Ko Olina: Hawaii's magic kingdom didn't wait for Disney

When Disney first announced its plans to build Aulani, the 840-unit hotel/timeshare resort in West Oahu made headlines as the company's first development not attached to a theme park.  But those who'd already spent time at Ko Olina — the 640-acre resort in which Aulani recently opened as the fourth lodging option for visitors — knew there was already a Magic Kingdom vibe in place (not to mention the Wet'n'Wild Hawai'i water park just across the highway.)
With four artificially created lagoons blasted out of the rocky shoreline and rimmed with soft sand, an 18-hole golf course, a 330-slip marina, two luaus, two spas, captive hammerhead sharks and eagle rays in a courtyard lagoon, a Roy's restaurant and even a gourmet version of Hawaii's ubiquitous ABC stores, Ko Olina epitomizes a manicured, Disney-fied Hawaii for the moneyed set — it just didn't wait for Disney to create it.
Of course, as with anywhere in Hawai'i, there is a much deeper, richer history than might meet the eye. This "Place of Joy" (ko 'olina in Hawaiian), designed in the late '90s to become the "Wailea of Oahu," replaced the sugarcane plantations that James Campbell built on the 'Ewa Plain in the late 19th century. If you drive through Ko Olina on Sundays, watch out for the train — not a Disney ride, but the Hawaiian Railway Society's restoration of the old sugarcane hauling route from 'Ewa to Kahe Point Beach Park and back.
The railroad used to run all the way to Ka'ena Point — in Hawaiian tradition, a leaping-off place into the spirit world, and now a nature preserve — some 17 miles north. Even with children in tow, it's worth experiencing the rugged beauty of the hike from the end of Farrington Highway to the point, but leave your car unlocked and empty; you're in "Dog the Bounty Hunter" territory here, not Disneyland.
In the century before the plantation era, King Kamehameha's favorite wife, Queen Ka'ahumanu, is said to have enjoyed bathing in the natural coves along the Ko Olina shoreline. Lanikuhonua, the estate of James' daughter Alice Kamokila Campbell, stands behind the coconut palms facing these three coves, which can be explored by taking the nearly hidden oceanfront footpath at the northern edge of the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort, the first and for a long time the only hotel in Ko Olina. Used for R&R during World War II, Lanikuhonua serves today as a site for Hawaiian cultural education (as well as a posh wedding venue).
The largest of the natural lagoons hosts outrigger canoe rides and a hukilau — a group net-fishing experience, as well as the party song — during the nightly Paradise Cove Luau, which also takes advantage of the dazzling West Oahu sunsets boasting colors out of a Disney animator's palette. On Tuesday nights, the Marriott Ko Olina Beach Club offers the Fia Fia luau by Samoan Chief Sielu and company, much of which can be heard and viewed by passersby on the mile-long path connecting the Ko Olina lagoons.
The Fia Fia luau is occasionally presented at the Ihilani, too, which also provides the best free way for finding Nemo, so to speak. The shallow courtyard lagoons are home to juvenile hammerhead sharks, spotted eagle rays and a variety of tropical fish easily viewed from walkways and footbridges. There's also free fish feeding every morning in the lagoon that the Ihilani now shares with Aulani.
The Ko Olina Marina claimed a Disney link even before Aulani first opened its doors in August: One of the ships used in the latest "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies is docked there. The marina is also a launching spot for catamaran snorkeling excursions that head to the warm waters near the electric plant at Kahe Point. The dolphins that accompanied us along the way more than made up for the non-tropical scenery at either end of the trip (east of the marina lies the Campbell Industrial Park.)
As far as theme park concessions go, Ko Olina has beefed up its family-friendly food offerings, so that parents are not solely at the mercy of $10 poolside hot dogs, equally pricey (if delicious) resort restaurants or Roy's (still worth a last-night splurge.) Last year saw the opening of the more moderately priced Just Tacos, Ko Olina Hawaiian Barbecue, the Two Scoops Ice Cream Parlor and Tea Room, and Island Country Market — the expanded, fresh food-serving version of an ABC store, stocking the usual souvenirs and Hawaiian Sun drinks but also specialties such as Kauai-made rum, Molokai sweet potatoes, ice cream from Maui and mochi from Oahu.
The Island Country Market is a microcosm of Ko Olina itself: mostly geared to non-budget travelers, yet with a surprising amount of Hawaiiana if you look for it. The arrival of Disney hasn't changed that ratio, but it will bring it into focus for even more travelers.