Hawaiian summers are known to be hot and humid. Temperatures sometimes hit the upper 80s and have occasionally breached the 90-degree mark.

Where would any self respecting Queen go to cool off in the summer and leave the heat in the Palace?

The Summer Palace, of course.

Back in the 1800s, there was little air conditioning in Hawaii—save for the relief of the Trade Winds. In the summer, King Kamehameha IV, Queen Emma, and their son Prince Albert would retreat from the heat of Honolulu and head for the mountains (asides to Busch beer notwithstanding).

“In fact, it looks more like your neighbor’s house. A big house, to be sure.”Hence, Queen Emma’s Summer Palace. Actually, it doesn’t look all that much like a palace. In fact, it looks more like your neighbor’s house. A big house, to be sure.

The Summer Palace’s real name in Hawaiian is “Hanaiakamalama.” It was named after a goddess who was the foster child of the moon. Those gods and goddesses of the stars. They’re a playful lot.

The reason for building the Summer Palace, constructed in 1848, was obvious. Honolulu could be warm in summer. In those days, royalty dressed the part with long sleeved shirts, suits, dresses, and gowns. The “alii” or privileged class wore their regal finery and probably perspired beyond belief.

The Summer Palace, though, was in upland Nuuanu Valley where the temperature is cool and clouds hide the heat of the sun.

Good thinking, huh?

“The frame of the palace was built in Boston and shipped to Hawaii in covered wagons.”Today, the Palace is on the National Register of Historic Places. The design is a modified Greek Revival architecture featuring a long Hawaiian lanai surrounded by a number of trees planted over a century ago. The frame of the palace was built in Boston and shipped to Hawaii in covered wagons.

Wait. Let me check that fact.

Nope. The frame was actually sent “around the horn” of South America before landing on Hawaiian Shores. The Palace is fully restored today and may hold the finest exhibition of Hawaiian furniture anywhere on the island. Inside are crystal chandeliers and koa wood everyhere. Of course, Queen Emma’s Summer Palace is a mere reflection of days gone by. Reflections of a hospitable generation full of graciousness and elegance from monarchy era of old Hawaii.

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