shoreline to the public for recreational use on weekends and holidays. It was a fine gift.
Another choice picnic site is Haleiwa Beach Park.
One Thanksgiving Day, I moved an entire dinner party there. The participants were a bit reluctant at first, worrying about food getting cold and sauces spilling.
But once I got them near the water, we all had a wonderful time. OK, so the wind blew a little sand into the sweet potatoes. It was a Thanksgiving dinner worth remembering.
And so is the origin of Haleiwa Beach Park.
In 1832 one of the first American Protestant missionaries set up housekeeping at this site. Later, other missionaries came, building a secondary school with a dormitory for Hawaiian girls.
This religious boarding school lasted until the 1880s, when the deterioration of the dormitory and the principal’s failing health caused the school to close.
The significance of the school is the name of the dormitory: It was Haleiwa, meaning “house of the frigate bird.”
Since the area is not flush with frigate birds, no one knows why the missionaries chose this name for their school residence. But today the name remains where it began, gracing one of the North Shore’s loveliest towns and beach parks.
This year, as I plan yet another Thanksgiving beach picnic, I’m thankful that people in Hawaii had the foresight to make so many beach parks on Oahu.
It’s one of the many pleasures of living — and celebrating holidays — on this island.