Kealakekua Bay is located on the
Kona coast
Kona is a ''moku'' or district on the Hawaii (island), Big Island of Hawaii in the State of Hawaii, known for its Kona coffee and the location of the Ironman World Championship Triathlon. In the current system of administration of Hawaii County ...
of the
island of Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii ) is the largest island in the United States, located in the state of Hawaii. It is the southeasternmost of the Hawaiian Islands, a chain of volcanic islands in the North Pacific Ocean. With an area of , it has 63% of th ...
about south of
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 ...
.
Settled over a thousand years ago, the surrounding area contains many archeological and historical sites such as religious temples (
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 ...
s) and also includes the spot where the first documented European to reach the Hawaiian islands, Captain
James Cook
James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean an ...
, was
killed. It was listed in the
in 1973 as the Kealakekua Bay Historical District.
The bay is a
marine life conservation
The Convention on Fishing and Conservation of Living Resources of the High Seas is an agreement that was designed to solve through international cooperation the problems involved in the conservation of living resources of the high seas, consideri ...
district, a popular destination for
kayaking
Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...
,
scuba diving
Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for "Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chris ...
, and
snorkeling
Snorkeling ( British and Commonwealth English spelling: snorkelling) is the practice of swimming on or through a body of water while equipped with a diving mask, a shaped breathing tube called a snorkel, and usually swimfins. In cooler waters, a ...
.
History
Ancient history
Settlement on Kealakekua Bay has a long history.
''Hikiau Heiau'' is a
luakini
In ancient Hawaii, a luakini temple, or luakini ''heiau'', was a Native Hawaiian sacred place where human and animal blood sacrifices were offered.
In Hawaiian tradition, ''luakini heiaus'' were first established by Paʻao, a legendary priest ...
temple of
Ancient Hawaii
Ancient Hawaii is the period of Hawaiian history preceding the unification in 1810 of the Kingdom of Hawaii by Kamehameha the Great. Traditionally, researchers estimated the first settlement of the Hawaiian islands as having occurred sporadicall ...
located at the south end of the bay, at coordinates .
Cook recorded the large platform being about high, long, and wide.
[Van James, ''Ancient Sites of Hawaii'', 1995, Mutual Publishing, Page 94]
The sheer cliff face called Ka-pali-poko—a-Manuahi overlooking the bay houses burials of Hawaiian royalty and their accompanied companions and funerary items. The northwestern part of the cliff is called Ka-pali-kapu-o-Keoua. The name means "sacred cliffs of Keōua " in honor of
Keōua Nui. He was sometimes known as the "father of kings" since many rulers were his descendants. The difficulty in accessing the cliff kept the exact burial places secret.
The village of ''Kaawaloa'' was at the north end of the bay in ancient times, where the ''Puhina O Lono Heiau'' was built, along with some royal residences.
The name of the village means "the distant
Kava", from the medicinal plant used in religious rituals.
The name of the bay comes from ''ke ala ke kua'' 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 ...
which means "the god's pathway." This area was the focus of extensive
Makahiki
The Makahiki season is the ancient Hawaiian New Year festival, in honor of the god Lono of the Hawaiian religion.
It is a holiday covering four consecutive lunar months, approximately from October or November through February or March. The focu ...
celebrations.
Captain Cook and Kalaniʻōpuʻu
Although there are theories that Spanish or Dutch sailors might have stopped here much earlier, the first documented European to arrive was Captain
James Cook
James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean an ...
.
He and his crews on the ''
Resolution
Resolution(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
* Resolution (debate), the statement which is debated in policy debate
* Resolution (law), a written motion adopted by a deliberative body
* New Year's resolution, a commitment that an individual mak ...
'' and ''
Discovery
Discovery may refer to:
* Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown
* Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown
* Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence
Discovery, The Discovery ...
'' sighted Kealakekua Bay on the morning of January 17, 1779. He estimated several thousand people lived in the two villages, and many thousand more in the surrounding areas. On January 28, he performed the first
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
service on the islands, for the funeral of a crew member who had died.
[
Cook had entered the bay during ]Makahiki
The Makahiki season is the ancient Hawaiian New Year festival, in honor of the god Lono of the Hawaiian religion.
It is a holiday covering four consecutive lunar months, approximately from October or November through February or March. The focu ...
, a traditionally peaceful time. Cook and his men were welcomed, given much food and gifts from the island and treated as honored guests. John Ledyard
John Ledyard (November 1751 – 10 January 1789) was an American explorer and adventurer.
Early life
Ledyard was born in Groton, Connecticut, in November 1751. He was the first child of Abigail Youngs Ledyard and Capt. John Ledyard Jr, son o ...
, the only American on board Cook's third voyage, gives a detailed account of these events in his journals. Cook and his crew stayed for several weeks, returning to sea shortly after the end of the festival. After suffering damage to the mast during a storm, the ships returned two weeks later on February 12. This time, already fraying relations came to a head.
One of Cook's captains accused a native chieftain of stealing the Resolution's jolly boat. The boat was soon found unstolen and the native chief soured from the false accusation. Cook himself attempted to barter for the wood used to border the natives "Morai" or sacred burial ground for certain high-ranking individuals. The native chiefs were mortified at this offer and refused to accept it. Cook later took the wood anyway, against the will of native chieftains. With a damaged mast, fraying relations with the natives and being heavily outnumbered, Cook attempted to lure Hawaiian chief Kalaniōpuu aboard his ship to hold him hostage in order to induce 'good behavior among the natives.' Tensions mounted as Cook attempted to trick the chief, and natives surrounded the beach. Cook fired the first shot, and his men quickly shot several more natives. As Cook and his men attempted to retreat, Cook was stabbed through the chest by a native chief with an iron dagger which had been traded from Cook's own ship previously in the same visit. The majority of Cook's body was never recovered. Since Cook's men felt they could not leave without resupplying fresh water and further repair of their damaged mast, they shot dozens more natives with their own muskets and the ships cannons and burned a portion of Kireekakooa, one of the towns in the bay. Cook's death was depicted in a series of paintings called ''Death of Cook
''Death of Cook'' is the name of several paintings depicting the 1779 death of the first European visitor to the Hawaiian Islands, Captain James Cook at Kealakekua Bay.
Most of these paintings seem to go back to an original by John Cleveley ...
''. The monument is accessed by a one-hour hike from the road or by crossing the bay by boat.
Turmoil
When Kalaniōpuu died in 1782, his oldest son Kiwalao officially inherited the kingdom, but his nephew 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 ...
became guardian of the god Kūkailimoku. A younger son, Keōua Kuahuula, was not happy about this and provoked Kamehameha. Their forces met just south of the bay at the battle of Mokuōhai.[Thomas S.Dye (2003]
Archaeological Survey of a Portion of Keei Makai
/ref>
Kamehameha won control of the west and north sides of the island, but Keōua escaped. It would take over a decade to consolidate Kamehameha's control.
In 1786, merchant ships of the King George's Sound Company
The King George's Sound Company, also known as Richard Cadman Etches and Company after its "prime mover and principal investor", was an English company formed in 1785 to engage in the maritime fur trade on the northwest coast of North America. Th ...
under command of the maritime fur trade
The maritime fur trade was a ship-based fur trade system that focused on acquiring furs of sea otters and other animals from the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast and natives of Alaska. The furs were mostly sold in China in ex ...
rs Nathaniel Portlock
Nathaniel Portlock (c. 1748 – 12 September 1817) was a British ship's captain, maritime fur trader, and author.
He entered the Royal Navy in 1772 as an able seaman, serving in . In 1776 he joined as master's mate and served on the third Pac ...
and Captain George Dixon anchored in the harbor, but avoided coming ashore. They had been on Cook's voyage when he was killed by natives. In December 1788, the ''Iphigenia'' under William Douglas arrived with Chief Kaiana, who had already traveled to China.
The first American ship was probably the ''Lady Washington
''Lady Washington'' is a ship name shared by at least four different 80-100 ton-class Sloop-of-war and merchant sailing vessels during two different time periods. The original sailed during the American Revolutionary War and harassed British shi ...
'' around this time under Captain John Kendrick
John Kendrick (1740–1794) was an American sea captain during the American Revolutionary War, and was involved in the exploration and maritime fur trading of the Pacific Northwest alongside his subordinate Robert Gray. He was the leader of th ...
. Two sailors, Parson Howel and James Boyd, left the ship (in 1790 or when it returned in 1793) and lived on the island.
In March 1790, the American ship ''Eleanora'' arrived at Kealakekua Bay and sent a British sailor ashore named John Young John Young may refer to:
Academics
* John Young (professor of Greek) (died 1820), Scottish professor of Greek at the University of Glasgow
* John C. Young (college president) (1803–1857), American educator, pastor, and president of Centre Col ...
, to determine whether the sister ship, the schooner , had arrived for its planned rendezvous. Young was detained by Kamehameha's men to prevent the ''Eleanora's'' Captain Simon Metcalfe
Simon Metcalfe (also spelled Metcalf) (c. 1741 – 1794) was a British-born American surveyor and one of the first American maritime fur traders to visit the Pacific Northwest coast.
As early visitors to the Hawaiian Islands in 1789, Metcalfe and ...
from hearing the news of the destruction of the ''Fair American'', and the death of Metcalfe's son, Thomas Humphrey Metcalfe
Thomas Humphrey Metcalfe (also spelled Metcalf) ( – March 16, 1790) was an American maritime fur trader who worked with his father, Simon Metcalfe. After being separated from his father in a storm, Thomas sailed a small schooner with a crew of ...
, after the massacre at Olowalu. Young and Isaac Davis, the lone survivor of the ''Fair American'', slowly adjusted to the island lifestyle. They instructed Hawaiians in the use of the captured cannon and muskets, becoming respected advisers to Kamehameha. In 1791 Spanish explorer Manuel Quimper
Manuel Quimper Benítez del Pino (c. 1757 – April 2, 1844) was a Spanish Peruvian explorer, cartographer, naval officer, and colonial official. He participated in charting the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Sandwich Islands in the late 18th ...
visited on the ship .
More visitors
George Vancouver
Captain George Vancouver (22 June 1757 – 10 May 1798) was a British Royal Navy officer best known for his 1791–1795 expedition, which explored and charted North America's northwestern Pacific Coast regions, including the coasts of what a ...
arrived in March 1792 to winter in the islands with a small fleet of British ships. He had been a young midshipman on Cook's fatal voyage 13 years earlier and commanded the party that attempted to recover Cook's remains. He avoided anchoring in Kealakekua Bay, but met some men in canoes who were interested in trading. The common request was for firearms, which Vancouver resisted. One included chief Kaʻiana
Kaʻiana, also known as Keawe-Kaʻiana-a-Ahuula, (born about 1755 - died 1795) was a Native Hawaiian (kānaka ʻōiwi/maoli) warrior and ''aliʻi'' (noble) of Puna, Hawai‘i, who turned against Kamehameha I in 1795 during his conquest of Oahu an ...
, who would later turn against Kamehameha.
Vancouver suspected Kaiana intended to seize his ships, so left him behind and headed up the coast. There he was surprised to encounter a Hawaiian who in broken English introduced himself as "Jack", and told of traveling to America on a fur-trading ship. Through him, Vancouver met Keeaumoku Pāpaiahiahi
Keeaumoku Pāpaiahiahi (1736–1804) was a Hawaiian high chief and the father of Kaahumanu. He was the principal agent in elevating Kamehameha I to the throne of Hawaii and served in a capacity similar to commander in chief or Prime Minister. H ...
, who gave him a favorable impression of Kamehameha (his son-in-law). He spent the rest of the winter in Oahu
Oahu () (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering place#Island of Oʻahu as The Gathering Place, Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over t ...
.[
Vancouver returned in February 1793; this time he picked up Keeaumoku and anchored in Kealakekua Bay. When Kamehameha came to greet the ship, he brought John Young, now fluent in the Hawaiian language, as an interpreter. This greatly helped to develop a trusted trading relationship. The Hawaiians presented a war game, which was often part of the Makahiki celebration. Impressed by the warriors' abilities, Vancouver fired off some fireworks at night to demonstrate his military technology.][ Vancouver presented some cattle which he had picked up in California. They were weak and barely alive, so he convinced Kamehameha to avoid killing them for ten years.
Scottish doctor ]James Lind
James Lind (4 October 1716 – 13 July 1794) was a Scottish doctor. He was a pioneer of naval hygiene in the Royal Navy. By conducting one of the first ever clinical trials, he developed the theory that citrus fruits cured scurvy.
Lind arg ...
had recommended the use of citrus juice to prevent scurvy
Scurvy is a disease resulting from a lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Early symptoms of deficiency include weakness, feeling tired and sore arms and legs. Without treatment, decreased red blood cells, gum disease, changes to hair, and bleeding ...
on long voyages. The botanist Archibald Menzies
Archibald Menzies ( ; 15 March 1754 – 15 February 1842) was a Scottish surgeon, botanist and naturalist. He spent many years at sea, serving with the Royal Navy, private merchants, and the Vancouver Expedition. He was the first recorded Euro ...
had picked up some citrus fruit
''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. The genus ''Citrus'' is native to ...
seeds in South Africa, and dropped them off here, so that future ships might be able to replenish their stocks at the Hawaiian islands.
Vancouver left in March 1793 after visiting the other islands to continue his expedition, and returned again January 13, 1794. He still hoped to broker a truce between Kamehameha and the other islands. His first step was to reconcile Kamehameha with Queen Kaahumanu.
He dropped off more cattle and sheep from California, and discovered a cow left the year before had delivered a calf. The cattle
Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...
became feral and eventually became pests. They were not controlled until the "Hawaiian cowboys", known as the ''paniolo
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaquer ...
'', were recruited.
The ship's carpenters instructed the Hawaiians and the British advisers how to build a European-style ship, which they named the ''Britania''. On February 25, 1794, Vancouver gathered leaders from around the island onto his ship and negotiated a treaty. Although this treaty was sometimes described as "ceding" Hawaii to Great Britain, the treaty was never ratified by the British parliament.[
]
Decline
For the next few years, Kamehameha was engaged in his war campaigns, and then spent his last years at Kamakahonu
Kamakahonu, the residence of Kamehameha I, was located at the north end of Kailua Bay in Kailua-Kona on Hawaiʻi Island.
History
Kamehameha I (also known as Kamehameha the Great), who unified the Hawaiian Islands, lived out the last years of hi ...
to the north. By this time other harbors such as 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 ...
and Honolulu
Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
became popular with visiting ships. By 1804, the heiau was falling into disuse. In 1814, a British ship HMS ''Forester'' arrived in the midsts of a mutiny. Otto von Kotzebue
Otto von Kotzebue (russian: О́тто Евста́фьевич Коцебу́, tr. ; – ) was a Russian officer and navigator in the Imperial Russian Navy. He was born in Reval. He was known for his explorations of Oceania.
Early life ...
arrived in 1816 on a mission from the Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
.
When Kamehameha I died in 1819, his oldest son Liholiho officially inherited the kingdom, calling himself 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 ...
. His nephew Keaoua 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 who unified the Hawaiian islands.
Family
He was the son of Kamehameha's younger brother Keliimaikai and ...
inherited the important military and religious post of guardian of Kūkailimoku. However, true power was held by Kamehameha's widow Queen Kaahumanu. She had been convinced by Vancouver and other visitors that the European customs should be adopted. In the Ai Noa she declared an end to the old Kapu Kapu may refer to:
* Kapu (Hawaiian culture), a Hawaiian code of conduct
* Kapu (caste), a social group of India
* Kapu, Karnataka, a town in Karnataka, India
** Kapu Assembly constituency
* Kapu, Arunachal Pradesh, a settlement in Tirap district, A ...
system.
Kekuaokalani was outraged by this threat to the old traditions, which still were respected by most common people. He gathered religious supporters at Kaawaloa, threatening to take the kingdom by force, as happened 37 years earlier. After a failed attempt to negotiate peace, he marched his army north to meet 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. ...
's troops who were gathered at Kamakahonu. They met in the Battle of Kuamoo. Both sides had muskets, but Kalanimoku had cannon mounted on double-hulled canoes. He devastated the fighters for the old religion, who still lie buried in the lava rock.
The wood ''Kii'' carvings were burned, and the temples fell into disrepair. A small Christian church was built in 1824 in Kaawaloa by the Hawaiian missionaries
The Hawaiian Missionaries are the first postage stamps of the Kingdom of Hawaii, issued in 1851. They came to be known as the "Missionaries" because they were primarily found on the correspondence of missionaries working in the Hawaiian Island ...
, and the narrow trail widened to a donkey cart road in the late 1820s, but the population declined due largely to introduced diseases and people shifted to other areas.
In 1825, Admiral Lord Byron (cousin of the famous poet) on the ship erected a monument to Cook and took away many of the old, sacred artifacts.
The last royalty known to live here was high chief Naihe
Naihe (died 1831) was the chief orator and councilor during the founding of the Kingdom of Hawaii. A champion athlete in his youth, he negotiated for peace at several critical times and helped preserve the remains of several ancient leaders.
Ear ...
, known as the "national orator," and his wife Chiefess Kapiolani, early converts to Christianity.
In 1829, she was saddened to see that the destruction of the temples included desecrating the bones of her ancestors at the Puuhonua o Hōnaunau.
She removed the remains of the old chiefs and hid them in the ''Pali Kapu O Keōua'' cliffs before ordering this last temple to be destroyed. The bones were later moved to the Royal Mausoleum of Hawaii
Royal may refer to:
People
* Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name
* A member of a royal family
Places United States
* Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Royal, Illinois, a village
* Royal, Iowa, a ...
in 1858, under direction of King Kamehameha IV
Kamehameha IV (Alekanetero ʻIolani Kalanikualiholiho Maka o ʻIouli Kūnuiākea o Kūkāʻilimoku; anglicized as Alexander Liholiho) (February 9, 1834 – November 30, 1863), reigned as the fourth monarch of Hawaii under the title ''Ke Aliʻi ...
.
In 1839 a massive stone church was built just south of the bay. It fell into ruin, and a smaller building called Kahikolu Church
Kahikolu Church is one of only two stone churches from the 19th century on the island of Hawaii. It was built from 1852–1855 on the site of an earlier building known as Kealakekua Church that was built around 1833 in the Kona district.
History ...
was built in 1852. This also fell into ruin, but has been rebuilt.
In 1894 a wharf was constructed at the village at the south of the bay, now called Napoopoo. A steamer landed in the early 20th century when Kona coffee
Kona coffee is the market name for coffee ('' Coffea arabica'') cultivated on the slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa in the North and South Kona Districts of the Big Island of Hawaii. It is one of the most expensive coffees in the world. Only coff ...
became a popular crop in the upland areas.[
A large white stone monument was built on the north shore of the bay in 1874 on the order of Archibald Cleghorn and was deeded to the ]United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
in 1877. The chain around the monument is supported by four cannon from the ship HMS ''Fantome''; they were placed with their breaches embedded in the rock in 1876. It marks the approximate location of Cook's death. It is located at coordinates .
The Cook monument is unreachable by road; this remote location is accessible only by water or an hour-long hike along a moderately steep trail. Many visitors have rented kayaks
A kayak is a small, narrow watercraft which is typically propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic word '' qajaq'' ().
The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each s ...
and paddled across the bay, about from its southern end. State conservation regulations prohibit kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, surfboards, and bodyboards from entering the bay unless part of a tour with a licensed local operator. The pier at Napoopoo can be accessed down a narrow road off the Hawaii Belt Road
The Hawaii Belt Road is a modern name for the Māmalahoa Highway and consists of Hawaii state Routes 11, 19, and 190 that encircle the Island of Hawaii. The southern section, between Hilo and Kailua-Kona is numbered as Route 11. The section betw ...
.
The beach sand was mostly removed by Hurricane Iniki
Hurricane Iniki ( ; Hawaiian: ''iniki'' meaning "strong and piercing wind") was the most powerful hurricane to strike Hawaii in recorded history. Forming on September 5, 1992, during the strong 1990–1995 El Niño, Iniki was one of eleven Cent ...
in 1992. Boat tours are also available, leaving from Honokōhau harbor, Keauhou Bay
Keauhou Bay is a historic area in the Kona District of the Big Island of Hawaii.
The name comes from ''ke au hou'' which means "the new era" in the Hawaiian Language.
Kamehameha III's Birthplace
A small enclosure is maintained by the Daughter ...
, and the Kailua pier.
A short single-day eruption of Mauna Loa
Mauna Loa ( or ; Hawaiian: ; en, Long Mountain) is one of five volcanoes that form the Island of Hawaii in the U.S. state of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. The largest subaerial volcano (as opposed to subaqueous volcanoes) in both mass and ...
volcano took place underwater within Kealakekua Bay in 1877, and within a mile of the shoreline; curious onlookers approaching the area in boats reported unusually turbulent water and occasional floating blocks of hardened lava.
Hawaiian spinner dolphin
The spinner dolphin (''Stenella longirostris'') is a small dolphin found in off-shore tropical waters around the world. It is famous for its acrobatic displays in which it rotates around its longitudinal axis as it leaps through the air. It is a ...
s frequent Kealakekua Bay, especially in the morning. The bay serves as a place for them to rest and feed, and as a nursery for mothers and their calves. Due to the calm water conditions, extensive coral reef, and thriving underwater life, Kealakekua Bay offers some of the best snorkeling and diving in Hawaii, especially in the shallow waters adjacent to the monument. The bay is a protected marine environment so visitors can snorkel but no fishing is allowed in this area.
About around the bay was designated a State Historic Park in 1967, and it was added as a Historic District to the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1973 as site 73000651. The of the bay itself were declared a Marine Life Conservation District in 1969.
A narrow one-lane road to the south leads to Puuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park, which contains more historic sites.
In popular culture
*Mark Twain's ''Roughing It
''Roughing It'' is a book of semi-autobiographical travel literature by Mark Twain. It was written in 1870–71 and published in 1872, as a prequel to his first travel book ''The Innocents Abroad'' (1869). ''Roughing It'' is dedicated to Twa ...
'' mentions Kealakekua Bay and the killing of Captain Cook in Chapter 71.
*In Arthur C. Clarke's book ''Rendezvous with Rama
''Rendezvous with Rama'' is a science fiction novel by British writer Arthur C. Clarke first published in 1973. Set in the 2130s, the story involves a cylindrical alien starship that enters the Solar System. The story is told from the ...
,'' Kealakekua Bay is mentioned as a place where Bill Norton, the Commander of the Space Survey Vessel ''Endeavour,'' visited.
*The 1933 song "My Little Grass Shack in Kealakekua, Hawaii
"My Little Grass Shack in Kealakekua, Hawaii", written by Tommy Harrison, Bill Cogswell, and Johnny Noble in Hawaii in 1933, is a Hawaiian song in the Hawaiian musical style known as '' hapa haole''. One of the earliest recordings by Ted Fio Rito ...
" mentions the state fish which can be found in the bay: the ''Humuhumunukunukuapuaa'' (Reef triggerfish
The reef triggerfish (''Rhinecanthus rectangulus''), also known as the rectangular triggerfish, wedgetail triggerfish or by its Hawaiian name humuhumunukunukuāpuaa (, meaning 'triggerfish with a snout like a pig', also spelled humuhumunukunuku ...
).
References
External links
*
*
{{Coord, 19.476, -155.927, type:waterbody_region:US-HI, format=dms, display=title
Bays of Hawaii (island)
James Cook
History of Hawaii (island)
Protected areas of Hawaii (island)
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Hawaii
National Register of Historic Places in Hawaii County, Hawaii