A Journey for a King

The Kamehameha statue shows how far the Hawaiian Kingdom reached in the late 1800s. Its story crosses continents. It involves artists, money people, and sailors from around the world.

A Monument for a Unifier

The project started in 1878. The Kingdom of Hawaiʻi's legislature put aside $10,000 for a monument. They wanted to honor King Kamehameha I. The statue would mark 100 years since Captain James Cook arrived in our islands.

Thomas R. Gould got the job. He was a well-known American sculptor living in Florence, Italy. Creating the king's likeness was hard work. No clear portraits of Kamehameha in his prime existed. Gould was told to show the king at age 45. He used a third-hand drawing for the face.

The artist made sure every detail was right. He even included the sacred sash of Līloa.

Forged in Europe, Lost at Sea

Gould finished the 9-foot model in his Italian studio. It was sent to a fancy foundry in Paris, France. There it was cast in bronze in 1880. This masterpiece of European craft was made for a Polynesian kingdom. Then it was packed for its long trip home.

The monument was loaded onto the German ship G.F. Haendel in Bremen, Germany. The ship set sail for Honolulu. But the trip went wrong. As the ship rounded Cape Horn near the Falkland Islands, fire broke out. The ship sank with all its cargo. The beautiful statue of King Kamehameha was lost forever. Or so everyone thought.

The King's Stand-In and an Unlikely Return

News of the disaster was terrible. But the Hawaiian government had bought insurance for $12,000. With that money, they ordered a second statue from Gould's original molds. This replica arrived safely in Honolulu on July 31, 1883. King David Kalākaua unveiled it on February 14, 1883. The Royal Hawaiian Band played "Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī." The statue was placed where it was meant to go. It still stands there today.

But the original statue's story wasn't over. Local fishermen in the Falkland Islands pulled the heavy bronze figure from the wreck. A British sea captain named Jervis bought it for just $500. He brought it to Port Stanley and then sailed to Honolulu. In March 1882, he sold the original statue back to the Hawaiian government for $875.

A Homecoming to Kohala

Now the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi owned two identical statues of its founding king. King Kalākaua made a wise choice. He said the original statue should go to North Kohala. This was Kamehameha's ʻāina hānau - his birthplace.

After repairs, the original statue was sent to the Big Island. On May 8, 1883, King Kalākaua came to Kohala for a second ceremony. The statue was first placed at ʻĀinakea. In 1912, it was moved to where it stands now. It sits in front of the North Kohala Courthouse in Kapaʻau. There it has watched over the community ever since.

A Tale of Four Kings: The Kapaʻau Statue in Context

Four major statues honor Kamehameha the Great. Each tells its own story. Understanding them helps show why the Kapaʻau statue is so special.

The Kapaʻau statue is the original survivor. Lost at sea and recovered. It was unveiled in 1883. It's made of painted cast brass. The Honolulu statue is the famous replica. It stands where the original was meant to go. Also unveiled in 1883. It's made of gilded bronze.

The Hilo statue is a modern tribute. It was made for Kauaʻi but moved. Unveiled in 1997. Made of bronze. The Washington D.C. statue represents Hawaiʻi in the U.S. Capitol. Unveiled in 1969. It's a bronze replica.

The first two statues came from the Hawaiian Kingdom. They show King Kalākaua's efforts to celebrate Hawaiian royal identity. The Washington statue shows Hawaiʻi as the 50th U.S. state. The Hilo statue tells a modern story. It was moved after Kauaʻi people objected. They said Kamehameha never conquered their island by force.