Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

SightseeingHistory BuffFamily Favorite

Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park

Walk the Royal Grounds and a centuries-old place of refuge guarded by carved wooden kiʻi on the Kona coast.

Off Hwy 160, 3.5 miles from Hwy 11 · Honaunau, HI

About Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park

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.

#national historical park
#hawaiian culture
#place of refuge
#kona coast
#heiau

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