Visit the Palace

Entry Hall  |  Kuhio Room  |  Kuakini Room  |  The Lanai  |  Second Floor Sitting Room
Princess Ruth's Room  |  Kawananakoa Room  |  The Grounds
Mokuaikaua Church  |  Ahu`ena Heiau

Moku`aikaua Church
Directly across Ali`i Drive from the Palace you will find Historic Moku`aikaua Church. Large thatched roofed churches were constructed on the site in 1820 and 1825. The present stone structure was started in 1835 and completed in 1837.

All of the interior posts and beam are of `ohi`a wood, the pews, pulpit and interior paneling is koa wood. The church walls are of lava rock cemented together by mortar made by mixing sand and lime. The lime came from burnt and crushed coral. Islanders gathered the coral from the sea. The church is 120 feet in length and 48 feet wide while the steeple is 112 feet tall.

Moku`aikaua Church and Hulihe`e Palace were both constructed by foreign seamen visiting the islands. The Governor of the Island of Hawai`i, John Adams Kuakini was responsible for construction of both buildings. Originally both buildings were similar in appearance. Over the ensuing years, the Palace was extensively remodeled—but the Church today retains its original appearance—a look that it once shared with Hulihe`e Palace.

Moku`aikaua Church welcomes visitors during the daylight hours.