Harper has proved himself to be quite the sophisticated little baby. While joining mama, grandma and great grandma for afternoon tea at the Mission House in downtown Honolulu his tea form was impeccable and his table manners flawless.
The afternoon was gorgeous and the Mission House’s afternoon tea is something that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys this sort of thing. It’s not really my style but my mom and grandma absolutely love trying out new tea houses and this was a great treat to share with them. The MIssion House serves their tea service outdoors under the canopy of shady trees, bordered by ruby red hibiscus flowers and a soft and gentle breeze. The food was yummy (I always feel like a pig at these things! Seriously 3 half sandwiches and you expect me to be full?) and there was something special about taking tea on these historic grounds.
The Mission House Museum was established in 1923 and consists of three buildings that served as the homes and workplaces for the first christian missionaries who came to Hawaii. The oldest home, the Frame House was built in 1821 and all the materials were shipped pre-fabricated from Boston and sailed around the Cape Horn before arriving on Oahu. The house was used as a communal home for missionary families and island visitors. The Chamberlain House was built in 1831 out of ocean reef and stands solid today! The last building was the printing office built in 1841 and provided some of the first books and printed materials in all of Hawaii.
I absolutely love walking around these historic buildings and imagining the activity that once filled this place.
The Mission House is full of interesting artifacts, journals and photographs from this historic time period. One of the quotes decorating the museum walls really grabbed my attention and made me think about what the Hawaiian people have endured since the missionaries arrived and becoming a part of the America’s. The quote read:
“If a big wave comes in, large unfamiliar fishes will come from the dark ocean, and when they see the small fishes of the shallows they will eat them up. The white man’s ships have arrived with clever men from the big countries, they know our people are few in number and our country is small, they will devour us.”
-David Malo
Hawaii is such a special place and the culture is what makes this island so beautiful. It saddens me thinking how much of that precious aloha and tradition have been lost to the “clever men” and for the sake of “progress”. I hope hope hope that was is left of the Hawaiian culture will stand protected and that the spirit of aloha will continue to make this place I call home so magical.
