Then & Now: Moku‘aikaua Church
–T. Dixon, Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum
By Ann C. Peterson
Church folks have gathered every Sunday for 185 years on the site where the stately Moku`aikaua Church now stands in Kailua Village. Their purpose has remained the same, but the structure sheltering their worship has changed many times over the years. Historians disagree on the dates, but all agree that the first church in the Hawaiian Islands—a thatched structure—was built on this site between 1820 and 1823. A wooden church, to accommodate the growing congregation, replaced this church around 1826. When this second church burnt down in 1835 – an act that may have been the model for the dramatic scene in the John Michener’s book, Hawai`i—Governor John Adams Kuakini rallied Hawaiians from all over the district, and on January 1, 1836 began construction of the impressive edifice that stands on the site today.
Kuakini, an early recycler, used the “hewn stones of Umi,” from the 15th century chief’s nearby heiau as the corner stones, along with lava rock, and coral-lime mortar to build the unique exterior. While this sturdy base has remained pretty much the same for close to 173 years, the steeple has changed a number of times as seen in the pictures above and at lower right.
[Author’s note:] Want to sit on one of Umi’s hewn stones? Head north to the banyan tree by the pier and take a break on another of these recycled treasures (that once served as a step into H. Hackfield & Co., a store near this site). ❖
