Downtown Honolulu packs the story of Hawaiʻi, from kingdom to state, into a few blocks between the harbour and the Capitol. This guide covers seven places along that line: the Aloha Tower on the waterfront, Kawaiahaʻo Church, Aliʻiōlani Hale, the Cathedral of St Andrew, Capitol Modern, the Hawaiʻi State Capitol and the Eternal Flame war memorial across the street. Six of them are stops on our Honolulu scavenger hunt.
Aloha Tower
When it opened in 1926, the Aloha Tower was the tallest building in Hawaiʻi, a ten-storey lighthouse and clock tower at Pier 9 that greeted the passenger ships arriving from the mainland. In the days of steamship travel, crowds gathered on the pier with flower lei and music for Boat Day, and the word Aloha written on all four sides of the tower was the first thing visitors read.
The tower is now surrounded by the Aloha Tower Marketplace, and its observation deck below the clock, when open, gives a view over the harbour and downtown. Look for the four clock faces and the lettering above them. The Aloha Tower is the final stop of the scavenger hunt.
Kawaiahaʻo Church
Kawaiahaʻo Church was built between 1836 and 1842 from blocks of coral, cut by hand from the reefs off the shore, under the direction of the missionary Hiram Bingham. About 14,000 blocks went into its walls. It was the church of the Hawaiian royal family, used for coronations, royal weddings and funerals, which is why it is often called the Westminster Abbey of Hawaiʻi.
Inside, look for the portraits of Hawaiian monarchs along the upper gallery and the royal pews. In the churchyard stands the tomb of King Lunalilo, who asked to be buried here among his people rather than in the royal mausoleum. Services are still held partly in Hawaiian. The church is a scavenger hunt stop.
Aliʻiōlani Hale
The building with the clock tower facing ʻIolani Palace is Aliʻiōlani Hale, completed in 1874 and designed by the Australian architect Thomas Rowe. It was first planned as a royal palace for King Kamehameha V, but became the seat of the kingdom's government and courts instead. Today it houses the Hawaiʻi State Supreme Court and the King Kamehameha V Judiciary History Center, which visitors can enter.
In front stands the gilded King Kamehameha Statue, honouring the king who united the islands. On Kamehameha Day, 11 June, it is draped in long flower lei. Fans of television may recognise the building as the police headquarters in Hawaii Five-0. Both Aliʻiōlani Hale and the statue are scavenger hunt stops.
Cathedral of St Andrew
The Cathedral of St Andrew is the seat of the Episcopal Church in Hawaiʻi. King Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma brought the Anglican church to the islands; the king died on St Andrew's Day in 1863, and the cathedral was named in his memory. His brother, King Kamehameha V, laid the cornerstone in 1867. Much of the stone was shipped from England, and the church follows French Gothic models.
Its best feature is the great west window, a wall of stained glass that floods the nave with colour in the afternoon. The cathedral is the first stop of our Honolulu scavenger hunt.
Capitol Modern
Capitol Modern is the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum, which opened in 2002 and took its new name in 2023. It shows art from the state's collection by artists who live or have lived in Hawaiʻi, and it fills the No. 1 Capitol District Building, a 1920s building that once housed a YMCA for servicemen.
Look out for the sculpture garden behind the building and the changing exhibitions upstairs, which give a good sense of how island artists see their home. Entry is free, which makes it an easy stop in the midday heat. The museum is a stop on the scavenger hunt.
Hawaiʻi State Capitol
The State Capitol, dedicated in 1969 and designed by John Carl Warnecke with the local firm Belt, Lemmon and Lo, is full of symbols. The reflecting pool around it stands for the ocean, the forty columns for royal palms, and the two cone-shaped legislative chambers for volcanoes. The building is open in the middle, so you look straight up to the sky from the central court.
Between the Capitol and ʻIolani Palace stands a bronze statue of Queen Liliʻuokalani, the last monarch of Hawaiʻi; on the other side, a statue of Father Damien, who cared for leprosy patients on Molokaʻi. The Capitol is a scavenger hunt stop.
Eternal Flame war memorial
Across Beretania Street from the Capitol, the Eternal Flame honours the people of Hawaiʻi who have served in the armed forces. It was dedicated in 1972 and designed by the Kauaʻi-born sculptor Bumpei Akaji. The flame burns on gas and has gone out at times for repairs, so do not be surprised if it is unlit. It is not one of the scavenger hunt stops, but it is a two-minute detour from the Capitol.
How to see them in one walk
Start at the Cathedral of St Andrew, then walk to Capitol Modern and the State Capitol, crossing Beretania Street to the Eternal Flame. Continue past ʻIolani Palace to Aliʻiōlani Hale and the Kamehameha statue, then to Kawaiahaʻo Church just beyond Honolulu Hale. Finish by heading down to the waterfront and the Aloha Tower, ideally late in the afternoon for the light over the harbour. Bring water and a hat: there is little shade between some of the stops.
See Honolulu with World City Trail
Our Honolulu scavenger hunt turns downtown into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops, from the Cathedral of St Andrew to the Aloha Tower. Six places in this guide are stops: the cathedral, Capitol Modern, the State Capitol, Kawaiahaʻo Church, Aliʻiōlani Hale and the Aloha Tower, along with ʻIolani Palace, Honolulu Hale, the King Kamehameha Statue and the Hula Dancer statue.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Honolulu.
Play the Honolulu scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Honolulu →
Play the outdoor escape game in Honolulu →
Facts checked in October 2026.