Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [66]
The coral-block Chamberlain House was the early mission’s storeroom, a necessity as Honolulu had few shops in those days. Upstairs are hoop barrels, wooden crates packed with dishes, and the desk and quill pen of Levi Chamberlain. He was appointed by the mission to buy, store and dole out supplies to missionary families, who survived on a meager allowance – as the account books on his desk testify.
KAWAIAHA′O CHURCH
O′ahu’s oldest Christian church (Map; 522-1333; 957 Punchbowl St; admission free; 8am-4pm Mon-Fri, worship service 9am Sun) stands on the site where the first Protestant missionaries built a grass-thatch church shortly after their arrival in 1820. The original structure seated 300 Hawaiians on lauhala mats, woven from hala (screwpine) leaves.
This 1842 New England Gothic–style church is made of 14,000 coral slabs, which divers chiseled out of O′ahu’s underwater reefs –a task that took four years. The clock tower was donated by Kamehameha III, and the old clock, installed in 1850, still keeps accurate time. The rear seats of the church, marked by kahili (feather staffs) and velvet padding were for royalty and are still reserved for their descendants today.
The tomb of King Lunalilo, the short-lived successor to Kamehameha V, stands near the main entrance to the church grounds. The cemetery at the rear of the church is almost like a who’s who of colonial history. Early missionaries are buried alongside other important figures of the day, including infamous Sanford Dole, who became the first Hawai′i’s first territorial governor after Queen Lili′uokalani was overthrown.
ALOHA TOWER
Built in 1926 at the edge of downtown Honolulu, this 10-story landmark (Map; 537-9260; Pier 9; admission free; 9am-5pm; ) was once the city’s tallest building. In the golden days when all tourists to Hawaii arrived by ship, this pre-WWII waterfront icon greeted every visitor. Today cruise ships still disembark at the terminal beneath the tower. Take the elevator to the top-floor tower observation deck for sweeping 360-degree views, then peek through the cruise-ship terminal windows back below and outside on ground level to see colorful murals depicting bygone Honolulu. There’s pay parking at the Aloha Tower Marketplace next door.
HAWAI′I MARITIME CENTER
A great place to get a sense of Hawaii’s history, this educational museum (Map; 523-6151; www.bishopmuseum.org; Pier 7; adult/child 6-17/senior $8.50/5.50/7; 9am-5pm; ) covers everything from the arrival of Captain Cook and 19th-century whaling ships to modern-day windsurfing. Displays on early tourism include a reproduction of a Matson liner stateroom and historical photos of Waikiki from the early 20th century, when only the Matson-built Moana and Royal Hawaiian hotels shared the horizon views with Diamond Head.
The museum’s centerpiece is Hokule′a, a traditional double-hulled sailing canoe that has repeatedly sailed from Hawaii to the South Pacific and back, retracing the routes of the islands’ original Polynesian settlers using only ancient methods of wayfaring (navigation that relies on the sun, stars and wind and wave patterns; Click here).
Outside, climb aboard the Falls of Clyde, the world’s last four-masted, four-rigged ship. Built in 1878 in Glasgow, the ship once carried sugar and passengers between Hilo on the Big Island of Hawai′i and San Francisco, then oil, before finally being stripped down to a barge. Today you can stroll the deck and explore the cargo holds of this restored, floating National Historic Landmark. Three-hour validated parking ($5) is available nearby.
The museum announced a temporary closure just as this book went to press, so call ahead before you visit.
CONTEMPORARY MUSEUM AT FIRST HAWAIIAN CENTER
Inside the headquarters of the First Hawaiian Bank, this downtown art gallery (Map; 526-1322; www.tcmhi.org; 999 Bishop St; admission free; 8:30am-4pm