Photos

Photos from our Trip

We went to the Hawaiian Plantation Village in Waipahu. The first immigrants to Hawaii were the Chinese brought to work the sugar plantations in the 1830’s. The native labour force was decimated by disease brought by ‘the white man’. The demand for sugar was high due to California Gold Rush and the Civil War. Hawaii at this time was still an independent nation. The Chinese labourers were followed by Portuguese from Azores, Japanese, Puerto Ricans, Okinawans and the Philippinos.

Although plantation life was harsh, the people had strong community ties. They grew their own food, enjoyed their own music and even ran successful businesses selling food and other goods. As a visitor  to Hawaii, it is very evident to this day that family is very important to Hawaiians. We often see large family groups at the beach enjoying picnics.