While on our Pacific Island Tour, our first stop was the island of Oahu in Hawaii. The cruise ship docked at 9am. We would be in port from 9am-11pm. Our “official” tour wasn’t scheduled until noon. We had a 10 1/2 hour exploration at the Polynesian Cultural Center planned to fill our afternoon and evening hours. Never ones to waste time, this meant we had a couple hours which we could still explore. A scout around at the internet gave me a historical/architectural walking tour, which I figured we could complete in a couple of hours. Hand in hand we set off from the dock, our goal was to see the Capitol Building, the Eternal Flame, the church, the King Kameamea Statue and the beautiful Iolani Palace. We stepped up our pace.
We set out on our Historical tour of Honolulu.
Our first stop took us to the Kawaiaha’o Church. The name means the sacred water of Ha’o who was a high ranking female cheiftess who frequented the springs in the area. Today, the church is referred to as Hawaii’s Westminster Abby. It has been the location of royal weddings, christenings, innaugurations and funerals. The church was built in 1820 and was the first church to be erected on the island of Oahu. Perhaps the only one of its kind, it has been created from giant slabs of coral, harvested by local labor. The coral was hand chiseled from the nearby reefs from depths of 10-20 feet, before being carried to shore. Nearly 1000 people assembled to dig the foundation which needed to be set in bedrock to support the weight. At a cost of about $30,000, it would take nearly 6 years to construct. Today the church is registered on both the national and state rolls as a historic landmark.