Located on the historic grounds of Kaneloa in the ahupuaʻa (land division) of Waikīkī, the Waikīkī Aquarium is not just the second oldest public aquarium in the United States, it is a wahi pana (storied place) in our history. Built next to a living coral reef on the Waikīkī shoreline the Aquarium was established in 1904 as Hawaiʻi's only publicly owned facility providing display of live marine organisms and education for the general public; it has operated since 1955 in its present location. As a research institute of the University of Hawaiʻi, the Aquarium has won national awards for its exhibits and aquatic culture methods and has been designated as the Coastal Ecosystem Learning Center for the Pacific Island Region of the Coastal America Partnership.

The Waikīkī ahupua‘a was an important occupational and political center during much of pre-Contact Hawaiian history, and by the A.D.1300s it was the ruling center of the O‘ahu chiefs. It continued to be a chiefly residential center through the time of Kamehameha I, after he seized control of O‘ahu from Kalanikūpule in 1795. Along with the residential complexes of the pre-Contact Hawaiian chiefs, a thriving populace lived here as well, with an abundant food production system that included extensive lo‘i (wetland taro fields), ‘auwai (irrigation ditches) and fishponds. The Aquarium is located in the ʻili(land section) of Kaneloa within Waikīkī.  This desirable property was awarded to the Crown (sitting monarch) during the Māhele (division), a pivotal change in the land tenure system in the mid 1800s, when the Western concept of land “ownership” was codified.

Called the Honolulu Aquarium when it opened on March 19, 1904, it was initially a commercial venture by the Honolulu Rapid Transit and Land Company, who wished to “show the world the riches of Hawaii’s reefs” and to entice passengers to ride to the end of the new trolley line in Kapi‘olani Park across the street. The Aquarium opened with 35 tanks and 400 marine organisms, and during its first year, the internationally renowned biologist David Starr Jordan proclaimed it as having the finest collection of fishes in the world. Closing Banquest attendees will have private viewing of the over 3,500 organisms of 490 species of marine plants and animals.

A live webcam provides you with a virtual experience of where our Closing Banquet will take place and you will enjoy the sunset and the moon while enjoying a hosted bar and listening to live Hawaiian nahenahe Hawaiian music. E komo mai! (Welcome!)