I have been going to the palace for years and after returning back to Hawaii, I took my Godson in July. I took a gang of photos then, only to have them turn out really, really bad…so bad I was about to toss my camera. I saw this time as another opportunity to try again and made sure I took plenty. 166 pix to be exact. Maybe it’s the pressure of so many people in the same space, trying to get images on their phone. Or maybe it was the fact that NO flash photography is allowed because it will degrade the artifacts (which some people with their phones didn’t care about), for whatever the reason…I cannot get decent pix of inside the palace. WHAT I did capture instead…is kind of spooky. I’ll highlight the pix you’ll need to look at closely to see these anomalies. These could only be explained as being royal spirits that still wander the halls of this sacred house.
The ʻIolani Palace (Hale Aliʻi ʻIolani) was the royal residence of the rulers of the Kingdom of Hawaii beginning with Kamehameha III under the Kamehameha Dynasty (1845) and ending with Queen Liliʻuokalani (1893) under the Kalākaua Dynasty, founded by her brother, King David Kalākaua.
Iolani Palace was ahead of its time as it was outfitted with the most up-to-date amenities, including electric lights, indoor plumbing and a modern communications system – the telephone.
Queen Liliuokalani succeeded her brother upon his death on January 20, 1891. She was determined to strengthen the political power of the Hawaiian monarchy. Her attempts to affect change caused great opposition from the Committee of Safety, who later orchestrated the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy and the establishment of a provisional government with support of the American Minister to Hawaii.
In 1895, an unsuccessful attempt by Hawaiian royalists to restore Queen Liliuokalani to power resulted in the Queen's arrest. She was forced to relinquish all future claims to the throne and was put on trial before a military tribunal in her own throne room. Liliuokalani was convicted, fined and sentenced to five years in prison at hard labor, which was later reduced to imprisonment in an upstairs bedroom of the Palace for nearly eight months. During this time she wrote Aloha ‘Oe (Farewell to Thee), a famous song and a common cultural symbol for Hawaii.
The Palace is in the capitol district of downtown Honolulu and is now a National Historic Landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places. After the monarchy was overthrown in 1893, the building was used as the capitol building for the Provisional Government, Republic, Territory, and State of Hawaiʻi until 1969.
It was restored and opened to the public as a museum in 1978. The ʻIolani Palace is the only royal palace on US soil.
OK.....here's the spooky pix!
All in all, it was a great experience, as always. The Palace is a must-do when visiting Oahu. As we were driving down Nimitz, I had a quick thought of a place to eat (no need to drown out my poor photography skills on Taco Bell today) and made a sudden turn left into Liliha Bakery. I wanted my mom to experience this little gem and we were delighted. They are known for their bakery items, but they also make a mean BLTA (A=Avocados) and I grabbed a ½ dozen coco puffs for the hubby…. because if you end up at Liliha Bakery and you don’t leave with coco puffs….your Hawaii state ID will be taken away!
We look forward to our next Oahu Jar pull and I look forward to a chance to redeem my photographic charm! Stay tuned….
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