And this is only background scenery.

At 9 a.m., tour guides aptly dressed in kihei and lei wait at a beachside surfboard marker, directly across from the Honolulu Zoo. They are ready to show you the beauty of Waikiki.

This was George Kanahele's plan, and his Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association has carried out that vision after his death last year. The Hawaiian historian's legacy lives on with the Waikiki Historic Trail, which marks 23 historically significant sites from Waikiki Beach to Kalakaua Park. (Sixteen are currently established, some with markers. Every site will be established by the end of the year.)

A walking tour, which began a few weeks ago, takes curious visitors to nine of those sites, marked by surfboard-shaped signs, from the beach to the Sheraton Moana Surfrider hotel. The tour, financed by the city and the Hawai'i Tourism Authority, is part of the ongoing revitalization of Waikiki.

Visiting these nine sites takes a little more than an hour as the guides share their stories, both historic and personal (and sometimes accompanied by mele and hula), about each stop.

This tour "is here for the having," said a smiling Patricia Lei Murray, former Miss Hawai'i and local performer, who conducts walking tours twice a week. "It's exciting for us to know the stories and share them with our own families. But to share them over and beyond ... " Her face lit up. "We'll tell whoever wants to come."

One recent Wednesday, Murray greeted the few tourists who had heard about the tour through word-of-mouth with a warm "Aloha" that radiated from both her voice and her smile.

Because the Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association hasn't hyped its tour, the groups remain small, averaging six to seven visitors every day.

But with the addition of a guided Saturday tour, organizers are hoping — more like expecting — growth. And not just from tourists. "I call it a rediscovery for kama'aina," said Dorien McClellan, program director for the Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association.

About 10 minutes after 9 a.m., a gentle but strong voice commanded everyone's attention. Charismatic and immediately personable, Joseph Pekelo Kekipi Bright Recca, Murray's partner, opened the tour with a chant. Recca is a veteran Island entertainer.

The two guides strolled the streets of Waikiki, cluttered with reminders of how much things have changed: Rows of ABC Stores, travel brochures strewn on the sidewalk, signs advertising beer specials. But Murray and Recca kept smiling and beckoned onlookers to join the tour.

One woman, visiting from the Philippines, took them up on the offer. Listening to Murray and Recca explain the significance of the healing stones on Kalakaua Avenue, the woman crept close, intrigued by how the stones may contain the healing powers of four soothsayers from Tahiti. About 15 people gathered to hear the story.