Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
75-5718 Alii Dr., Kailua-Kona.
&
808/329-1877.
www.daughtersofhawaii.org/hulihee. Admission $6 adults,
$4 seniors, $1 children. Daily 9am-4pm. Daily tours held throughout the day (arrive at least 1 hr. before
closing).
Kamehameha's Compound at Kamakahonu Bay
All ages.
On the
ocean side of the Kona Beach Hotel is a restored area of deep spiritual meaning
to Hawaiians. This was the spot that King Kamehameha the Great chose to
retreat to in 1812 after conquering the Hawaiian Islands. He stayed until his
death in 1819. The king built a temple, Ahuena Heiau, and used it as a gather-
ing place for his
kahuna
(priests) to counsel him on governing his people in
times of peace. In 1820, it was on this sacred ground that Kamehameha's son
Liholiho, as king, sat down to eat with his mother, Keopuolani, and Kame-
hameha's principal queen, Kaahumanu, thus breaking the ancient
kapu
(taboo)
against eating with women; this act established a new order in the Hawaiian
kingdom. Although the temple grounds are now just a third of their original
size, they're still impressive. You're free to come and wander the grounds. Allow
at least a half-hour to envision the days when King Kamehameha appealed to
the gods to help him rule with the spirit of humanity's highest nature.
On the grounds of King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel, 75-5660 Palani Rd., Kailua-Kona.
&
808/329-
2911.
www.konabeachhotel.com. Free admission. Daily 9am-4pm; guided tours Mon-Fri at 1:30pm.
UPCOUNTRY KONA: HOLUALOA
On the slope of Hualalai volcano above Kailua-Kona sits the small village of
Holualoa, which attracts travelers weary of super-resorts. Here you'll find a lit-
tle art and culture—and shade.
This funky upcountry town, centered on two-lane Mamalaloa Highway, is
nestled amid a lush, tropical landscape where avocados grow as big as footballs.
Little more than a wide spot in the road, Holualoa is a cluster of brightly
painted, tin-roofed plantation shacks, art galleries, and quaint shops. In 2
blocks, it manages to pack in two first-rate galleries, a frame shop, a potter, a
glassworks, a goldsmith, an old-fashioned general store, a vintage 1930s gas sta-
tion, a tiny post office, a Catholic church, and the
Kona Hotel,
a hot-pink clap-
board structure that looks like a Western movie set—you're welcome to peek in,
and you should.
The cool upslope village is the best place in Hawaii for a coffee break. That's
because Holualoa is in the heart of the coffee belt, a 20-mile-long strip at an ele-
vation between 1,000 and 1,400 feet, where all the Kona coffee in the world is
grown in the rich volcanic soil of the cool uplands. (See “Kona Coffee Craze!”
on p. 227.) Everyone's backyard seems to teem with glossy green leaves and
ruby-red cherries (which contain the seeds, or beans, used to make coffee), and
the air smells like a San Francisco espresso bar. The
Holuakoa Cafe,
on
Land's End
The history of Hawaii is condensed here, at the end of 11 miles of bad
road that peters out at Kaulana Bay, in the lee of a jagged, black-lava
point—the
southernmost point
of the United States. No historic
marker marks the spot or gives any clue as to the geographical signifi-
cance of the place. If you walk out to the very tip, beware of the big waves
that lash the shore.
The nearest continental landfall is Antarctica, 7,500 miles away.
