Kealakekua Bay
FreeSnorkel a protected marine bay and see the white monument marking where Captain Cook was killed in 1779 on the Kona coast.

Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.
Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park is a sightseeing stop in Honaunau, HI, part of the Island of Hawaiʻi guide. Cost: under $25.
Off Hwy 160, 3.5 miles from Hwy 11 · Honaunau, HI
Until the early 19th century, Hawaiians who broke a kapu, one of the sacred laws, could escape death by reaching this place of refuge on the Big Island's west coast. Today you walk through the Royal Grounds to the puʻuhonua, past ʻĀleʻaleʻa Heiau and the reconstructed Hale o Keawe temple, where carved wooden kiʻi stand watch. Cultural demonstrators share traditional Hawaiian arts and crafts through the week. The 420-acre park does not accept cash.
The closest stops to Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.
Snorkel a protected marine bay and see the white monument marking where Captain Cook was killed in 1779 on the Kona coast.
3.7 mi awaySwitch it up: Sport & Outdoor
Swim, bodysurf and picnic on one of the few white-sand beaches along the Big Island's west coast, south of Kawaihae.
40 mi awaySwitch it up: Sport & Outdoor
Stop at the visitor station at 9,200 feet, then take a four-wheel drive road to Hawaii's highest summit and its observatories.
40 mi awaySwitch it up: Sport & Outdoor
See one of Earth's most active volcanoes and its summit caldera inside Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.
41 mi awayMore like this
Drive and hike around Kīlauea's summit caldera, then follow Chain of Craters Road down to the sea.
43 mi awaySwitch it up: Sport & Outdoor