Duke Paoa Kahanamoku Statue

This bronze statue of Duke Kahanamoku has stood on Waikiki Beach since 1990, arms open toward the crowds rather than the ocean he lived his life in, a choice that upset old-time surfers when it first went up. The guide traces the boy named for a visiting British royal who grew up surfing this beach on koa boards, carried the sport to Olympic gold in 1912 and 1920, and helped turn it into a global pastime. It also follows him to a stormy day off Newport Beach in 1925, when a capsized fishing boat sent him paddling back into the breakers again and again. Look closely at the leis draped over his arms, left there daily by strangers.