Just a year ago I was investigating more of Hawaii than I had on previous trips. What a sorry year it has been. One of the interesting buildings is the Ali'iolani Hale which houses the Hawaiian Supreme Court. Most people recognize it as the headquarters of Hawaii Five-O. When I visited there was no sign of the Five-O crew, not surprising as they don't actually have their HQ there. I was hoping that they would be there filming and I could get a job as an extra. Anyhow, the building is a fascinating museum of the legal history of Hawaii with rooms devoted to the Hawaiian royal dynasties and the efforts they made to train a cadre of political and military specialists trained at European universities and academies. The central staircase features in several episodes of my favourite TV show, so I got Mum to photograph me acting like one of the casualties in the episode where the HQ is being attacked. A word of warning to small bears and children - it is quite painful if you slip while climbing on the upstairs railings. I sat in the Supreme Court in the spectator seats, behind the bench where the judges sat and in the dock where prisoners sat during their trial; that's the photo the Oldies like. This is a place visitors to Honolulu should spend time checking out. It is just across the road from the 'Iolani Palace.
Labels: buildings, climbing, Hawaii
