Monday April 18, 2005

TV castaways put Oahu on the map

By Chuck Barney
April 10, 2005
Knight-Ridder Tribune
The cast of the television program <i>Lost</i>.

The cast of the television program Lost.

Now fans of the plane-crash drama can retrace the steps of their favourite characters, Chuck Barney writes.

In the early days of the plane-crash TV saga Lost, a few of its stir-crazy castaways are seen gazing up at an all-encompassing drapery of majestic green mountains when one of them flashes a look of utter terror and asks: "Guys, where are we?"

Anyone familiar with Hawaii could have told them immediately that they were on the island of Oahu and more specifically somewhere in Kaaawa Valley region, not all that far away from civilisation, some hot showers and refreshing shave ice.

But then again, why spoil the fun? They're supposed to be lost, after all.

Since its debut, Lost, with its twisting plots and mind-blowing mysteries, has been one of TV's hottest shows.

At least some of the credit should go to state of Hawaii, co-creator and executive producer Damon Lindelof says. The enigmatic island upon which the castaways are marooned is, of course, a key character in the show, and he says the "Aloha State" handles the role with aplomb.

"We could have shot it in Southern California or somewhere else, but we figured that if you're doing a show about a plane wreck on an island in the Pacific, you really need an island in the Pacific," Lindelof said.

"The jungles and mountains and the way the water looks are all unique to Hawaii. If the audience doesn't buy the illusion, they check out."

Clearly, the audience has bought it, and now some of the show's fervent followers are starting to express an interest in Lost production sites.

They want to know where, exactly, did Oceanic Flight 815 "crash".

"The show has such a powerful pull, and people, in some way, want to be a part of it," Honolulu film commissioner Walea Constantinau said. "It's sort of like the connection The Lord Of The Rings has with New Zealand. It's shot in a very intriguing, mysterious place that piques everyone's interest."

Constantinau says she has fielded numerous inquiries about the series and, along with the Oahu Visitors Bureau, is planning a web link to help tourists get Lost while they're visiting Hawaii. Unfortunately, some of the film locations are as impenetrable as the show's mythology.

For example, the site where Locke (Terry O'Quinn) first eyed the island creature is on a private Oahu North Shore property called Kualoa Ranch. And the freshwater caves where some castaways hang out are a fabricated set on a Honolulu sound stage.

On the other hand, several sites, including the plane-crash beach, not only are open to the public, they offer all sorts of enticing diversions that go beyond just some Hollywood make-believe. Here's a sample:

Waikiki Beach, Oahu.

Waikiki Beach, Oahu.

Mokuleia Beach: Located a few kilometres west of Oahu's North Shore, Mokuleia is often overlooked by tourists. It is where the TV show's plane crashed in flames. It was obviously convincing, because when the pilot episode was shot last winter, several startled residents phoned emergency officials and planes flying over had to explain to passengers they were looking at a film set.

Kualoa Ranch: This 1620-hectare working cattle ranch is an outdoor lover's paradise offering horse riding, kayaking and more. The Lost film crew drops by Kualoa at least a couple of times a month (production has just ended to shoot many of those gorgeous valley scenes).

Waimea Valley Audubon Centre: A one-kilometre walk from the park entrance will lead you to lovely Waihi Falls, which dumps into a cool jungle pool, where Kate (Evangeline Lilly) and Sawyer (Josh Holloway) took what they thought would be a refreshing swim, only to come upon two submerged corpses still buckled into their plane seats.

Byodo-In Temple: The verdant Koolau Mountains serve as a stunning backdrop for the Valley of the Temples Memorial Park, the centrepiece of which is this majestic replica of a 900-year-old temple of the same name in Uji, Japan.

Here, in a precrash flashback, is where Sun (Yunjin Kim) and Jin (Daniel Dae Kim) first met and began making wedding plans.

A five-metre Buddha rises above the quiet scene, but a booming three-tonne temple bell occasionally disrupts the stillness.

Legend has it that good luck comes to those who are able to ring the bell. Apparently, those beleaguered castaways of Lost never have.


Hawaii Tourism, phone 9286 8951.

Hawaiian Airlines flies from Sydney to Honolulu four times weekly, departing every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday evening, and arriving in Honolulu before lunchtime the same day. See