Kapi'olani Regional Park, spreading out in front of you, is Honolulu's oldest and largest public park, a gift from King Kalakaua to his people in 1877. The park was named for Queen Kapi'olani, Kalakaua's wife and a beloved figure in the Hawaiian Kingdom. When Kalakaua established the park, he was following a specific vision: a public green space at the edge of Waikiki where all of Honolulu's people could gather for recreation and celebration.
In its early years, the park featured a horse racing track where Hawaiian and foreign residents alike came on weekends to bet on races — Kalakaua himself was a devoted fan of horse racing. The grandstands and track are long gone, replaced by the Waikiki Shell outdoor concert venue, the Honolulu Zoo, the Waikiki Aquarium, and open lawns where families picnic and joggers circle the park's perimeter path each morning. For decades, the famous Kodak Hula Show was held in this park, a tourist spectacle that both popularized and commercialized Hawaiian culture.
Today Kapi'olani Park is the starting and finishing point for the Honolulu Marathon each December, when the shadow of Diamond Head falls across thousands of runners from around the world.