Captain Cook Kayak

Good morning all. We roll down the coffee bean slopes of Kona towards Kealakekea Bay. On the way down we contemplate renting kayaks to access some great snorkeling and check out the Captain Cook Monument. As soon as we arrive at the water a friendly local is renting kayaks, so we rent one and hit the water heading across the bay towards the white monument. The steep cliff to our right is where the bones of important Hawaiian chiefs where hid. Someone was lowered by rope down the cliff face, to place the bones in a safe spot. Once finished, the person signalled to the people holding the rope, the rope would then be cut and they fell to their death keeping the burial location a secret. There is a long interesting story about Captain Cook, but we won't dive into that here (just Google it). We reach the monument and the snorkeling grounds that are rich with sea life. After a thoroughly exploring the bay's marine life and relaxing in the sun, we start the paddle back.

Kealakekua Bay

Kayaking to Captain Cook Monument

Yellow Tangs

Next on the agenda is The City of Refuge (Pu'uhonoa o Honaunau), a ancient Hawaiian settlement. The story here is if a commoner broke a rule, such as, walking on the same trail as the upper class, they would be put to death. If the commoner could escape and reach the The City of Refuge before they were caught and put to death, they could gain forgiveness and return home. At the City of Refuge there was a “Great Wall” which was built in 1550 and is 10 ft high and 17 ft thick! No mortor was used and natural stones were used (they were not chiseled). I was amazed. The size of some of these stones were enormous. The picture below is of a reconstructed temple which housed the bones of 23 ali'i (chiefs).

Hale O Keawe @ City of Refuge

Dry Stack Stone Walls @ City of Refuge

Wooden Carving @ City of Refuge

We finish absorbing the culture and history of Hawaiians and head back to our couch surfer's home to pack up the bags for our flight to Honolulu the next day. We had a great stay but it's time, once again, to move along.