Behind Waikiki is the Ala Wai canal, which is in fact the only reason Waikiki exists. The canal was created to collect the rainwater draining off the mountains behind Honolulu. Before it was created in 1922, the area that is now one of the world’s most famous tourist spots, Waikiki, was a swamp.

This shot was taken in the soft light of sunset. It would have been even nicer a few moments earlier, but finding a parking space along Ala Wai is not easy. In the end we found a spot several blocks away from where I wanted to take the photo, and the light changes really fast during Hawaiian sunsets. If I ever end up living on Oa’hu for any length of time I’ll have to try to get the shot I really wanted.