Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park

Puu Honua O Honaunau. Courtesy Big Island Visitor Bureau.

Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park preserves the Royal Grounds or home of the alii of the Kona District and the Place of Refuge. Situated on Honaunau Bay, with its sheltered canoe landing and source of drinking water, this was a natural place for the royal chiefs to establish their residence. Separated from the royal grounds by a massive wall is the puuhonua, a place of refuge for defeated warriors, noncombatants in time of war and those who violated the kapu, the sacred laws.

Puuhonua o Honaunau, or the Place of Refuge. Courtesy Big Island Visitor Bureau.

Take a walking tour of the park, a half-mile long and self-guided with a park map. Points of interest are marked with numbered posts and include:

Royal Grounds: home of the alii within the ahupuaa of Honaunau, a political sub-district of Kona.

Keoneele: royal canoe landing, forbidden to commoners. Home of many sea turtles.

Hale o Keawe, a temple and mausoleum that housed the bones of 23 alii.

Puuhonua: sanctuary that provided people with a second chance. Reaching this place, offenders would receive a ceremony of absolution performed by the kahuna pule or priest. They could then return to society.

Keoua Stone: favorite resting place of high chief of Kona, Keoua.

Old Heiau Site: stone remnants of a very old temple, one of the oldest structures in the puuhonua.