Kona Hawaii
Hawaii’s Big Island is also home to Kona, famous for its golfing resorts,
coffee, and chocolate, Kona contains the last royal residence of King Kamehameha
the Great. During your stay in Kona, you can also visit Hawai’i’s
first ordained church, the last remnants of the Islands’ monarchy, and
Kealakekua Bay, landing site of Captain James Cook in 1778.
Kona also features the historic Pu'uhonua o Honaunau village. Restored to the
condition of the days before Europeans landed on Hawai’i, Pu'uhonua o
Honaunau was made famous in part because of the writings of Mark Twain. Also
called the City of Refuge, the site was declared a National Park in 1961. The
park can easily be visited in a few hours and is divided into two areas by the
Great Wall. One of these areas is the Palace Grounds which was home to the village
chief and contains beautiful beaches that were reserved for the royal family.
On the other side of the wall, believed to be built in the 1500s, lies the Pu'uhonua,
or the “place of refuge” or “sanctuary.” The temple
Hale o Keawe Heiau has been reconstructed to resemble that originally built
near 1650. The temple housed the remains of 23 former chiefs and is also the
final resting place of the son of Kamehameha I from 1818. Custom dictates that
the mana within the bones of village chiefs gives power to Hale o Keawe Heiau
and the village. The Park also contains the royal fish pond in which precious
fish caught in the coastal waters were kept for the King’s admiration.
Hawaii Vacations
The Big Island
Kona Hawaii
