Hawaii Kai, a neighborhood located between Maunalua Bay and Hanauma Bay, was developed by Henry J. Kaiser, starting in 1959. It sits on land dredged from the Maunalua fishpond (Kuapa Pond). The first houses were sited around waterways retained during dredging and reflect late-1950s and 1960s architecture.
As the land rises into the hills, we see winding lanes and stair-stepped building lots such as we saw in “Full Fathom Five” (Season 1). Then, the lots were undeveloped, where McGarrett was able to look down on Victor Reese (Kevin McCarthy) as he oh, so skillfully sought to bilk HPD Officer Joyce Weber (Patricia Smith) of her inherited fortune. In such episodes as “Loose Ends Get Hit” (Season 8) and “My Friend, the Enemy” (Season 10), when Princess Jemilla (Kathryn Leigh Scott) is kidnapped, we see cars making their way along still-unbuilt lots. Houses now present appear to have been built in the 1970s and 1980s, while the newest homes, located still farther back in the neighborhood appear to have been built in the 1990s and perhaps later.
So! Point 1: We watched Hawaii Kai being developed, from Season 1 on through.
Hawaii Kai sports three notable shopping centers, one of which Jack invested in and is thought to have helped plan or otherwise participate in. After following Hawaii John’s rides through those shopping centers, I am unable to pinpoint exactly which one it might have been, although I am leaning toward the Hawaii Kai Towne Center, which would have been in the planning stages in the late-1970s and early 1980s. To summarize,
- The oldest of the shopping centers is the Hawaii Kai Shopping Center, which was developed by Henry J. Kaiser and Frank Fasi and opened in 1959. It appeared on the show, in “Who Says Cops Don’t Cry” (Season 12), when the bad guys attempted to hold up a supermarket before Lori Wilson (Sharon Farrell) nabbed them. Koko Head crater is seen in the background.
- Koko Marina Center, which Wikipedia says is 50 years old but did not name the developer. Architecture tells me it may well have been begun even earlier. Sadly, no further information was available.
- The newest is the Hawaii Kai Towne Center, which opened in 1982. This blend of corporate offices (Aloha Petroleum Company, among others) and stores (Costco, among others) was developed by Henry Kaiser. It sits on a peninsula in the Kuapa waterways, not far from the Kalaniana’ole Highway. Their website mentions the Hawaii Kai Shopping Center as being a part thereof; however, they are sited on different parcels of land. Unless it was seen before it was completed in “The Meighan Conspiracy” (Season 12), it did not appear on the show.
Point 2: We quite possibly saw a glimpse of one of Jack’s personal investments.
“Confused? You won’t be after this episode of . . .” [Soap said it best.]
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