Kamakahonu, the residence of

Kamehameha I Kamehameha I (; Kalani Paiea Wohi o Kaleikini Kealiikui Kamehameha o Iolani i Kaiwikapu kaui Ka Liholiho Kūnuiākea; – May 8 or 14, 1819), also known as Kamehameha the Great, was the conqueror and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii. T ...

, was located at the north end of Kailua Bay in

Kailua-Kona Kailua-Kona is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States. It is also known as Kailua (a name it shares with a community located on the windward side of Oahu), as Kona (a name it shares ...

Hawaiʻi Island Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii ) is the List of islands of the United States by area, largest island in the United States, located in the U.S. state, state of Hawaii. It is the southeasternmost of the Hawaiian Islands, a chain of High island, volcanic ...

History

Kamehameha I (also known as Kamehameha the Great), who unified the Hawaiian Islands, lived out the last years of his life and instituted some of the most constructive measures of his reign (1810–1819) here. The residential compound included the personal shrine, Ahuena

heiau A ''heiau'' () is a Hawaiian temple. Made in different architectural styles depending upon their purpose and location, they range from simple earth terraces, to elaborately constructed stone platforms. There are heiau to treat the sick (''heia ...

, of the King. The name means "temple of the burning altar" in the

Hawaiian language Hawaiian (', ) is a Polynesian language of the Austronesian language family that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language o ...

. His son, the crown prince Liholiho, also lived here, taking the name

Kamehameha II Kamehameha II (November 1797 – July 14, 1824) was the second king of the Kingdom of Hawaii. His birth name was Liholiho and full name was Kalaninui kua Liholiho i ke kapu ʻIolani. It was lengthened to Kalani Kaleiʻaimoku o Kaiwikapu o Laʻ ...

. In December 1819,

Kalanimoku William Pitt Kalanimoku or Kalaimoku ( – February 7, 1827) was a High Chief who functioned similarly to a prime minister of the Hawaiian Kingdom during the reigns of Kamehameha I, Kamehameha II and the beginning of the reign of Kamehameha III. ...

led an army from here to put down the rebellion of his nephew

Kekuaokalani Keaoua Kekua-o-kalani (sometimes known as Kaiwi-kuamoo Kekua-o-kalani) was a nephew of the king Kamehameha I, the chief from Hawaii (island), Hawaii Island who unified the Hawaiian Islands, Hawaiian islands. Family He was the son of Kamehameha' ...

, in the Kuamoo Battle, a few miles to the South. A battery of 18 cannons and large stone walls protected the fortress-like enclosure around several houses. Island Governor "John Adams" Kuakini lived at Kamakahonu. He governed the island when the king was away on state affairs to another island and later when the capitol was moved to

Lahaina Lahaina ( haw, Lāhainā) is the largest census-designated place (CDP) in West Maui, Maui County, Hawaii, United States and includes the Kaanapali and Kapalua beach resorts. As of the 2020 census, the CDP had a resident population of 12,702. Laha ...

on the island of

Maui The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, which ...

in 1820. He later built a more modern house called

Hulihee Palace This is a non-exhaustive list of facial hairstyles. Moustache styles A moustache is defined as any facial hair grown specifically on the upper lip. There are many different types of moustache, but all differentiate between hair grown exclusivel ...

on the other side of the beach for entertaining visitors. The bay was called ''Kaiakeakua'' in ancient times meaning "sea of the god", but is now called Kailua Bay.Map of the area from 1953
on the

Bishop Museum The Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, designated the Hawaii State Museum of Natural and Cultural History, is a museum of history and science in the historic Kalihi district of Honolulu on the Hawaiian island of Oʻahu. Founded in 1889, it is the lar ...

collection web site The name ''ka maka honu'' means "the turtle eye" in the Hawaiian Language, after a rock in the shape of a turtle that was located to the left of the present beach. It was here, within a year of the Kamehameha's death, that the first American

Christian missionaries A Christian mission is an organized effort for the propagation of the Christian faith. Missions involve sending individuals and groups across boundaries, most commonly geographical boundaries, to carry on evangelism or other activities, such as ...

to the

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

arrived on April 4, 1820. The rock where

Asa Thurston Asa Thurston (October 12, 1787 – March 11, 1868) was a Protestant missionary from the United States who was part of the first company of American Christian missionaries to the Hawaiian Islands with his wife Lucy Goodale Thurston. Asa Thurston B ...

and

Hiram Bingham I Hiram Bingham, formally Hiram Bingham I (October 30, 1789 – November 11, 1869), was leader of the first group of American Protestant missionary, missionaries to introduce Christianity to the Hawaiian islands. Like most of the missionaries, he w ...

landed was later called the "Plymouth Rock of Hawaii".

Today

The point to the north was called Kūkailimoku, which means ''Kū, the thief of the islands'', was named for the war god Kū honored by Kamehameha I. It is now the site of the Kailua lighthouse. The property is now part of King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel; none of the houses or walls remain. Ahuena heiau was reconstructed in the 1970s and can be viewed, but not entered. Some artifacts can be viewed in the hotel lobby, including a

feather cloak Feather cloaks have been used by several cultures. Hawaii Elaborate feather cloaks called '' ʻahuʻula'' were created by early Hawaiians for the '' alii'' (royalty). Feathers were also used in women's skirts called ''pāū''. The ''iiwi ...

and helmet (''

mahiole Hawaiian feather helmets, known as ''mahiole'' in the Hawaiian language, were worn with feather cloaks (ʻahu ʻula). These were symbols of the highest rank reserved for the men of the ''alii'', the chiefly class of Hawaii. There are examples of ...

''). The small sandy beach provides a protected beach for launching canoes, and children swimming. The first Hotel was built here in 1950, and the current one constructed in 1975. In 2009, the hotel was renovated, and a museum and cultural center added. The famous rock was covered over by construction of the pier, and much of the beach was destroyed to construct a seawall for Alii drive in the 1950s. Cattle pens on the pier were used until 1966. When the deeper harbor was built at

Kawaihae Kawaihae is an unincorporated community on the west side of the island of Hawaii in the U.S. state of Hawaii, north of Kailua-Kona. Its harbor is one of only two on the island, together with that of Hilo. Description The town's harbor includ ...

cargo traffic moved there.John R. K. Clark, ''Beaches of the Big Island'', Published by University of Hawaii Press, 1985, This area is the start and finish of the

Ironman World Championship The Ironman World Championship has been held annually in Hawaii since 1978, with an additional race in 1982. It is owned and organized by the World Triathlon Corporation. It is the annual culmination of a series of Ironman triathlon qualification ...

Triathlon.

Gallery

File:Aerial view of Kamakahonu pier & beach.JPG, Aerial view of Kamakahonu, pier & beach. Image:Artifacts in Kona Beach Hotel.jpg, Artifacts on display in the lobby. Image:Kamakahonu Beach.JPG, The small beach is protected by the pier. Image:Kona Beach Hotel.jpg, King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel now occupies the site. File:Kamakahonu - Kamehameha I's hale at twilight.jpg, Kamakahonu - Kamehameha I's hale at twilight. (10/2012)

References

External links

King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel Official Site
{{Hawaiian royal sites National Historic Landmarks in Hawaii Royal residences in Hawaii Heiau Hawaii (island) Houses in Hawaii County, Hawaii Museums in Hawaii County, Hawaii Beaches of Hawaii (island) National Register of Historic Places in Hawaii County, Hawaii Kailua-Kona, Hawaii