Kawaiahao Church
Kawaiahao Church
4.5
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The oldest church in Honolulu served as the royal chapel for 20 years.
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Neighbourhood: Downtown Honolulu
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4.5
73 reviews
Excellent
32
Very good
34
Average
7
Poor
0
Terrible
0
ITRT
Virginia45,110 contributions
Mar 2022
The first Christian Church in Oahu was built in 1842 and is known as the “Westminster Abbey of the Pacific”. The tower clock was donated by King Kamehameha III. On the church grounds is the tomb of King Lunalilo and the fountain where the high chiefess bathed in its sacred spring. The church is the center of worship for Hawaiian people every Sunday. It was not open to the public the day I was there thus no photos of the interior.
Written 2 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BGR
Visit St. Pete/Clearwater, FL187 contributions
Dec 2017 • Couples
We attended the 9:00 AM Sunday Worship Service on the First Sunday of Advent, December 2017. It was lovely and decorated beautifully for Christmas. As guests, we were made to feel welcome and we were presented leis at the beginning of the service. Communion is available on the first Sunday of every month to all Christians.The church is celebrating its 197th Anniversary as a Christian church (Protestant). The service is given in Hawaiian and English and embraces its historic past as the National Church for the former Kingdom of Hawaii (pre-statehood). The architecture of the church itself is stunning and historic artwork and Hawaiian artifacts can be found throughout it. On the Sunday we visited, the service was conducted by Rev. James "Kimo" Merseberg, who I understand is a visiting pastor.
Written 4 December 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
QuickWhitTravel
Washington DC, DC3,769 contributions
May 2015 • Couples
This is definitely a cool church. It was built entirely by volunteers and made out of 14,000 hand-cut pieces of coral blocks. Very interesting!
Written 7 May 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JoleneLad32
Fort Collins, CO16 contributions
May 2019 • Couples
Went to visit during May 2019 and was locked. Saw someone who said that due to vandalism is only open during church services.
Written 28 July 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
romazzino
West Palm Beach, FL793 contributions
Jan 2015 • Solo
If travels take you to downtown Honolulu this is a place that is absolutely worth the stop. Architecturally beautiful, this temple is referred to as the Hawaiian Westminster Abbey. Simple and understated, yet beautiful. Made out of coral from Oahu and even King Lunalilo is buried here. There's a very pretty graveyard on the backside as well, wonderful for photography.
This church was founded in 1820 and the oldest grave dates to 1825....go find it!
Kawaiahao Church is on both the State and National registers of historic sites.
This church was founded in 1820 and the oldest grave dates to 1825....go find it!
Kawaiahao Church is on both the State and National registers of historic sites.
Written 4 February 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dennis N
Nebraska1,001 contributions
Don't miss visiting this area of Oahu... You're walking distance (1-2 blocks) from the Mission House Museum and Liolani Palace which cost $10 & $20 respectively for a guided tour... This is free to view both the inside & outside along with the cemetery behind the church which is a treasure trove of Island History itself.
Written 9 January 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MrsCsInteriors
Loveland, Colorado47 contributions
Dec 2013
Every time we go to Oahu we make it a point to attend a service in Kawaiahao Church in Honolulu on Sunday morning. Not only is there lovely Hawaiian history of kings and queens having been a part of this church, with their pictures adorning the beautiful walls, but still today it is an inspiring Christian ceremony. The pastor and people are very friendly and the grounds are absolutely beautiful, right in the heart of Honolulu. If we lived there, we would always attend this church. But since we don't, we'll make it a part of our Hawaiian visit every time.
Written 28 May 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Andrew
Baltimore, MD640 contributions
July 2018 • Couples
We didn't actually go inside this church, we just took some pictures of the exterior because it was so cool looking. It's been around since at least World War II.
Written 30 June 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Llewellyn53
Melbourne, Australia4,345 contributions
July 2018 • Couples
This state church took 6 years to construct using local Hawaiian labour to dig the foundations to bedrock and supply the slabs of coral rock. These slabs were hand chiselled from depths of 10-20ft and taken to shore. While i admire the church some of the descendants of the missionaries were involved in the overthrow of Hawaiian Royalty in spite of the hospitality they enjoyed. Hardly a Christian act. A fascinating and historic site.
Written 10 July 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Geoff Y
Wollongong, Australia477 contributions
July 2018 • Couples
Happy to have gone here especially as we were in the area visiting other sites close by. Happy to have seen this lovely church
Written 3 July 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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