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Activities in Honolulu

In Honolulu, Helen became acquainted with many of the old missionary families. She later wrote that she was intrigued by a lecture given by a Mrs. Thurston about her life there in 1820 as one of the first missionaries to come to the islands. Mrs. Thurston gave her talk in the Fort Street Church near the Jernegan's cottage. In the church there was an exhibit of idols used by natives that caught Helen's interests.

Helen, Laura and Prescott were frequently invited to picnic at Waikiki beach where they sat on the sand and watched the natives ride surfboards. They lived only a short distance from Mrs. P. C. Jones, who took the family for drives in a horse drawn carriage on many occasions.

Since steamships were beginning to provide faster transport between Honolulu and San Francisco, a small number of tourists began arriving in the islands in the 1870s. There was but one hotel in Honolulu, so some visitors stayed with families in remote areas outside of town. Horseback was the main source of transportation since the pathways were quite rough on carriages.

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Courtesy of Hawaii State Archives