Kailua Kona - Moku'aikaua Church

Opposite Hulihee Palace stands the oldest church (1837) on the Hawaiian islands. The 108ft/33m-high tower is the tallest building and landmark in Kailua-Kona.

The land on which the 118ft/36m-long and 46ft/14m-wide Mokuaikaua Church stands was given to the first missionaries on Hawaii in 1820 by King Kamehameha II. A model of the three-master "Thaddeus" from Boston (on which the missionaries arrived after several months of traveling in Hawaii) is on display inside.

Designed by its first priest, Asa Thurston, the walls of the church are constructed from lava, plastered with ground coral and bonded with oils from kukui nuts. The cornerstones are supposed to have come from a temple. The pillars and the balcony inside are carved