Day 2 ( Pearl Harbor + Pali Lookout + Polynesian Cultural Centre )

Ronak:

Pearl Harbor: 

When we first visited Pearl Harbor, I knew what exactly it was and why was the place so significance as I learnt it in the years before during the topic of World War 2 but I was proven wrong. There were a lot of more things that were not taught or told to us about the Pearl Harbor. It just made me realise that the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese actually boosted the strength of the Americans who fought the war mercilessly and ruined the plan of the Japanese to take over the part of Asia that it intended. Their miscalculations about things like underestimating the remaining power of the American warship brought them their fate. It shows us that despite the surprise attack, the Americans still managed to provoke and bring down some of the planes of the Japanese and fought back bravely. This tells us about how the can collaborate and they have always sustainable resources no matter at what time and not only at times of war and this saved them and gave them the strength to fight back. One thing that intrigued me was the fact that more than 20 warships were destroyed!

From them all were rescued except for three of them. One of them was the USS Arizona, one of the biggest and most advanced ships of the US Navy. That day, December 7, 1961, the Japanese bombing caused the biggest destruction and deaths in the entire was history of the States! This fact took me aback.

Plaque where the ship sank

Memorial

 The memorial was built right above the ship and their names were engraved on the wall beside the tree of life. This tells us that we need to remember that day as a memory of a tragedy mixed with a sense of pride. Many brave soldiers were lost but that enraged the US and they built up fast and sustained throughout never giving up. This teaches that we must always be prepared for things we might not expect and always the things ready instead of giving it a blank eye.

Pali lookout: 

Pali Lookout

Pali Bay Lookout was one of the most enjoyable places so far. It is the place where King  Kamehameha and his troops fought against the other tribe and defeated it by the King's master plan which was moving the fight towards the cliff with the King's troops having the front hand and eventually falling off the edge and dying. One of the soldiers in the painting over at Pali Bay Lookout had a gun and it was Captain James Cook's gun which they stole from his ship along with other stuff. The lookout is surrounded by two tall mountains creating a echo system for the wind coming it from the Pacific Ocean and reflecting off the walls inwards to the place thus winds, up to 80mph, could be experienced.

Shakti: 

Pearl Harbor: 

Pearl Harbor is truly a mournful place with a lot of emotions hanging in the air. As much as we could still learn about and experience what happened in pearl harbor, there was always an eerie feeling that these dead soldiers were walking around conducting their duties as usual. I learnt about how even though the Japanese people attacked by surprise and even though they got the information of the attack very late, the American soldiers were very willing to defend their country even if their lives were at stake. They fought valiantly even after most of the ships and planes belonging to America were blown up. They managed to take down around 25 of the 300 Japanese planes. I learnt that through tough times if we stand together we can unite to fight against evil. Some people might think that preserving one of America’s biggest tragedies is a stupid thing to do, however it’s through these memories that Americans can remember the valiant efforts of their soldiers and they can learn how to unite against a threat to their country if it ever were to occur. 

Pali Lookout: 

Pali Lookout was one of the most enjoyable location of the day. It had a lot to do with science. So, basically the winds coming from alaska’s direction which are generally very cold flow towards Hawaii. The part of the island that is facing the winds has a row of mountains which funnel the air in to a small opening between the mountains. This is why not only do the winds travel at 50-80 mph but since they come from alaska the winds are able to reduce the temperature of the are by around 7-9 ºc. What I learnt from this is that we cannot control nature, however, nature rewards us with such marvelous creations such as Pali Lookout which gives a beautiful view of Hawaii and provides us with somethign to be awed by. Pali Lookout also was so historically important as it was the location of Kamehameha's last battle to unite all 8 islands of Hawaii and it also was the downfall of Hawaii as the Japanese used the top of the two mountains to navigate themselves to Pearl harbor. This shows us how important landmarks such as Pali Lookout can be important to the people as it provides them with something to preserve their memories.

Polynesian Cultural Centre:  

At the Polynesian Cultural Centre we learnt about how the Polynesian states Hawaii, Tonga, Samoa, Aotearoa, Tahiti and Fiji. These states may have varied religious practices, habits and dances but what unites them is their overall belief that we must look after the nature that provides for us. My group focused mostly on Tahiti. When we were exploring the Tahiti village we found out many things. Firstly, Tahiti is located south of Hawaii. In Tahiti they mostly go fidhing for their meat and use coconuts to make their bread. Their dance which is the fast-hip-shaking dance awes the audience as the males and females shake their legs and hips in tune to the music. Also, in the village we met a woman who was from there and learnt about many things from her.

She told us about how the Tahitians were a very peaceful race and that even when the British came with guns to the island, they welcomed them. However, there was an occasion where some of the greedy Tahitians stole some things from the British boat. When this happened, the British people killed the thieves. The lady we met told us that what they did was wrong because if they just asked for their items back they would have just returned it. So, when the Tahitians were killed the rest of the Tahitians went wild and started attacking the British people. This shows us how we should conduct ourselves socially as one wrong move can start an unwanted war.

Brendon: 

Pearl Harbor: 

This visit to Pearl Harbour has taught me many things, such as remembering the past and also learning from it, so that we do not make the same mistakes. At pearl harbor, we learnt on how and why Japan decided to attack it and how it played an important role in the World War 2. The museum and memorial was built in order to remember what has happened and to educate others about it so that people will know what has happened and will be able to learn from it. 

It also serves as a reminder that since this happened when the United States was not fully prepared for an attack, it shows that we must be prepared for anything that happens to us, and not get defeated.We also need to honor those who died while serving for their country, as they were the ones who sacrifice their lives. So we will need to honor and respect those people. 

Pali Lookout: 

At Pali lookout, it was the place where king Kamehameha won his last battle, as well as the area from which the Japanese planes flew in to bomb Pearl harbor. The place was a mountain range, with a small opening. It was the only way the win can flow out of the area, which causes the wind there to be very strong. 

This can be adapted in the City area, like in Singapore, as the city area is very warm with many buildings. So by designing the city and building area such that wind concentrates at certain points of the city, it will cause it to be windier so that people will feel cooler if they are there. So even that this lookout is natural in hawaii, it can still be adapted and be man made somewhere else to create strong wind as well, for useful purposes. 

Polynesian Cultural Centre: 

At the polynesian cultural centre, we learn about the way the people of different polynesian tribes live their lives. The tribes are: Tahiti, Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, Aotearoa and Hawaii. The one that we went to and learnt from is Tahiti. We learn that Tahiti is a very open tribe that welcomes foreigners well, even when people are trying to attack them. 

I feel that the reason why a cultural centre is built so that more people will be able to learn about their culture, so that it will not get lost in the modern world that we live in today, so that people will be able to learn from them. This is also about preserving their culture and traditions, since fewer and fewer people are still practicing them today, they must not let it get lost.