One place that relatively few visitors find on Oahu is the Queen Emma Summer Palace. It is located right off the Pali Highway, just five miles and 15-20 minutes away from Waikiki.
For visitors planning to drive to Nu’uanu Pali Lookout, the Queen Emma Summer Palace is the perfect place to stop on the way or when returning to Honolulu or Waikiki. It is located in the Nuuanu neighborhood of Oahu.
Hanaiakamalama
The Queen Emma Summer Palace is also known as Hanaiakamalama, which is Hawaiian for “adopted son of the moon.” It is also the Hawaiian word for the Southern Cross, which is visible from high altitudes in Hawaii.
At a higher elevation than Honolulu, the palace was used by Queen Emma and her family as a retreat from the Honolulu summer heat and their duties as rulers.
Queen Emma was the consort of King Kamehameha IV, who was the fourth King of the Kingdom of Hawaii and who ruled from 1855 to 1863. She was also the mother of Prince Albert, who died at the young age of four in 1862 and with whom many associate the area of Kauai known as Princeville.
The palace was built in 1848 and is one of the few remaining examples of Greek Revival architecture in Hawaii. Originally owned by businessman John Lewis and later sold to Queen Emma’s uncle, John Young II, who named the property Hanaiakamalama after his family’s home on the Big Island of Hawaii. When Young died in 1857, the home was for his niece, Queen Emma.
After the death of the queen in 1885, the house was sold to the Hawaiian monarchy and leased. At one point in the early 1900s, the home was threatened with demolition, however the Daughters of Hawaii took control and restored the home, searching for and returning much of the original furniture to the property.
Daughters of hawaii
Tours of Queen Emma’s Summer Palace are conducted by faculty who are members of the Daughters of Hawaii or their Calabash Cousins ancillary organization. These organizations today have a membership of close to 1,500.
The Daughters of Hawaii were founded in 1903 by seven missionary daughters for the purpose of “perpetuating the spirit of old Hawaii” and preserving the language, culture, and various historical sites, including the Hulihe’e Palace in Kailua-Kona on the island. from Hawaii. .
The Daughters of Hawaii continue to manage both palaces to this day.
Palace tours
The tours begin in the entrance hall of the palace and pass through the front bedroom, the drawing room, the dressing room, the central hall, the Edinburgh hall and the rear bedroom. Inside these rooms are numerous historical paintings and portraits of Queen Emma, ​​King Kamehameha IV, her son, Prince Albert, and other members of the Hawaiian royal family.
There are also numerous original pieces of furniture owned by the Queen, including her bed, the Prince’s crib and bathtub, her grand piano, and numerous pieces of koa wood furniture, many of which were made by Wilhelm Fischer, a notable carpenter whose work is also in the ‘Iolani Palace in downtown Honolulu.
The palace also contains numerous collections of clothing, jewelry, and gifts that were presented to the Queen and King by foreign heads of state.
The palace is situated on 2.16 acres of the original 65 acres that were once owned by the Queen. The palace grounds are worth exploring to see the many examples of native Hawaiian plants and trees, as well as numerous rose bushes that were the Queen’s favorites. There is also a small gift shop that includes numerous books on Queen Emma and the Hawaiian royal family.
Because the palace was built more than 150 years ago and is a registered historical place, it is not easily accessible for those who have difficulty walking and climbing stairs. If you have such difficulty, I suggest that you contact the palace prior to your visit using the contact information below.
Location
The Queen Emma Summer Palace 2913 Pali Highway
Honolulu, HI 96817
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