Although scientists can not specify when the first Polynesian to set foot on land south-east of the island of Oahu, known today as Honolulu, oral stories and artifacts suggest that a settlement existed here since the twelfth century.
Honolulu means "protected bay", words that describe the calm deep water port. British Captain James Cook who discovered Hawaii on behalf of the Western world in 1778, he sailed around the island at night, missing the bay and tiny fishing villages along.