Queen Kapiolani Regional Park is the largest and second-oldest public park in Hawaii, located in Honolulu on the east end of Waikiki just beyond

Kuhio Beach Park Kuhio Beach Park is a public ocean-side park on the island of Oahu, U.S. state of Hawaii, located within Waikiki Beach. It's a common gathering place for the Honolulu population and tourists due to its location and semi-protected waters. The p ...

and the Waikiki residential neighborhood. The park, named after Queen Kapiolani, the queen consort of

King David Kalākaua King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the ...

, is home to the

Waikiki Shell The Tom Moffatt Waikiki Shell is a venue for outdoor concerts and other large gatherings in the Waikiki area of Honolulu, Hawaii. Built in 1956, the Tom Moffatt Waikiki Shell seats 2,400 persons and the lawn area has capacity for an additional 6,0 ...

and the Honolulu Zoo.

History

Kingdom of Hawaii

In the 1870s, King Kalākaua was asked to find a permanent, dry course for

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

. Since Waikiki was popular with wealthy racing fans, Kalākaua chose the unoccupied and dry plain at the foot of Diamond Head where the park now stands. On June 11, 1877, the park was dedicated as the first Hawaiian public space. Scotsman Archibald Scott Cleghorn was Vice-president and later president of the Kapiolani Park Association, a group of businessmen who convinced Kalākaua to give them a 30-year lease for $1 per year. A share in the association cost $50, and would allow shareholders to lease property on Waikiki Beach. By the 1880s, many of Hawaii's wealthiest citizens had leased property through the association until the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii, during which most of the properties were returned to the city or condemned. A lease was granted to the Honolulu Cricket Club in 1893. Top cricket players from San Francisco's California Cricket Association played for local teams.

Republic of Hawaii

After the overthrow, the land was conveyed to the

Republic of Hawaii The Republic of Hawaii ( Hawaiian: ''Lepupalika o Hawaii'') was a short-lived one-party state in Hawaii between July 4, 1894, when the Provisional Government of Hawaii had ended, and August 12, 1898, when it became annexed by the United State ...

and managed by the Honolulu Park Commission. The legislation provided that the park be set aside permanently as a free public park and recreation ground, forbade the sale or lease of land in the park, and prohibited charging of any entrance fees. Since 1913, the park has been maintained by the City and County of Honolulu's Department of Parks & Recreation. In the 1920s, plans to drain the Ala Wai Canal through Kapiolani Park filled the park with mud and trash. It was rarely used until 1952, when the park was renovated and the current boundaries of the park were established.

Today

Besides the Honolulu Zoo and the

, the park includes tennis and basketball courts,

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

, baseball, lacrosse and

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

fields and an

archery Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In m ...

range. The park hosts many international lacrosse and rugby tournaments a year.Hawaii State Rugby Union
Its bandstand serves as an entertainment venue. It is also a popular course for joggers who utilize its two-mile (3 km) circumference. The park also serves as the site, as both the starting and finish lines, of road races in Honolulu including the Honolulu Marathon. Kapiolani park is also home to Honolulu Cricket Club, the only cricket club in the Hawaiian Islands. Founded in 1893, it is the oldest sporting club in the Pacific according to Guinness World Records. As Kapiolani Park continues south it becomes Kapiolani Beach Park, adjacent to Kuhio Beach and Waikiki Beach. The park itself also serves as a natural border between Waikiki and Diamond Head neighborhood.

References

{{Honolulu Parks in Hawaii Geography of Honolulu Rugby league stadiums in the United States Protected areas of Oahu Tourist attractions in Honolulu Waikiki Protected areas established in 1877 1877 establishments in Hawaii Cricket in Hawaii