Honolulu: 4 Stops to Feel The Mana

Honolulu: 4 Stops to Feel The Mana

In the Spring of 1795, at the end of his campaign to unify the Hawaiin islands, the great King Kamehameha I divided his army to engage the forces of his rival Kalanikupule on the southeastern portion of O’ahu. While one half of Kamehameha’s forces engaged the enemy head on, the second half outflanked the Kalanikupule, maneuvering around a battlefield crater. During the pursuit, Kamehameha sent a smaller contingent to clear the surrounding heights of Kalanikupule’s cannons. With its artillery destroyed, and its leadership shaken, the defending forces fell back through Nu’uanu Valley to the cliffs of Nu’uanu Pali. Trapped between the entirety of Kamehameha’s army and a thousand-foot drop, the fate of the remaining O’ahu warriors was sealed. Kamehameha pushed, and sent seven hundred warriors over the edge.

Resplendent in natural beauty and famed for its relaxing atmosphere, the island of O’ahu retains a quiet history peppered with violence. Vacationers mid-surf, mid-tan, or mid-pina colada rarely dwell on Kamehameha’s conquest or the bombing of Pearl Harbor, but the tragedies that have shaped the island nation of Hawaii and its place in the history of the Pacific and American culture are as much a part of its fabric – its mana - as its rolling waves. It is for both its age-old warrior culture and its dazzling vistas that the Unagi Team was thrilled to receive its first order from the Polynesian archipelago.

For our Honolulu review, we enlisted the help of Unagi rider and ten-year resident of Hawaii’s capital, Wai Yi Ng. Wai Yi grew up stateside, but when an opportunity to pursue environmental work sprung up in Honolulu, she packed her bags and never looked back. But it wasn’t just the opportunity to effect Hawaii’s ecological community that kept her from returning to the mainland, the island’s rockfaces also played a large factor in her decision to stay.

In 2006, while studying geology in college, a friend asked Wai Yi if she wanted to try rock climbing and after a session or two, it grew on her, “I thought it was really hard and didn’t understand it, but I tried once again and I fell in love.” What attracted Wai Yi to rock climbing most wasn’t the requisite physicality, but the way it tests and trains the mind, “If you feel good climbing, you’re less likely to fall. It built my self-esteem and helped with problem solving – just because one person climbs one way, you might not be able to do the same because of something like natural flexibility . . . you have to find another method.” Equipped with her electric scooter, Wai Yi rode with us to the first stop on her Honolulu neighborhood tour, and to no surprise, it was her local climbing spot.

Kapena Falls, its swimming hole, and the mountainside by Nuuanu stream contain significance beyond its standing as one of the island’s most beautiful hikes and first developed climbing destinations, it was also the site of Kamehameha’s final battle. “The Battle of N’uanu took place right above where we were climbing,” Wai Yi shares a bit whimsically, “many jumped off the cliff for fear of being captured. It’s a significant part of Hawaii’s history.” As Wai Yi took us around the area, it became clear that the grounds – in addition to their historical standing – contain a wealth of spiritual value. Travelers exploring the area will inevitably stumble across a series of canine petroglyphs, that tell one of the region’s best known tales, “There was once a couple who moved into this area with four or five dogs - the biggest one was named Poké. The couple had friends who came and went, and the dogs were friendly, but one day, when they tried to walk to the cliff, the dogs blocked the area. Disregarding their behavior, the man walked past them, and was killed shortly thereafter. Since then, locals have said the dogs might have been gods and have paid tribute to them through these petroglyphs.”

From Kapena Falls, Wai Yi took us to ‘Iolani Palace, the final residence of the Hawaiian monarchy, which ended with the reign of Queen Lili’uokalani in 1893. In the early 19th century, the area where the palace now stands was an ancient burial site, the land of which was owned by Kekāuluahi, Kuhina Nui of the Hawaiin Kingdom and queen consort of Kamehameha I and Kamehameha II. In July of 1844, Kamehameha made the land the site of his estate and the Royal residence of the Kamehameha dynasty after moving the capital of the kingdom to Honolulu. After the end of the Kamehameha dynasty, the palace became the residence of the Kalākaua Dynasty until it was overthrown in 1893. From then, it was used as the seat of power for the Provisional Government, Republic, Territory, and State of Hawaii until 1969, eleven years after which it reopened to the public as a museum.

After showing us around the palace grounds, Wai Yi took us by her office, “Because, in reality, I use the scooter to get back and forth to work on a daily basis. Traffic and parking are both really bad in Honolulu, and I wanted people to know how riding the Unagi has given me time to do other things besides commute . . . I put 100 miles on it in two months.” When Wai Yi isn’t rock climbing, she handles ecological work for the city’s important new rail project, “We’re building the first train in Honolulu – a 20 mile train to reduce traffic and parking issues. I do environmental work for the project, getting permits and managing the process. I think it will be cool for people to jump off the rail, hop on their electric scooters, and get where they want to be. The Unagi is pretty light, which makes using it along with public transportation really convenient.”

From her office, Wai Yi took us to grab a bite at a local restaurant called Blue Tree, which she favors for their use of sustainable products like all-metal straws and recycled materials – customers even get a discount if they return their bottles. Finally, we hopped back on our Unagis and took a ride through Kaka’ako Waterfront Park - one of Honolulu’s urban centers, well known for its shopping and fine dining – from which you get a “Great view of the surf and Diamond Head.” Diamond Head, known to locals as Lē ahi, is O’ahu’s famous volcanic tuff cone and a U.S. National Natural Monument.

After the Waterfront, with a warm breeze in our hair, we called it a day, but hope to be back soon to reconnect with our riders out in Hawaii! To keep up with Wai Yi and her climbing, follow her @waiyi.hawaii, and join her in her conservation efforts by traveling clean and riding your electric scooter as a responsible commuter option. Hang loose everyone!


Unagi Life
Camping + Electric Scooters: The Dynamic Duo You Never Thought Of

Camping + Electric Scooters: The Dynamic Duo You Never Thought Of

Coronavirus has changed the way we travel, and we like to think this will be for the better in the future. While flying off to your favorite international destination may have seemed like a great idea before ... and border closures made it impossible, all that air travel wasn’t doing the planet any favors

Who Invented the Scooter?

Who Invented the Scooter?

Scooters didn't just start as an alternative ride for popping tricks in the skatepark, in fact, they've been around for a really long time. These days it's quite common for people to own all manner of electric scooters and even electric mopeds, but who invented the scooter?

Scooter Rental vs Scooter Subscription: Which is Better?

Scooter Rental vs Scooter Subscription: Which is Better?

For a few years, it seemed as if city streets would soon belong to shared electric scooters and bikes. The prospect seemed to enrage as many people as it excited, and there was much wrangling over the new micromobility transportation…

Rideshare, Subway, or Scooter: The Fastest Way to Commute

Rideshare, Subway, or Scooter: The Fastest Way to Commute

Commuting is terrible, and not only in the ordinary sense of frustrating and annoying. The problem has reached the level of a public health crisis. It wastes an “astonishing” amount of “human potential,” claims The Washington Post, drains our energy…

Electric Scooters: Range vs Weight

Electric Scooters: Range vs Weight

Advances in battery technology have led to a market filled with high-quality electric scooters for everything from tooling around the neighborhood to competitive off-road racing. It’s an exciting time to buy a scooter, but also a confusing time, given the…

Electric Bikes vs Electric Scooters: Which One Should You Choose?

Electric Bikes vs Electric Scooters: Which One Should You Choose?

Micromobility has arrived. Personal electric vehicles are solving last mile problems and replacing car trips as major cities move away from car-centric infrastructure. Increasingly, commuters are realizing how much faster and easier it is to get to work on an…

Is It Worth Buying an Electric Scooter?

Is It Worth Buying an Electric Scooter?

As cities become more crowded and traffic worsens by the year, the old ways of commuting have become increasingly unsustainable. So, is it worth buying yourself an electric scooter?

Getting Scooters to Covid-19 First Responders

Getting Scooters to Covid-19 First Responders

The Covid-19 crisis has ushered in a period of sickness, fear, confusion, and fatigue across the planet. Naturally, we're all looking for a little hope. At Unagi, we're trying to carve out a humble corner of optimism by helping the…

Chicago’s North Side: 5 Wellness-Inspired Stops in the Windy City

Chicago’s North Side: 5 Wellness-Inspired Stops in the Windy City

Home to Wrigley field, beautiful skyscrapers, large parks, and public beaches along Lake Michigan, the North Side of Chicago is one of the most recognizable areas of the Windy City. The district is bordered by the Chicago River, the West…

Unagi, Deconstructed: How An E-Scooter Works

Unagi, Deconstructed: How An E-Scooter Works

It’s not magic. It might look like a bespelled work of Byzantine machinery unearthed, reformed, and refitted for a new age, but the electrical chariots of modernity are powered by ions, not alchemy. To satisfy the voracious cravings of our…

Lower East Side: 4 Insider Hangouts in NYC’s Grit-Trendy Neighborhood

Lower East Side: 4 Insider Hangouts in NYC’s Grit-Trendy Neighborhood

Complaints of rapid gentrification are nothing new to New York City. Beginning with a sharp decrease in crime stemming from Mayor Giuliani’s aggressive broken window policing of New York in the 1990s, wealth has poured, settled, rearranged, and redeployed across…

North Venice: 6 Stops in Scooter Mecca

North Venice: 6 Stops in Scooter Mecca

Venice holds a special place in California lore. From its purple sunsets and quiet canals to the bombast and theatrically of its ocean front walk, the beachside town retains prime position in the tapestry of the internationally exported West Coast…

Honolulu: 4 Stops to Feel The Mana

Honolulu: 4 Stops to Feel The Mana

In the Spring of 1795, at the end of his campaign to unify the Hawaiin islands, the great King Kamehameha I divided his army to engage the forces of his rival Kalanikupule on the southeastern portion of O’ahu. While one…

Frogtown: 7 Spots in LA’s Hidden Paradise

Frogtown: 7 Spots in LA’s Hidden Paradise

There was a young man, sitting on the cement bank of a river, fishing for carp, and the wind rose around him. A voyeur might find himself compelled to question his state of awareness, but no amount of blinking or…

Why owning an Unagi beats using Rideshare Scooters

Why owning an Unagi beats using Rideshare Scooters

It’s been eight years since Uber’s historic beta launch in San Francisco, and, despite a deluge of complaints levied by traditional transportation competitors, governments, and customers, the Uber model – and ridesharing at large – has become ubiquitous. Ease of…

A Case For Electric Scooter Ownership: The Unagi Manifesto

A Case For Electric Scooter Ownership: The Unagi Manifesto

The Rapid Growth of the E-Scooter Ownership Market A study created jointly by Unagi Scooters and UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business has found that elect estimate that 35% of scooter riders will prefer to own rather than rent,...

Your Morning Commute - Reviewing Cost vs Convenience

Your Morning Commute - Reviewing Cost vs Convenience

Unagi is proud to announce the launch of its Commute Calculator! As urban commute routes grow in volume and density, prospective commuters need access to current, up-to-date travel information in order to make informed decisions on how to get around.…

Micro-Mobility Reconnects Us by Supporting Local Culture and Sustainable Development

Micro-Mobility Reconnects Us by Supporting Local Culture and Sustainable Development

“Nice neighborhood you’ve got there. Sure would be a shame if someone put a highway through it.” So says the text over the face of Robert Moses in a meme that launched the Facebook group “New Urbanist Memes for Transit-Oriented…

Unagi Neighborhoods: Little Tokyo

Unagi Neighborhoods: Little Tokyo

Little Tokyo Los Angeles is not the best representation of European cross-continental culture. The French, Italians, Russians, and most of the great Western and Eastern European migrant groups of the 19th and 20th centuries set up footholds in New York,…

4 Unagi Approved Dates:  NYC, LA, SF, MIA

4 Unagi Approved Dates: NYC, LA, SF, MIA

We get it. Dating can be tough. The googling, the yelping, the planning, the reservations, the transportation. . .  the process can be overwhelming. Making a good first impression can also be a source of anxiety for millions of single…

4 Unagi Approved Dates

4 Unagi Approved Dates

We get it. Dating can be tough. The googling, the yelping, the planning, the reservations, the transportation. . . the process can be overwhelming. Making a good first impression can also be a source of anxiety for millions of single…

The Scooter, A History

The Scooter, A History

Two wheels and a plank. It would be a modest beginning for a mode of transportation characterized by peaks and troughs in use and popularity unrivaled by any other contemporary human propellant. Although difficult to pinpoint, it is generally accepted…

Little Tokyo

Little Tokyo

Los Angeles is not the best representation of European cross-continental culture. The French, Italians, Russians, and most of the great Western and Eastern European migrant groups of the 19th and 20th centuries set up footholds in New York, where their…

Micro Mobility & Local Culture

Micro Mobility & Local Culture

“Nice neighborhood you’ve got there. Sure would be a shame if someone put a highway through it.” So says the text over the face of Robert Moses in a meme that launched the Facebook group “New Urbanist Memes for Transit-Oriented…

Commute Calculator

Commute Calculator

Unagi is proud to announce the launch of its Commute Calculator As urban commute routes grow in volume and density, prospective commuters need access to current, up-to-date travel information in order to make informed decisions on how to get around.…