The Honolulu Surfing Museum, located next to Jimmy Buffett’s Restaurant and Bar at the OHANA Waikiki Beachcomber, just opened as an interactive immersion into Hawaii’s surfing culture.
The heart of the museum is the collection of surfing and surfing lifestyle artifacts. The museum explores the origins, evolution and current state of surfing, showcasing top surfing legends from past and present. The collection of surf memorabilia includes vintage surfboards, classic surfing footage, a Hollywood prop or two and a historic collection of musical instruments that are unique to Hawaii.
Upon entering, museum guests are immediately greeted by a large hanging helicopter; a replica from the movie “Apocalypse Now.” Adjacent sits Jimmy Buffett’s favorite museum piece, the original Yater surfboard used in the classic film. Other distinctive artifacts include: props from the movie “Ride the Wild Surf,” artifacts from Captain Cook’s voyages and authentic wood surfboards dating back to the 1930s.
Additionally, video monitors throughout the exhibit run non-stop loops of surfing highlights filmed by several of the sport’s most respected cinematographers intertwined with captioned black and white newsreels of surf riding in Waikiki in the days before “talkies” brought sound to the big screen.
Guests can belly up to the museum’s bar and see videos that tell the surfing story. Interactive photo opportunities such as the Silver Surfer and Apocalypse Now allow the visitor to become part of the exhibit.
Museum tours are available Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4 p.m. Private group tours are also available. Audio tours will be offered to patrons in English or Japanese by mid- to late summer 2009. At mixology classes at the restaurant’s Hot Spot Bar on Mondays and Wednesdays at 4, guests can learn how to make some of the most popular Polynesian libations. (www.honolulusurfmuseum.com)
Courtesy of leisuregrouptravel.com
