Kawaiaha’o Church
On July 21, 1842, 5,000 worshippers, led by King Kamehameha III, gathered to dedicate this “Great Stone Church.” It became known as the “Westminster Abbey of the Pacific,” and during the days of the Hawaiian monarchy, it was called “The Church of the Ali‘i.” – the first Christian church built on the island of Oahu. Today, it is often referred to as “The State Church of Hawai‘i.”
Visitors will be amazed to hear that this “Stone Church” as it came to be known, was in fact not built of stone; but of giant slabs of coral hewn from ocean reefs. These slabs were not easily accessible; and had to be quarried from under water and transported, each weighed more than 1,000 pounds. Natives dove 10 to 20 feet to hand-chisel these pieces from the reef, then raised them to the surface, loaded them into canoes, and ferried them to shore. The physically and spiritually strong hauled some 14,000 of the slabs to their final destination.
