A short ride on TheBus takes you to Iolani Palace, this is the only royal palace in the United States that was used as an official residence by a reigning monarch.

Iolani Palace was the official residence of Hawaii’s monarchy, built in 1882 by King Kalākaua it has been restored  to its former grandeur when their Majesties, King Kalākaua and his sister and successor, Queen Lili’uokalani occupied it.  There is an informative web site that tells the story of Iolani Palace.

The map below shows the layout of the palace area (together with the all important bus stops).

The visitors centre is located in the Halekoa or the Iolani Barracks which have been restored to their former state.

There are a few reminders of the former use of the building such as this gun in the courtyard.

Also in the palace grounds is the Royal Bandstand where the Royal Hawaiian Band give regular concerts.

There are four gated entrances to the palace, this is the view of the palace from the Kauikeaouli Gate, it was named in honour of King Kamehameha III and used on ceremonial occasions.

Here are some views of the palace, the first is from just inside the Kauikeaouli Gate and the second shows the front and west side.

Across King Street is the Aliʻiōlani Hale, originally planned as the royal palace it was built as a government office building to replace a number of small buildings spread around Honolulu.  Aliʻiōlani Hale means "House of the Heavenly King"’

It was from the  Aliʻiōlani Hale in 1893 that the Committee of Safety deposed Queen Liliʻuokalani by public proclamation and the United States Marine Corps was ordered to forcibly remove the reigning queen.