Travelbeat

Editorial Review

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Hawaii's
Big Island
HERITAGE
Story and photos by Kerry Hennigan
According to the Hawaii Visitor & Convention Bureau, "The spirit and energy of creation surrounds you everywhere on Hawaii's Big Island." The newest and only volcanically active of the Hawaiian Islands group, the island of Hawaii is also the birthplace of the State's most famous monarch: Kamehameha I.

Born between 1740 and 1758 to Kekuiapoiwa, wife of a warrior king on the North Kohala coast, Kamehameha the Great, as he is now known, conquered the neighbouring islands and united them under one rule.

Today, an 8 foot tall statue of the king can be seen outside the civic centre in Kapaau. Local legend has it that the statue reflects Kamehameha's actual physical proportions!

From Kapaau it is well worth the visitor's time to continue northwards on Route 270 to the lookout at Pololu (above) for stunning views of the coastal cliffs. A steep walking track leads from the small (and usually crowded) car park down to the black sand beach below.

In 1790, when Kamehameha's unification campaign was at an impasse, he had a temple constructed overlooking Kawaihae Bay and dedicated it to his family war god. Following completion of the temple in 1791, Kamehameha's rival, King Keoua, was invited to the dedication ceremony, and promptly killed when he stepped ashore. Keoua's body was then carried to the new temple where it became the first sacrificial offering at the site.

The complex is now the Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site, part of the US National Parks system, located 1.5 kms (1 mile) south of the town of Kawaihae, with the sea before it, and the snow-capped bulk of Mauna Kea behind. Within a corner of the park boundary, but off the self-guided walking track, is the site of the house of stranded British sailor John Young, who became a trusted military advisor to the king and Governor of the island from 1802 to 1812.

Other ruins, some dating to earlier, and more peaceful, times, lie along the coastal Route 270. For history and archaeology enthusiasts a visit to Lapakahi State Historical Park is not to be missed. Located north of Kawaihae, Lapakahi is a partially restored fishing village with origins dating back to approximately 1300 AD.

It was here that Polynesian sailors found a safe anchorage for their canoes, and a village subsequently sprang up that would be inhabited for some 500 years. The arrival of European plantation owners, who diverted the streams that made Lapakahi a viable settlement, spelled the end for the village inhabitants. Considered a sacred place because of the medicinal plants and roots growing in the area, it remains of significance to Indigenous Hawaiian healers even today.

The small, volunteer-run, visitor centre provides information on the park, including a map of the trails that encompass the enclosures and remains of houses and storage shelters. A small fishing shrine still overlooks the rocky coastline and may even be 'dressed' with fresh offerings.

An ideal base for exploring the historic sites on Hawaii's Kohala Coast is the thriving town of Kailua-Kona, which overlooks Kailua Bay. Here it is possible to visit the place where Kamehameha administered his government from 1813 until his death in 1819.

His residence, now on land belonging to King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel, is adjacent to an ancient temple, Ahu'ena Heiau (at right), which the king restored and dedicated to Lono, god of agriculture and prosperity.

In the lobby of the hotel itself there are numerous historic displays of the site's royal Hawaiian heritage. The pool-side Billfish Bar overlooks the small beach and the temple, and is a great place for food and refreshments.

The visitor might even be fortunate enough to observe husky Hawaiian men - perhaps themselves the descendants of warriors and priests, rethatching Ahu'ena Heiau, just as their ancestors would have done centuries ago.

South of Kona lays the mysterious Place of Refuge, where Hawaiians who offended the strict kapu (taboo) system could seek sanctuary. But that's a trip for another day of discovery on this most dramatic of Hawaii's holiday islands.

For further information on Hawaii's Big Island visit: www.bigisland.org

Travelscene International flew Aloha Airlines to the Island of Hawaii
and stayed at the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort
Resources:

· Lonely Planet: Hawaii The Big Island, 1st Edition by Conner Gorry and Julie Jares
· Dorling Kindersley Travel Guides: Hawaii by Bonnie Friedman and Paul Wood
· Hawaii: A Let's Go Travel Guide
· A cultural History of Three Traditional Hawaiian Sites on the West Coast of Hawai'i Island, by Linda Wedel Greene
· Hawaii Drive Guide: Hawaii Maps, Honolulu Publishing Company, Ltd.