Big Island of Hawaii - Part 6

Leaving Holualoa, on the out skirts of Kailua-Kona, we will be entering Kailua-Kona by the southern route along the beach road of Ali'i Drive. Our next stop is within the grounds of the Outrigger's Keauhou Beach Resort Hotel.

Aia i Kona kai 'opua i ka la'i
'A'ohe lua e like ai me 'oe

Malihini makou ia 'oe i Kona
I ke kona a keu ke aloha no makou

Ha'ina 'ia mai ana ka pu ana
'A'ohe lua e like ai me 'oe
English Translation:

There in Kona are the cloud banks and calm seas
Second to none, you are incomparable
We are your guests in Kona
By invitation with love for us
Tell the refrain
Second to none, you are incomparable

Kuamoo and the Burial Grounds of Lekeleke is a significant historical place of the Hawaiian people, that is not found in very many tour itineraries.

This is the where the ancient Hawaiian religion died in a blaze of musket fire, After the death of Kamehameha I, his son Kamehameha II, was crowned King Liholiho. Shortly thereafter, he ate at the table of women and commoners, thereby breaking the ancient kapu`ai system.

This was previously discussed in The Ending of the Kapu`ai System .

Chief Kekua o`kalani, who held radically different views about religious traditions, unsuccessfully challenged King Liholiho in battle here. The battle was fought between the traditionalists Hawaiians; headed by Kekua o`kalani, that wanted to keep the old religious traditions of the kapu' ai system alive, and forces of Liholiho and regent Kaahumanu; the Hawaiians that wanted to be free of the kapus.

Over three hundred warriors lost their lives here and their graves, despite the official-looking marker at the site, are under the numerous, large stone altars erected by the victors over the very spots the warriors fell. Viewing their lava rock burial mounds produces an eeiry feeling and a good case of "chicken skin" (goose bumps).

The Hapaiali'i Heiau (temple) and the Ke`eku Heiau are located nearby the battlefield. The walls of Hapaialii Heiau are newly restored, and honor the royalty.

Kamehameha III was born nearby at Keauhou Bay, a favorite place for snorkeling, swimming and picnics. This is another place that the Honu turtles can been seen.

I had mention early that the Fair Wind catamaran was a way to get to Kealakekua Bay for snorkeling and diving. Keauhou Bay is where you will board the boat to sail to the bay for a 2-1/2 hour expedition of sailing, snorkeling, diving and fun. I am biased in my appreciation of the Fair Winds as I use to surf with the owners, Steve and Jay Lambert, when we were all in school in Honolulu. I also worked for them in the office of the Fair Winds and the Captain Cook VII tour boat, years ago.

The sail/dives were always great fun and the evening sunset/dinner and champagne sails are awesome.

Kayaks are another fun activity that can be rented at Keauhou Bay.

He'eholua (mountain surfing) on the holua slide was a sport in ancient Hawai'i that was reserved only for the Ali'i. The highly dangerous sport is similar to tobogganing, except where in tobogganing, the person would lie down on their back on a sledge or sled board and slide down a mountain path at high speed. With holua racing, the sledders laid on the stomachs or stood up like on a surf board.

The Keauhou holua slide was significant because it was not only the longest and the most dangerous sled path in the islands, but also because the slider ended in the ocean at Keauhou Bay.

The papa holua, Hawaiian sleds, were usually about 12 feet long, 6 inches wide, and 4 inches in depth, and weighing approximately 30 - 60 pounds. They were long and narrow and made in two parts; the main structure and the runners. The lower edges of the runners were rounder to enhance the speed of the sledding and the front ends were curved upward to prevent the sleds from digging into the runway.

Generally the runners were made out of endemic woods called kauila, mamane, or ukiuki and the rails were made out of bamboo and the body of the sled was a combination of tapa cloth, lauhala weavings and sinnet cords tied everything together.

The slide, kahua holua,, or sledding course, was paved with rocks, covered with dirt and beaten down to form a smooth surface. Right before the track was used it was covered usually with pili grass, then saturated either with kukui nut or coconut oil to make it slippery. The runners of the sled where also greased for speed. These sledders could travel at speeds of 50 and upwards to a 100 miles an hour.

The tracks were narrow and could usually only accommodate one sledder at a time. The winner of the race was the one that could sled the farthest.

The holua racing ended in the early 1800's because the missionaries forbade the Hawai'ians to continue practicing their "heathan" ways. There was quite a bit of gambling that went along with the racing which the missionaries also frowned upon. It seems to me that anything the Hawai'ians considered fun, the missionaries considered "heathan".

Our next stop heading along Ali'i Drive back into Kailua-Kona is Kahalu'u Beach Park, also known as Turtle Beach. Kahalu'u is one of only a few of the beaches in Hawaii that can boast having a tame fish population. It is not a marine preserve, and yet it surpasses the quantity of fish you would see at a regulated marine sanctuary. There aren't any fishing restrictions at the beach, yet at this well protected cove the fish are very comfortable around swimmers and snorkelers are are known to swim right along side of you. Over 108 reef fish varieties have been recorded at Kahalu'u Beach Park alone!

The cove is almost completely surrounded by a partially submerged rock wall that is the remains of a breakwater built by early Hawaiians to aid in fish farming. The wall aides in keeping out the rough surf, creating a calm, and very gentle protected area. The water at Kahaluu Beach Park is so shallow and calm, that it's perfect not only for the first time snorkeler, but for young children to swim in as well. Within the lagoon, the deepest part is only 10 feet deep and you won't reach deeper water unless going out past the reef.

Large schools of fish can often be seen swimming up to greet swimmers and it is not unusual to find the fish nibbling on your fins while snorkeling. On the left here is a school of yellow tang.

Black spiny sea urchins and red pencil sea urchin, can be seen on the rocks and coral once you swim away from the shore into the crystal clear water. The quills of the red pencil sea urchins are used in making jewelry after they have dried. When the are dry they lose their red color and turn into several different shades of brown and tan.

The black spiny sea urchins are highly poisonous if stepped on, so please be very careful. The only known antidote is human urine. I know, it sounds awful, but that is the only thing that will dissolve the quills; stop the swelling and pain; and prevent infection!

Kahalu'u is another favorite place for the Honu sea turtles to swim, feed and sleep. They love to sun themselves on the black rocks and can sometimes be difficult to see because when they are out of the water, the color of their shells are very similar to the black rocks. Keep your eyes open for them as they can easily be missed as they are camouflaged against the rocks and tripping over them is an easy thing to do. You can see a photo of one of them swimming below.

The sand at the beach is a kind of salt and pepper color from the erosion of the lava rock that was once prevalent along the shoreline and the picnic area is lined with coconut trees. There are picnic tables and BBQ stands that make it an easy place for a cook out on the beach or an afternoon picnic lunch. Restrooms are available and there is a life guard on duty during the day.

Kahalu'u is also a favorite spot for surfers and you will often see them out beyond the breakwater catching small waves.

La'aloa Bay Beach Park, in Kona, is called many names ; Magic Sands, Disappearing Sands and White Sands Beach.

During the summer the beach is a beautiful white sands beach with great waves for body surfing. Kids like to boogie board, or paipo board, on the shoreline, and some people will surf further out when the surf's up too.

During the winter, the waves get bigger and the under tow gets stronger and takes all of the sand out sea, leaving black lava rocks exposed on the beach. Body surfing can get trecherous during the winter months. If you are not a good body surfer, or a good swimmer, don't attempt it. You have to know exactly when to pull out of the wave so you don't crash and burn; and get pounded on to the rocks. Once the winter surf is over, all of the sand comes back to the beach.

I use to live in a house down the street a little ways and would walk down to the beach every morning to body surf as the sun was coming up; and every evening as the sun was setting. These two times of the day are when the waves are the best and the beach is practically empty, so you aren't running into inexperienced people in the water.

There is a really nice shore-break at White Sands as the waves get moderately high and even curl before breaking on the sandy beach. This makes for a really nice ride. During the winter I have seen the waves get up to 8 to 10 feet, upon occasion, and that makes for an awesome ride, as long as you remember to pull out before crashing into the rocks.

Life guards are available year round as well as restrooms and showers.

A great place to eat either lunch or dinner, is Jameson's By the Sea. It is located right next to Magic Sands.

This is a shot from the lanai of the restaurant, looking out at a the ocean.

Now that we are all worn out from the body surfing, sun and fun at White Sands Beach, we will head into Kailua-Kona traveling along the beach road into town on Alii Drive. The photo on the left is the coastline along Alii Dr. as we head into town.

Kailua-Kona was the originally claimed as the seat of the Hawaiian government by King Kamehameha I, as the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii. This is where Hulihee Palace can still be seen today. The capital now, of course is in Honolulu on Oahu.

When Iolani Palace was established in Honolulu as the residence of the ali'i, Hulihee Palace in Kailua-Kona became the summer vacation home for the royal family.

When I was a little girl, Kailua-Kona was a sleepy little fishing village and remained rather quiet for quite a few years. The soft, gentle breezes, that drifted in from the ocean kept the temperature at a balmy 86 degrees F. almost year round.

It was a different climate and a different time. The aloha spirit was everywhere and the ohana (family) and the aina (land) were the most important things in our lives. When the fish were running and the taro and the breadfruit were plentiful; we were happy. We didn't ask for much and we didn't need much. Life was much simpler back then.

It wasn't until the mid 1970's that the village began taking a turn, and by 1989 it had become a bustling tourist resort and had acquired just about every fast food dive imaginable; from Makadanonei (McDonald's) to Taco Hale (Taco Bell).

I guess all of the fresh seafood, fruits and vegetables that not only grew wild, but were cultivated too, just wasn't good enough for the mainland haoles (Caucasians). They had to import their crap food to eat instead of eating fresh, healthy food, while vacationing in a tropical paradise. Auwe! Go figure.

The photo above is a gorgeous Kona sunset taken from the sea wall in town, at low tide by the Hulihee Palace.

Fishing is still very much a part of our lives, in Kona, but in a different way than it was back then. Kona is home to many World Records for the largest Marlins caught.

Deep sea fishing, also known as, sport fishing, has become an expensive hobby in the islands, especially in Kona, as Kona has become one of the sport fishing epicenters of the world. It is one the reasons that our oceans surrounding the islands, have been so over fished.

We not only have the sport fishermen fishing for their trophy fish to stuff and ship home, we also have the high demand for fresh fish from the many tourist that come and forget to leave. Our ecosystem can not support the amount of people that have decided to make Hawaii their home.

These people are like those dreaded relatives that came to visit but instead of visiting for a week as planned, have chosen to stay and make pests out of themselves. They make our home their home without permission, literally.

They have worn out there welcome. They have been inconsiderate and rude guest. They have over-fished our oceans, polluted our water and air; and have devastated the aina (land).

They claim our home is better, but are determined to turn it into the mainland that they are running away from, by adding the likes of Walmarts and K-Marts and McDonald's. Funny we never needed these places to shop or eat before they got here.

They love it here so much, instead of adapting to our way of life and learning our customs and learning to eat the local food the way we eat - they are in obsessed with changing it into a mini-mainland with it's fast food restaurants, shopping malls, and the ever polluting automobiles and cruise ships.

They can't seem to remember how to get back on the plane that brought them here and go home. They have laid claim our home instead, as if they have an inherent right to it.

Now, Kona is a bustling tourist spot that is over crowded with bumper to bumper traffic that is backed up for hours in the mornings and afternoons. The rents for a studio apartment have risen to $1500 - $3000 a month (at the minimum, some are higher) which is impossible for many of the local Hawaiian people to pay.

Tourist are fine. They come. They have a good time. They go home. It's the rest of the intruders that stay, injecting their carbon footprints into our atmosphere..

Many Hawaiians are now homeless, living on the beach and collecting food stamps. Their land has been taken from them because the government has raised the property taxes so high they cannot pay, nor can they pay the astronomical rent prices. My own property taxes have more than quadrupled this past year.

I have seen this happen so many times; over and over again. Corporate Amerika wants a piece of property that you own and refuse to sell. You refuse to sell because in has been in your family for generations and is suppose to be passed down to your future generations. The government takes the kick-back from the lobby group, rezones it from agricultural to either commercial or residential, and the property taxes go sky-high. They don't slow down either. They wait like vultures until the land taxes are so high, you as the owner can no longer pay them. The money that you now owe to the government, for the land your family owned before the missionary time, is now out of your financial league. That is when they legally swoop in and take the land that they wanted, for back taxes, usually at about 1/10 of what the land is worth. You family land is now gone to into the hands of a mainland developer corporation.

Legalized stealing by the Amerikan political machine and Corporate Amerika.

Our beautiful beaches that were once there for all to enjoy are being fenced off with "NO TRESPASSING" signs posted on the fences; the public right-of-way to the beach is quickly becoming a thing of the past.

Local famililies are no longer being allowed to go to the waters edge with their fishing poles to fish the ocean as they have for centuries.

So the land of our ancestors, that had been in the ohana for thousands of years, is being take over by these rude and inconsiderate guest, that have no respect for the aina (land) the moana kai (ocean) or our way of life. Auwe no ho'i e! These rude and inconsiderate guest are not as welcoming to us as we were to them. They are no longer guest, but intruders.

They have never understood the meaning of Aloha!

Hulihe'e Palace, was originally built out of lava rock (pukapuka stone) by John Adams Kuakini, Governor of Hawaii in 1838. The Palace wasn't plastered over until 1885, when King Kalakaua decided to give the building a more refined appearance.

Hulihe'e was built with native Hawaiian wood from the tropical rain forest. The logs of koa and ohia are beautiful, lustrous wood that can be seen within the interior of palace and has been polished to a high sheen.

The home is a two level structure, as can be seen by the photo above, that includes an entry hall, parlor, dining room, sitting room and two bedrooms.

The entry hall includes a striking bust of Kalakaua and several redwood pillars that the King brought home from California.

The Kuhio Room features a large koa dining table that belonged to the Kalakaua family.

The Kuakini Room contains artifacts from pre-Western contact through the Monarchy period.

The bedroom of Princess Ruth Keelikolani, features many of her favorite personal items that are now island treasures.

The second-floor sitting room is a treasure store of traditional Victorian-style furnishings, priceless oriental rugs and marble statues.

The Territory of Hawaii purchased the palace in 1925. It was then turned over to the Daughters of Hawaii. The Daughters of Hawaii were first formed in 1903 by descendants of Protestant missionary women, whose mission is "to perpetuate the memory and spirit of old Hawaii and of historic facts, and to preserve the nomenclature and correct pronunciation of the Hawaiian language." They took over the management of the palace in 1927. The summer home of the Hawaiian ali'i (royalty) is now preserved as a museum by the Daughters of Hawaii.

I have always found this ironic as their ancestors are the very ones that tried to abolish the Hawaiian language as a sinful, pagan language. The missionaries actually believed that they would have better control over the Hawaiian people and their land if their entire life-style and culture was not only abolished, but completely wiped out forever. Fortunately today, the Daughters of Hawaii are a melting pot of woman who have descended from all ethnicity of the people of Hawai'i as long as the are direct descendants.

"In order to be a member of Daughters of Hawai`i, a woman must be directly descended from a person who lived in Hawai`i prior to 1880. Membership is presently about 1,400. The Society has been assisted since 1986 by a support group known as the Calabash Cousins. Membership to this group is open to anyone interested in supporting the Daughters' purposes. Currently, there are approximately 350 Calabash Cousin members."

The Inter-Island Steam Navigation Company sought to purchase the land under the palace to build an oceanfront hotel in Kailua-Kona, but thankfully the Daughters refused to give up the property.

Answer To: What are the Visiting Hours of Hulihe'e Palace?

Moku'aikaua Church is the first Christian church to be built in Hawai'i. It is located right across the street from the Hulihe'e Palace. When viewing the Palace from out at sea, you can see the steeple of the church towering in the background.

After the death of Kamehameha the Great in 1819, and the end of the kapu system by King Kamehameha II (King Liholiho) a missionary ship named the Thaddeus, was anchored further up the Kona coast waiting for permission for it's passengers, the First Company of American missionaries, to disembark and come ashore. Among the passengers where the Christian ministers, Hiram Bingham and Asa Thurston, and their wives, who were anxious to get to shore and start converting the "heathens". Upon hearing the news of the heiaus (Hawaiian temples) being destroyed by order of the new king, they immediately sailed down to Kailua-Kona from Kawaihae Harbor to seek permission from the new king to come ashore to begin constructing Christian churches and schools.

The concept of Christianity was not exactly new to the Hawaiians. They had already been indoctrinated to the Christian faith from the ships that been landing since the time of Capt. Cook's arrival.

To make a long story short.....

The missionaries received permission from King Liholiho to build their church and missionary school on today's present site. In 1820. They received a years probation from the new king (a probation that lasted indefinitely). Hiram Bingham was assigned to Honolulu and Asa Thurston stayed in Kona and constructed thatched buildings for their first places of conversion on the site of what is now the Moku'aikaua Church The construction of the present stone structure wasn't started on the site until 1835 and the building as it stands now was completed in 1837.

The interior of the church is constructed of the gorgeous ohia wood and koa wood trees that are the hardwood trees endemic to Hawai'i. The outside foundation and walls are made from the puka puka (porous lava rock) stones that were mortared together with a mixture of sand, kukui nut oil, and burnt, crushed coral gathered from the ocean by the local Hawaiian men. The building as it stands today was constructed by the seamen off of the ships that had transported the missionaries to Hawai'i. The same seamen also constructed the Hulihe'e Palace across the street.

In back of the church is a small museum that contains a collection of artifacts and paintings that portray the history of the Christian arrival. A scale model of the brig Thaddeus is the centerpiece of the museum exhibits. The replicated model was crafted by the same seamen of the Pacific Fleet Command that constructed the church in 1934. The church did not received the ship model as a gift until 1975.

Photos from Mokuaikaua Church where you can visit there website for more information

The old Kona Inn was built in 1928 by Charles W. Dickey, a Hawaii born architect of Caucasian ancestry, who designed many of the state's buildings in Honolulu, such as buildings at Kamehameha and Punahou Schools, the Waikiki Theater, the Halekulani Hotel, and the Naniloa Hotel in Hilo, in his uniquely Hawaiian style architecture. His style emphasized broad double-hipped roofs and open, spacious plans that were intimately linked to the Hawaian Islands. The Kona Inn was the first resort hotel to be built in Kailua-Kona. It was built on the site of Papa 'Ula, red flats, which was once a heiau, sacred temple, used for human sacrifice of the warriors killed in battle. The heiau was built by Chief Umi. The photo of Charles W. Dickey above rightt is courtesy of the Honolulu Star Bulletin Archives

In the old days, the Kona Inn was the place to go in Kona. The hotel was always booked solid and it had the best luau show in town. The hotel had tennis courts and a saltwater swimming pool that is fed directly from Kailua Bay. Back in it's heyday, before my time, when the steam ships came to town, my aunties put on hula shows on the large, palm-shaded lawn area in back of the hotel, as you can see inthe old photo on the left. After the shows they worked in the hotel serving the wealthy guest. The old Kona Inn was responsible for the beginning of tourism in Kailua-Kona, for the very wealthy.

During my day, in the 1960's, it was a popular place for the jet-setters to hide-away. The cocktail lounge in the hotel was always jumping and sported a gorgeous Hawaiian koa wood bar, and a baby grand piano. I worked there back in the day, as a cocktail waitress and bartender. It wasn't unusual to see Richard Boone and Lee Marvin hanging out in the lounge, back then. The Kona Inn Lounge and the old Kona Steak House were the happening places in those days, and the favorite hang outs for the two actors. This was when Richard Boone and Lee Marvin were partners in the charter fishing boat, the Blue Hawaii. Even then, the very rich would come to the Kona Inn to stay.

All of us girls that worked in the lounge were tipped with silver dollars, back then. It was not an unusual night to take home a Crown Royal bag with $400 in silver dollars, and working cocktails on a luau night the average that we each made in tips was $600 for a 4 hour luau. That Crown Royal bag was so heavy with silver dollars, I could barely carry it. Let me tell you, there was a lot of partying in those days!

Today, it is home to the Kona Inn Restauranta and the Kona Inn Shopping Village, which is a sprawling shopping village that features some very unique shops and art galleries. In 1998, the Kona Inn celebrated its 70th year as a historical landmark. In front of the lawn of the old hotel, now shopping village, is a sea wall that faces the ocean. You can see it in the old photo above. We use to sit on the sea wall and watch the whales breaching and the dolphins dancing in the sparkling aqua blue water of the ocean. Some of the most spectaular sunsets in the world can be seen from this very spot. The lawn and sea wall are still open to the public as a fine place to picnic and whale watch. Sometimes the waves are large enough for the local surfers to paddle out and catch waves.

Come back to visit! We are on now in Kailua-Kona.and almost around the island, but there is so much more to share!.

A hui hou kakou and Aloha!

June

You can forget waiting in long security lines at the airport when you have a security pass. This is way too cool!