Kawaiahaʻo Church

Built between 1836-1842, this historic church is commonly referred to as the “Westminster Abbey of the Pacific.” It’s the first Christian house of worship built on Oahu and it’s made from slabs of coral delivered from the island’s southern coast. To accomplish this amazing (and arduous) task, native divers dove 10 – 20 feet below the surface and used nothing else but hand tools to quarry the slabs, then the heavy coral was hauled to the building site by laborers and missionaries. The church was designed in the typical New England style favored by Hawaiian missionaries, and it was once a site of worship and coronations for royalty (hence the church’s fancy nickname).