Exploring the life and times of Kamehameha the Great often enriches our sundrenched holidays on Hawaii Island…
A lifelike statue in little Kapa’au town honours this extraordinary king. Heading west, we find his secluded birthplace near Mookini Heiau, a 5th century temple outside Hawi. Born circa 1758, auspicious year of Halley’s comet, Kahuna priests prophesied a noble infant like Kamehameha would become island king. Threatened, the ruling chief ordered his execution.
For five years, an uncle hid Kamehameha, secretly raising him in north Kohala’s mountains. He and his father then moved into the lush Waipio Valley. As a youngster there, he practiced lifting and carrying heavy rocks. Along a quiet road outside Kapa’au, Kamehameha Rock demonstrates his astonishing boyhood strength.
When his father died, another uncle reared Kamehameha as his royal son. On their way to Kau, they stopped in Hilo at the sacred 12th century Naha Stone, an artifact now fronting the public library. Its plaque recounts how toddlers placed on the stone proved their chiefly bloodlines by simply not crying. When 14-year-old Kamehameha overturned the 5,000-pound lava slab, he far surpassed that standard! Attending Kahunas confidently foretold his future as the king who would unify Hawaii’s Islands.
At Kealakekua Bay, we contemplate the white obelisk acknowledging
Captain Cook’s Hawaiian discoveries. Our catamaran skipper explains, “Cook arrived during Makahiki festivities honouring Lono, god of peace and prosperity. Gathered chiefs, including a young Kamehameha, sighted Cook’s magnificent ships offshore, white sails billowing. They eagerly welcomed him believing he was Lono.” When they met, he bedazzled them with alien gadgetry and potent gunnery.
Later, Captain Vancouver reported on Hawaiians’ robust statures and skills. Kamehameha’s 7-foot, 300-pound physique stood out. As six warriors hurled spears at Kamehameha, Vancouver observed him catch three with one hand, break two with his spear… and dodge the sixth!
Nearby Pu’uhonua o Honaunau provides glimpses into old Hawaii. Strolling its royal compound shaded by coconut trees, we visit palm-thatched workhouses displaying handmade bowls, tapa cloth and stone tools. A-frames shelter dugout canoes and fishing gear. Green turtles bask in the sandy cove where the ali’i launched outriggers. Lava-slab tables are set to play an ancient strategic game. By moving its coral pieces and lava bits wisely, Kamehameha became a renowned k?nane champion.
A huge basaltic stone wall separates Place of Refuge. At the ocean’s edge, fierce ki’i guard Hale o Keawe, a mausoleum holding 23 revered chiefs’ bones. Desperate kapu breakers swam to the adjacent rocky shore and entered the refuge. Eventually exonerated, Kahunas encouraged their return to village life. Even Queen Ka’ahumanu escaped here after quarreling with husband Kamehameha. Our map pinpoints the boulder she hid under.
The 1782 Battle of Moku’ohai occurred close by. Straddling outriggers in Ke’ei Bay, warriors threw spears, flung rocks, and clubbed foes. A shark-toothed knife killed warring cousin Kiwala’o. Leaderless, his warriors fled to Place of Refuge. Although subduing the chief of Maui, Molokai, and Lanai in 1795, Kamehameha had yet to subjugate another combative cousin who undermined his governing of Hawaii Island.
North of Kohala coast resorts, an immense reconstructed temple tops Hill of the Whale. Storyboards tell us Kahunas counseled Kamehameha to summon his war god’s support to defeat cousin Keoua. He built Pu’ukohala heiau, dedicating it to Ku. The construction strengthened his soldiers, who passed heavy stones hand-to-hand over 23-kilometres to the site. Considering Pu’ukohala’s early completion a good omen, Kamehameha dispatched his army to crush Keoua at Kau.
Signboards on Kau Desert Trail illustrate the furious fighting along Moana Loa’s slopes. One pictures the volcano’s untimely eruption that devastated Keoua’s army. Volcanic ash preserved their footprints. Convinced of his gods’ disfavour, Keoua journeyed to Pu’ukohala to be sacrificed and secure peace. Kamehameha now controlled Hawai’i Island.
In Kailua-Kona, King Kamehameha Hotel showcases this eventful era. The lobby’s large canvas pictures Kamehameha’s royal compound, at one time encompassing hotel property. In the hallway, glass cabinets display feathered capes and helmets, shields, and bone-tipped spears.
Hawaiian artist-historian Herb Kane’s paintings vividly portray village life, mythology, Kamehameha’s key battles, and accomplishments. One represents ‘law of the splintered paddle.’ Responding to a shameful incident, Kamehameha’s 1797 decree protected commoners from chiefs’ aggressions and human sacrifices believed to enhance their mana, spiritual power. His proclamation renounced these brutal acts.
Our favourite depicts Kamehameha’s fleet of 800 double-hulled war canoes. Carved from giant koa trees, they hoist European-style sails; some mount swiveling cannons over forward crossbooms.
The most dramatic work conveys Kamehameha’s final triumph. Landing at Honolulu’s original site, his veteran warriors drove Oahu’s army upward through Nu’uanu Valley. Using long pololu spears, Kamehameha’s phalanx of men pushed Oahu’s defenders off high ocean cliffs… tumbling into swirling mists.
The chief of Kauai and Niihau agreed to peacefully join the Hawaiian kingdom in 1810. In uniting Hawaii’s islands, Kamehameha fulfilled early prophecies. Two years later, he returned to live in his royal Kailua compound.
Beyond the hotel’s white sand beach stands a replicated heiau once devoted to Lono. Healing golden plover ki’i flank Ahu’ena’s entrance. Kamehameha administered his islands from its thatched drum house.
One problem involved Vancouver’s gifted cows. Their feral calves were wreaking havoc in surrounding villages. He assigned a former sailor to wrangle these rampaging critters. John Parker’s success led to Hawaii’s profitable cattle industry. Still exporting beef and leather, Parker Ranch exemplifies a long-term success of Kamehameha’s reign.
South of Kailua at Keauhou Bay, a small park’s monument marks Kamehameha’s second son’s birthplace. He celebrated his birth by creating a Holua for land-sledding. Royal riders like his sons sped down this slick, pili-grass-covered track splashing into He’eia Bay a kilometre below!
Upon Kamehameha’s 1819 death, Queens Ka’ahumanu, Keopuolani and eldest son Liholiho ruled the kingdom. They soon broke the kapu on women and men eating together. Just south of their Kailua compound, a stone cairn in a rugged lava field indicates the consequence.
Just above Kuamo’o Bay, Kamehameha’s traditions-bound nephew and wife led their warriors into the bloody Battle of Kuamo’o to defend and reinstate ages-old practices. Using English firearms, Liholiho’s forces overwhelmed these rebels. This victory ended restrictive religious and social conventions; heiaus were abandoned. Three months later, Queen Ka’ahumanu authorized missionary landings.
A New England-style church dominates Kailua’s historic heart. Artifacts inside include a model of the Thaddeus. This first missionary ship landed here a year after Kamehameha’s death. A newspaper clipping states that whaling deserters had replaced their small, thatched church by 1837. Salvaging coral and lava blocks from 15th century heiaus, they built stately Moku’aikaua, Hawaii’s first Christian church.
Princess Ruth resided across the street in two-story Hulihe’e Palace. Like her great-grandfather, she presented a commanding figure. Among precious heirlooms, a sturdy bed and chairs accommodated her regal 400-pounds. Signifying hospitality, engraved pineapples embellish her finely crafted koa hardwood furniture. Family portraits of five distinguished Kamehameha kings and queens adorn living room walls.
Another great-granddaughter, Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop became Kamehameha I’s last descendent. Believing Hawaii’s future depended on education, she founded Kamehameha Schools applying her enormous inheritance. Through reinvestments, financier husband Charles increased her endowment to over nine billion dollars. And to preserve Hawai’i’s cultural heritage, he established in her memory Bishop Museum.
In pursuing Hawaii’s storied past, we deepen our understandings of Kamehameha’s remarkable legacy.
To plan your island vacation, check out these Historic Accommodations, Sites and Activities:
- Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel lies in the historic heart of Kailua. www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/koacy-courtyard-king-kamehamehas-kona-beach-hotel
- This hotel’s Ahuena Heiau www.ahuena-heiau.org
- And this hotel’s Island Breeze luau honouring Kamehameha the Great. www.islandbreezeluau.com
- Pu’uhonua o Honaunau, Place of Refuge www.nps.gov/puhu
- Pu’ukohola Heiau www.nps.gov/puhe
- Hulihe’e Palace www.Daughtersofhawaii.org
- Kona Historical Society www.konahistorical.org
- While in Hilo, Imiloa Astronomy Center offers insights into early Hawaiian science and culture. www.imiloahawaii.org
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