Aloha Koi Show II

We almost didn’t get to see the Aloha Koi Appreciation Society Show at the Waikiki Aquarium.

There was another event going on just down the street – some kind of art fest – and parking was mighty scarce along Kalakaua, all the way from the turn up Kapahulu Street to the Queen Kapiolani Fountain.

Luckily we’d planned on having breakfast first at the New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel’s Hala Tree Terrace restaurant, so we valet parked at the hotel and then walked over to the aquarium.



Holy mackerel, what a long line snaked onto the sidewalk. People galore – young couples, older couples, kids, tourists, locals, babies in strollers, you name it, they were there in front of us. The consequence? We stood in the sun for about 20 minutes slowly making our way to Nirvana – the air-conditioned entrance.

Anyway, that broiling adventure aside, the koi show gave us a chance to see some beautiful fish, some of which I’m sure were valued in the thousands of dollars. They were giving away raffle tickets for koi fish prizes, but we missed the morning one and didn’t want to hang around four hours for the afternoon drawing (you had to be present to win).

Several of the fish were up for auction, but again, we didn’t participate. Besides, we don’t have a koi pond and I’m not about to start one up. Koi raising is like golf. Once you get started, you can’t stop and are constantly spending more money on improvements. Golf clubs, koi … same thing.

I did take a couple of dozen pictures. Here are a few:

The show continues today, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Waikiki Aquarium. Go early, or go late … that’s the only way you’ll find parking. Or, have breakfast or lunch at the New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel first and take advantage of their valet parking.