A great loss for the world Tiki community
Posted by: Kevin in On The Web, Other Bars, Tiki
I came across some very sad news recently. The owner of the La Mariana Sailing Club, Annette Nahinu passed away on the 19th of July at age 96. Annette’s contribution to the preservation of Hawaii’s recent Tiki Bar heritage is immeasurable.
The La Mariana was opened over 50 years ago in Honolulu in Hawaii. Hawaii had recently become the 50th state of the United States of America, and Tiki fever was gripping the country. Entrepreneurs (Don the Beachcomber amongst them) began opening enormous Tiki resorts and restaurants throughout the islands. As the Tiki trend began to cool and the venues started to close down, Annette would be there to collect what was left of the decor and furniture that was being disposed of. Over the decades the collection of Tiki artifacts that have amassed at La Mariana is impressive. It’s like a shrine to the great Tiki Bars of the Islands.
La Mariana is on my short list of about 5 Tiki “must-sees” in the world today. I was lucky enough to be able to visit there at the start of this year, but sadly did not get an opportunity to meet Annette. The La Mariana is an absolutely wonderful place. The atmosphere is thick with history and has a great organic “hand-made” vibe. It is what I imagine our bar will feel like in 50 years time.
I hope La Mariana is taken over by the “right” person. Annette’s legacy is an American treasure, and it deserves to be looked after.
I’ve attached an album of photos I took at La Mariana so you can see how special the place is - click on the image below to see more.
Cheers,
Kev
Click for photos of La Mariana Sailing Club
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August 7th, 2008 at 11:32 pm - Edit
My wife and I had drinks at La Mariana (a couple fantastic Mai Tais) on Tuesday evening, 16 July, only a few days before Ms. Nahinu’s passing. We are so sorry to hear that she is gone. The La Mariana is a great place. We had great conversation with locals at the bar and with officers of visiting ships, and the Mai Tais were super. This place is the real thing. Unfortunately (and I suppose not unexpectedly) word is that developers have a keen eye for this prime waterfront property on a cove off Honolulu Harbor, so its unclear La Mariana can muster the coin and political support to hold them off. Anything anyone can do to preserve the place will be a blow for progress. I’d love for my kids to experience it when their time comes, and I’ll go back everytime I visit Oahu.