The Aloha Tower opened in 1926. Part clock tower, observation platform, office building, and even maritime beacon (although the light became ineffective in the 1960s as taller buildings began to eclipse the tower, so was removed), this 184 foot Hawaiian Gothic (with some Art Deco mixed in) building is topped with a 40 foot mast. For some 40 years, it was the tallest structure in Hawaii. A seven ton weight driven pendulum clock in the tower drives four large clock faces located on the four sides of the tower just below the observation deck. However, this was just one of the ways the tower provided Honolulu with the time. For many years, the mast had a time ball at the top which would descend every day at noon to provide a time hack for ships in the harbor and citizens on shore. The tower also had a siren that would sound at 7 a.m., noon, and 4 p.m. - although this proved too annoying and was eventually restricted to sounding warnings of tsunamis, fires, and such. However, for most people today, the main draw of the tower is the observation deck. Located on the 10th floor (well, technically the 11th, but the floor containing the clock's machinery is not counted), it is accessed via elevator. Based on our visit, the vistas in all directions are good, but those of the harbor and the ocean beyond to the west are probably the most striking - observers can see larger ships all the way to the horizon. Views of the city are also good, but as the tower is today somewhat height challenged, the city views are no longer as striking as they once were. The remainder of the structure has provided office space for various harbor related workers (customs officials, harbor pilots, etc.). It still provides office space today, e.g., the State Harbors Division offices are located here. Although perhaps slipping into obscurity as air travel has displaced passenger liners for traveling to and from the island, the Aloha Tower is still an important landmark and an important reminder of Honolulu's past.

We always go to the harbour because there is always something to see. This time there was a new sailing ship the Kulamanu. As usual there were plenty of fish swimming amongst the coral alongside the dock.The coast guard dock is across the water and of course there is the Aloha Tower with all of the historic harbour information displayed.