Authors Muses on a Long Journey Home - Lalani
Inspiration behind A Long Journey Home
After writing the original A Long Journey Home for Katherine, several friends ask “What about Lalani, what’s her story?” Thus, I wrote Lalani’s story of her friendships, hardships and fulfillments.
I have always cherished Hawaii and the Hawaiian people, for their expression of beauty, serenity and grace. Creating the character of Lalani, to be Katherine’s companion and friend was an easy choice. The Hawaiian grace was a perfect balance to the Western spirit. Yet Hawaiian grace is not meek, but has a strong commitment to heritage and family values. These give Lalani her strength to do what is right and patience to speak up at the right moment.
A Long Journey Home – Lalani is set in the 1890’s, mostly in Central California but Lalani travels home to Honolulu after thirty years to find herself and what she left behind, talking about the places she stayed and places she knew as a child. Though the Crocker mercantile, house, and ranch are fictional, many of these people and locations are real.
The time frame for the book landed Lalani and Jim in Hawaii just a week after the actual surrender of Queen Liliuokalani to the Provisional Government and the US Marines landing in Honolulu on January 17, 1893. This history and the American push to annex Hawaii as a territory is entwined with Lalani’s visit home. Using historical maps of Honolulu, and internet sources on Queen Liliuokalani’s attempt to strength the right of the monarchy and her overthrow by American and European business owners, plus a bit of imagination and creativity, Lalani is a book of fiction and fact.
In February 2025 my husband and I returned to Oahu in search of the locations and buildings in the book, what is there now and what had been, as well as confirming its history.
Here is what we discover in Honolulu!
Starting at the old Port Entrance, we went up Richard Street to the Iolani Palace, the old Royal hotel building, and church. Then we turned left down King Street into the business district to Smith Street and back south towards the harbor. The sights and sounds were of mixed cultures, with old and new excitement.
Honolulu Street map in 1886
1927
When Lalani and Jim arrived in Honolulu in January 1893, they stayed at the Hawaiian Hotel on Richard Street across from the Iolani Palace. In 1890, the hotel looked like this.
Hotel Veranda 1890
The hotel was built by the Hawaiian government by selling Hotel Bonds and opened on Februrary 29, 1872. King Kalakaua renamed it to the Royal Hawaiian Hotel years later and it was expanded to take up the entire block. In 1917 it was sold to a group of businessmen that leased it to the Armed Service YMCA. In 1926 the wood building was demolished and the Army /Navy YMCA built the structure that is there today. When we visited, it was known as the Hemmeter Building (after the designer of the new stucco structure) and houses the Hawai’i State Art Museum.
The old houses on Queen Street, where the Crocker house fictitiously was placed, have long been torn down and is now a commercial warehouse and auto shop area.
The Kawaiaha’o church where Lalani parents and finally Lalani and Jim are said to be buried, is still there with the old graves protected by a private wall. The church and cemetery are still used today.
The Crocker’s Mercantile in the book is located at King and Smith Street in the heart of old Honolulu. King and Smith are still the heart of old and new Honolulu. Today the building at Smith and King houses a silk screening company, where you can purchase custom T shirts and tote bags. There is no dumbwaiter to bring goods from upstairs. The original Bishop Bank is still standing though dwarfed by the surrounding high rises.
Mercantile Corner
2025
Bishop Bank
The Iolani Palace was built in 1882 by King Kalakaua and occupied by Queen Liliuokalani from January 1891 until her overthrow on January 29, 1893. Up until the time of her surrender to the Provisional Government of Hawaii, she ruled from the palace. Fearing too many Hawaiians would be killed by the US troops that landed that day, she agreed to end the monarchy. On the 29th she retreated to her private residence, the Washington Palace , a home located just behind the Palace. She stayed there while awaiting her trial for treason in July. She was tried for treason against the Provisional Government for wanting to create a new constitution that reinstated more of the rights of the Hawaiian monarchy. Though she never was actually part of the group that physically tried to take back the parliament, she was tied to the group by the leaders of parliament and leading businessmen, such as Stanford Dole, in order to remove her from public view.
They locked Queen Liliuokalani in her private room at Iolani Palace for six months, not allowing anyone to see her. Knowing that the people of Hawaii would not stand for her execution they kept her out of sight until the new government was securely in control. She spent the rest of her life at her Washington Palace residence trying to prevent the annexation of Hawaii to the United States. This is a must see while in Honolulu.
Iolani Palace 1882
Iolani Palace 2025
The original Royal School 1850
Washington Palace 2025
Located north of the Palace on Punchbowl Street, the Royal School was open to the public in 1850 and is still is open today. Though the original building built in 1839 for the royal family stood where the barracks building stands and is used today as the visitor center on Palace grounds. The current building was built in 1850 when it was open to the public and would have been the school Edith and Lalani taught and attended.
The Royal School 2025 located at Punchbowl and Lunalilo Freeway south exit
It was an amazing day walking the streets where Lalani would have driven in her carriage and seeing the palaces where she would have lived. The beauty of Downtown still remains along with some of the old trees. The Iolani Palace is a place not to be missed. Honolulu in 1893 was still small and all the locations are close. All of the buildings west of Smith Street and south of King Street burned down in the great fire of 1900. The fire was started to clean out the plague ridden buildings in old Chinatown but quickly got out of hand and destroyed 38 acers and most of Chinatown. This part of town was rebuilt and over the last fifty years has been replaced by tall modern office buildings. But you can still find old Honolulu tucked in here and there if you look.