when the first Polynesians set foot in the southeastern region of Oahu now known as Honolulu, oral histories and artefacts suggest there was a settlement there as early as the 12th century.
Honolulu means 'protected bay', which aptly describes the calm, deep-water harbour that borders it. British captain, James Cook, who is credited with discovering Hawaii for the Western world in 1778, sailed by Oahu in the night on that fateful journey, entirely missing the bay and the little fishing village that stood beside it.