Ala Moana Beach Park is a free public park on the island of Oahu, U.S. state of Hawaii, located between Waikiki and downtown Honolulu. This 100-acre (0.40 km2) park has a wide gold-sand beach that is over a half-mile (800 m) long. It is man-made and was created by the owner of the Dillingham Dredging Company, who was looking for a place to dispose of his dredged earth. So in the 1950s, sand was dumped at this park, which created the beach.
The water is almost always calm because the beach is protected by an outer reef. This makes it a good spot for long-distance swimmers and small children. There is a 25-foot-deep (7.6 m) swimming channel and a former boat channel that was dredged out of the reef.
Ala Moana's ocean bottom drops quickly, so novice swimmers should use caution. Big grassy areas, banyans and palm trees make the park a good place to picnic, barbecue, play all kinds of ball games or go running. There are lifeguards, showers, restrooms, phones, tennis courts, picnic tables, food concessions and a music pavilion. Ala Moana Beach Park is a favorite among Honolulu residents. On the weekends, they come here with their whole ohana (family) to picnic, swim and spend time together. It is right next to "Magic Island" where many cultural events are held.
Famous quotes containing the words beach and/or park:
“The seashore is a sort of neutral ground, a most advantageous point from which to contemplate this world. It is even a trivial place. The waves forever rolling to the land are too far-traveled and untamable to be familiar. Creeping along the endless beach amid the sun-squall and the foam, it occurs to us that we, too, are the product of sea-slime.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Is a park any better than a coal mine? What’s a mountain got that a slag pile hasn’t? What would you rather have in your garden—an almond tree or an oil well?”
—Jean Giraudoux (1882–1944)