History[edit]

Prior to being used as a public space, the area was a mix of swamp land and arid
plain unsuitable for building. In the 1870s, Kalakaua was charged to find a
permanent, dry course for horse racing. Since Waikiki was popular with wealthy
racing fans, Kalakaua 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 Kapi?olani Park Association, a group of businessmen, who
convinced Kalakaua to give them a 30-year lease for $1 per year. Cleghorn was a
Hawaiian citizen married into Hawaiian Royalty. Cleghorn planned the park's
landscaping, including the majestic ironwood trees. Money was raised with $50
shares in the association. Shareholders could lease a beachfront lot near the park,
and many had cottages there by the 1880s. 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.[1] During the 1893 overthrow of the Kingdom of
Hawaii, most of these became privately owned, and most were later given back to the
city or condemned. Now the park consists of open green space, lilyponds, the
Honolulu Zoo and the Waikiki Shell entertainment venue.[2]

After the overthrow, the land was conveyed to the Republic of Hawaii 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.[3]

Besides the zoo and the Shell, the park includes tennis and basketball courts,
soccer, baseball, lacrosse and rugby fields and an archery range. The park hosts
many international lacrosse and rugby tournaments a year.[4][5] 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.

Kapi?olani 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.[6]

As Kapi?olani Park continues south it becomes Kapi?olani Beach Park, adjacent to

Kuhio Beach and Waikiki Beach. The park itself also serves as a natural border
between Waikiki and Diamond Head neighborhood. it is located at coordinates
2116'9?N 15749'8?WCoordinates: 2116'9?N 15749'8?W.

Kapiolani Beach Park

An 1881 ad announcing a horse race at the Kapiolani Park

One of the many Kapiolani Park Banyan Trees