Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Napoopoo Road, branching off at the town of Captain Cook, careers through plots of
coffeetrees—theonlygourmetcoffeecropintheUnitedStates—onitswaytoKealakekua
Bay. Divers and snorkelers converge at the park here, a Marine Life Conservation District
where tropical fish prowl the coral reefs. In 1779 Capt. James Cook, the British explorer,
sailed into this bay shortly before he was killed by natives. An obelisk on a spit of land
across the bay commemorates his death.
13.
Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical
Park
Rte. 160, a narrow coastal route, crosses the crusty lava of the Keei plain as it heads south
toward Honaunau Bay and Puuhonua, the island's only remaining ancient place of refuge.
Until 1819 the protocol of daily life in Hawaii was governed by kapu, a sacred code of
rules and prohibitions. Sanctuaries like the one here were set aside for defeated warriors
and transgressors, who were spared execution and reinstated into society if they managed
toreachoneofthesehavens.Highlightsatthe180-acrehistoricalparkincludeancientroy-
alfishponds,awallfittedwithjaggedlava,aheiauthatonceheldtheremainsof23chiefs,
and countless wide-eyed tiki idols.
From Puuhonua Rte. 160 winds through groves of macadamia nut trees. A side road
leads to St. Benedict's Church. Its interior is embellished with folksy biblical murals—the
handiwork of a priest.
14.
Milolii
A paved spur off Rte. 11 descends to the black sands of Hookena Beach Park, a good spot
for surfing. Farther south, a narrow road weaves across sterile lava flows toward Milolii,
where fishermen ply the waters in motorized outriggers, one of Hawaii's last fishing vil-
lages.
15.
Ka Lae
Asthedriveroundsthesoutherntipoftheisland,taketheturnoffatSouthPointRoadfora
visittoKaLae,thesouthernmostpointintheUnitedStates—nearly500milesfarthersouth
than Key West. Some historians believe that Hawaii's first settlers landed here, perhaps as
early as a.d. 150.
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