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Last week I wrote about the Waikiki Jungle, the part of Waikiki that extended from about Kaiulani Avenue to the zoo. In the 1960s and 1970s, it was filled mostly with one- and two-story houses whose low rents attracted young locals, members of the military and hippies.
By the mid- to late-1970s, rising land values led to the construction of big condos and hotels, and the days of cheap living were over.
Bruce Marnie from Darrington, Wash., told me he spent a lot of time in the Waikiki Jungle as a child.
“I’m third-generation kamaaina. My dad was a Honolulu physician and my grandfather was the paymaster at the Puunene Mill on Maui. I grew up in Manoa and went to Hanahauoli School, and later Punahou.
“As a youngster in elementary school at Hanahauoli, I would frequently spend weekends sleeping over at my best friend Jim Lucas’ house on Ohua Avenue in the Waikiki Jungle.
“In 1961, we were in fifth grade at Hanahauoli,” Marnie said. “I was 10 years old. Jim was 11.
“Jim’s parents were both teachers. His dad was a UH professor of agronomy, and his mom taught at Fern Elementary School. They rented a small two-bedroom, one-bath cottage at 309 Ohua Ave., just mauka of where the Waikiki Health Center is now.
“Jim and I would walk down Ohua Avenue, past St. Augustine Church, carrying our boards to go surfing at Kuhio Beach.
“After a long day of surfing, we’d soak in the deep concrete-cast bathtub at the house. The long, hot soaks would soothe our sore muscles and gave ample opportunity for a couple of young kids to solve the world’s problems.
The treehouse
“The house had two bedrooms, but one was stuffed to the ceiling with storage boxes that held the family’s major possessions until ‘a larger, more permanent residence’ could be secured, which never happened.”
“Jim’s parents slept in the other bedroom, which left Jim and I to sleep outside in his treehouse. I loved spending weekends at the Lucas house. It was like camping out.
“Jim’s treehouse was made from a single 4-by-8-foot sheet of plywood, perched deftly about 15 feet up in the crotch of a medium- size royal poinciana tree that grew in their small front yard.
“Another 4-by-8 sheet of plywood several feet overhead served as the roof. It had canvas side curtains that could be rolled down, but no rails or walls for safety. There was never much traffic or noise to disturb us.
“It was small, but we were small kids then,” Marnie recalls. “It was Jim’s permanent bedroom.
“We’d climb into our sleeping bags and talk for hours before falling asleep. It was a great time for growing up, talking over events and activities, building social relationships and the like. Every kid should have that opportunity as a youngster!
“In the morning, we’d climb down and go into the house for breakfast that his mom fixed, then head off to surf for the day. We’d often go hiking with Jim’s father, who was an avid member of the Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club.
Ride around Oahu
“As Jim and I grew older, on a whim, we decided to ride our single-speed, beach cruiser-type bicycles around the island of Oahu. A member of Jim’s Boy Scout troop suggested it, and we thought it would be fun,” Marnie said.
“We were young and dumb and thought it was something we could easily do.
“What was amazing was that my parents let us do it. They were pretty permissive. For instance, we had various boats from when I was 6 or 7, and by the time I was 16, they let me take one out fishing off Molokai and Lanai without them.
“On Wednesday, April 26, 1961, we made haphazard plans for our adventure that coming weekend, April 28-30. We planned to stop for the night in places we wanted to visit, not places that were convenient or made sense.
“I remember leaving for school on that Friday morning and saying to my mom, ‘I won’t be home until Sunday night. Jim and I are riding our bikes around the island this weekend.’
“She responded with, ‘Right … what do you want for dinner tonight?’ ‘No mom, I’m serious,’ I replied. ‘We’re really going to do it. I’ll see you Sunday night, and I’ll call along the way if I can. Bye.’ Then I left for school.
“We began our trip right after classes Friday, and when we reached the Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Clubhouse in Waimanalo at 7 p.m., I called home to check in. Jim’s dad had followed us in the family car for safety and support.
“My mom answered the phone and when I told her we had made it from Waikiki to Waimanalo, she exclaimed, ‘You’re WHERE?!’ I had to gently remind her that Jim and I would be riding around the island, and she responded with disbelief. ‘Yes, I know, but I didn’t think you were SERIOUS!’
“The next day, we cycled up the Windward side from Waimanalo and along the North Shore to Waimea Bay, where we spent Saturday night. Our goal was to get there in time to fish for our dinner, which we did, despite two flat tires, and stay in a cave that interested us.”
Sunday found the boys on the last and longest leg of their trip: Waimea Bay to Waikiki via Kaena Point, which was still driveable in 1961. Did I mention they were riding barefoot?
“That dirt road and those chuckholes were the real test for us,” Lucas said. “We bodysurfed at Makaha Beach for an hour before beginning our run through evening traffic back to Waikiki.”
“We pedaled past Ewa, Pearl Harbor, Honolulu Airport, and back to Jim’s house in Waikiki by 7 p.m. Sunday evening,” Marnie said, “after 51 hours and 17 minutes. Soft beds were the most welcome sight we could imagine.”
“Jim’s dad kept a detailed log of our mileage and stops along the way,” Marnie continued, “the original copy of which I still have today. We rode a total of 140.25 miles in 2-1/2 days.
“The next day, May 1, 1961, we were honored at an all-school assembly at Hanahauoli for our accomplishment. As far as anybody knew, we were the first kids to ever ride completely around the island of Oahu, barefooted, on bikes.
“We were summoned by the Honolulu Advertiser on Kapiolani Boulevard, where we were interviewed, and a story, complete with our picture, appeared in the paper the following day.”
Marnie went to Punahou in the seventh grade and Lucas went to Hawaiian Mission Academy. “We drifted apart, but last I heard, he was a builder in Hilo,” Marnie said.
‘Metaphor for my life’
“I know I’ve digressed from the Waikiki Jungle, but it serves as a metaphor for my life. Moving on from those carefree days hanging out with Jim at his house in the Waikiki Jungle, surfing all day, hiking all over the island — who would have known my life would have taken such an adventurous and unforgettable path?
“Escaping the Waikiki Jungle, I was fortunate to have adventures and opportunities that allowed the young child to grow into a man.
“I taught biology at Punahou for 20 years. Then I became an aircraft pilot in 1974 and mechanic and worked in that field for 30 years, and even worked part time as a tour guide at Discovering Hidden Hawaii Tours since my ‘retirement’ in 2010.
“Looking back, I’ve had a phenomenal life. And best of all, I was able to fully experience the ‘OLD’ Hawaii, which is a privilege not many have had.”
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Bob Sigall can be reached at Sigall@yahoo.com.
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