Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
To get here, turn
makai
(seaward) on to City of Refuge Rd (about 17 miles south of
Kailua-Kona). Follow the signs along the curvy road for about two miles to Puʻuhonua o
Honaunau.
History
In ancient Hawaiʻi the kapu (taboo) system regulated every waking moment. A common-
er could not look at
aliʻi
(royalty) or walk in their footsteps. Women couldn't cook for
men, nor eat with them. Fishing, hunting and gathering timber was restricted to certain
seasons. And on and on.
Violators of kapu were hunted down and killed. After all, breaking kapu infuriated the
gods, according to the Hawaiian belief system. And gods wrought volcanic eruptions,
tidal waves, famine and earthquakes.
There was one loophole, however. Commoners who broke a kapu could stave off death
if they reached the sacred ground of a
puʻuhonua
(place of refuge). A
puʻuhonua
also
gave sanctuary to defeated warriors and wartime ʻnoncombatants' (men who were too
old, too young or unable to fight).
To reach this
puʻuhonua
was no small feat, though. Since royals and their warriors
lived on the grounds surrounding the refuge, kapu breakers had to swim through violent,
open ocean, braving currents and sharks, to safety. Once inside the sanctuary, priests per-
formed ceremonies of absolution to placate the gods. Kapu breakers could then return
home to start afresh. The
puʻuhonua
at Honaunau was used for several centuries before
being abandoned around 1819.
Sights & Activities
A half-mile walking tour encompasses the park's major sites - the visitor center provides
a brochure map with cultural information. At midday, the park gets hot and is only par-
tially shaded. While most of the sandy trail is accessible by wheelchair, sites near the wa-
ter require traversing rough lava rock.
You enter the national park in the village-like royal grounds, where Kona
aliʻi
and
their warriors lived; this area's quiet spiritual atmosphere is greatly enhanced by the
gently breaking waves and wind-rustled palms.
Hale o Keawe Heiau
, the temple on the
point of the cove, was built around 1650 and contains the bones of 23 chiefs. It was be-
lieved that the mana (spiritual essence) of the chiefs remained in their bones and be-
stowed sanctity on those who entered the grounds. A fishpond, lava tree molds, a hand-
carved koa canoe and a few thatched huts and shelters are scattered through here. The
