A Self-Guided Walk Through Time

Part II: A Self-Guided Walk Through Time

As you prepare to walk these sacred grounds, take a moment. Kaelo's story is this place's story. Every step you take is on land that has seen fear, hope, and forgiveness. The right mindset will change your visit. It will go from a simple tour to a meaningful experience.

E Hoʻomākaukau (To Prepare) - An Attitude of Aloha

As a child of this land, nothing makes me happier than seeing visitors connect with a place's spirit. Nothing hurts more than seeing a sacred site treated like a theme park. Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau is not a collection of ruins. It is a living, breathing part of my heritage. How you walk here matters.

The most important thing you can bring is respect. We call this hana kūpono—right behavior. Think of it like entering a cathedral or temple. Any place of deep reverence deserves this approach.

As you walk, please follow these essential rules. They are not just park rules but acts of cultural respect:

• Stay on marked paths. The ground is a fragile archaeological landscape.
• Don't touch, lean on, or climb any stone walls or structures. These are not just rocks. They are sacred heiau (temples) and walls built by our ancestors. Disturbing them can disturb their mana.
• Never move or take any rocks. Taking lava rock is illegal and brings terrible bad luck. Stacking rocks into little piles is not a traditional Hawaiian practice. It damages the site. True rock piles are trail markers. False ones can lead people astray.
• Speak softly. Let the natural sounds of the place be the loudest voices you hear. The wind and waves should guide your experience.

Practical Visitor Information

Location: The park sits at Hōnaunau Bay in South Kona. From Kailua-Kona, drive about 20 miles south on Highway 11. Turn right onto Highway 160 (Keala o Keawe Road). Follow it for 3.5 miles to the park entrance. From Hilo, the drive takes about 2 to 2.5 hours. You can go via Saddle Road or the southern route through Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.

Hours & Fees: The park grounds open daily at 8:15 AM. They close 15 minutes after sunset. The Visitor Center opens at 8:30 AM and closes at 4:30 PM. The entrance fee is $20 per vehicle. It's valid for 7 days. Check the NPS website for free days throughout the year.

Getting Started: I strongly recommend starting at the amphitheater next to the Visitor Center. Watch the park's powerful film, "Those Are My Ancestors." It dramatically tells the story of a warrior's flight to refuge. It will give you deep emotional context for everything you'll see. You can also download the official NPS app. It has a fantastic audio tour to go with your walk.

The Royal Grounds (Ala Aliʻi) - Where Chiefs Walked

Your journey begins where the laws were absolute. You are now walking in the Royal Grounds. This was the exclusive domain of the powerful aliʻi of Kona. The path beneath your feet is made of fine crushed coral sand. It was once kapu, reserved only for royal feet. This was a place of power, politics, and daily life for the ruling class.

As you follow the self-guided tour markers, you'll see the rhythm of their world. Near the start, you'll find a Temple Model (Stop 2). It's a small-scale copy of the great Hale o Keawe. It shows traditional building techniques. A strong frame of native ʻōhiʻa wood, lashed together with rope. A thick thatched roof of pleated kī (ti) leaves.

Nearby, you'll find a Kōnane board (Stop 3). This was a strategy game played with black and white pebbles on a stone board. This was more than just fun. The strategic thinking needed for kōnane was valuable training. It prepared players for warfare and political planning.

The path leads you toward the water, to Keoneʻele Cove (Stop 6). This calm, protected inlet was the royal canoe landing. It was strictly forbidden to common people. Imagine the ceremony of a chief's arrival. The powerful sound of the pū (conch shell) echoing across the bay. It announced his presence. Today, the cove is a different kind of sanctuary. You may see honu, our beloved Hawaiian green sea turtles, resting on the warm sand. They are protected. The law requires you to give them plenty of space. At least 10 feet. Never disturb them.

Look for the Royal Fishponds (Stop 15). These are anchialine pools. They are a unique system where freshwater from underground springs mixes with ocean saltwater. These ponds were the chiefs' personal food stores. They were carefully stocked with fish. They ensured a constant supply for the royal family. They were a clear symbol of wealth and control over the district's resources.

You'll also see the reconstructed Hālau (Stop 16). This is a massive A-frame shelter with a thatched roof. These structures were vital. They protected precious, hand-carved canoes from the sun. They provided shaded workspace for craftsmen. Sometimes, you can still find cultural practitioners here. People like beloved Aunty Keiki, weaving coconut fronds into baskets. They keep the old ways alive with their hands.

As you stand here, in this place of privilege and power, you are approaching the boundary of this world.

The Great Wall (Pā Puʻuhonua) - The Boundary Between Two Worlds

Before you stands the most impressive feature of the landscape: The Great Wall (Stop 7). It's impossible to overstate its physical and symbolic presence. Built around 1550, this massive barrier of black lava rock stretches for over 950 feet. It stands up to 12 feet high and an incredible 18 feet thick.

Look closely at how it was built. It uses a technique called uhau humu pōhaku, or dry-stack masonry. Each stone, some weighing over a thousand pounds, was carefully fitted together. No mortar binds them. That this wall has survived centuries of sun, wind, and waves is amazing. Over 80% of it is original. It's a stunning example of our ancestors' skill and engineering knowledge.

Pause here. Feel its weight. It is not a ruin. It is a threshold between judgment and mercy. It is the very heart of the Hōnaunau story.

The Sacred Refuge (Puʻuhonua) - Where Life Was Renewed

As you pass through the opening in the wall, everything changes. The soft sand gives way to rough, solid lava rock of the refuge itself. The air feels different here. It's filled with deep peace, safety, and holiness. You are now standing on the ground where fugitives like Kaelo found their salvation (Stop 9). This was a place protected not by warriors, but by the concentrated mana of gods and ancestors.

The source of that power is the magnificent structure before you: the reconstructed Hale o Keawe (Stop 8). This was the spiritual engine of the entire Puʻuhonua. Built around 1650, it was a hale poki, a sacred tomb. It housed the revered bones of 23 of the highest-ranking chiefs of Hawaiʻi Island. This included the great Keaweʻīkekahialiʻiokamoku, the great-grandfather of King Kamehameha I. In Hawaiian belief, a person's mana lives in their bones after death. It was the collective, immense mana of these deified chiefs that made this ground sacred. It gave the place power to grant refuge and forgiveness.

The Hale o Keawe has a dramatic history of its own. It miraculously survived 1819. That year, other heiau across the islands were destroyed. The kapu system was abolished. But it was later robbed by the English Lord Byron (a cousin of the famous poet) in 1825. In 1829, the powerful Queen Kaʻahumanu ordered the temple torn down. She was a convert to Christianity. The sacred bones were removed and hidden. They were eventually reburied at the Royal Mausoleum on Oʻahu. The structure you see today is a faithful copy from the 1960s. It was a project of immense cultural importance. It remains an active place of worship. You may see hoʻokupu (offerings) of flowers or leaves. Native Hawaiians leave them on the wooden offering tower, or lele.

Standing guard around the Hale o Keawe are the fierce and powerful Kiʻi. Please, don't call them "tikis." That word comes from other parts of Polynesia. Here, they are kiʻi. They are far more than decorations. They are carved wooden images that connect to the spiritual world. They embody the presence and power of our akua (gods) and ʻaumākua (honored family ancestors). Their scary faces and powerful poses are meant to ward off evil. They protect the temple's holiness. Each kiʻi can represent a different god. Kū, the god of war and work. Lono, the god of peace, fertility, and life. Kāne, the god of creation. Their presence makes the divine real. The current kiʻi are also part of this place's living history. They were carved by modern Native Hawaiian craftsmen. Some were park employees. They brought generations of family knowledge to the sacred task. They make sure the tradition of kālai kiʻi (image carving) continues.

As you explore the lava flats of the Puʻuhonua, you will find other layers of history. The ʻĀleʻaleʻa Heiau (Stop 11) and the Old Heiau Site (Stop 14) are foundations of even older temples. They may be the first ones built here. They show how this has been a center of spiritual power for centuries. Stories tell us that after its religious duties ended, the high platform of ʻĀleʻaleʻa became a place where the aliʻi would relax and watch hula performances.

The stones themselves tell stories. Find the Keōua Stone (Stop 10). It's said to be a favorite resting place of Keōua, a high chief of Kona. And you cannot miss the legend of the Kaʻahumanu Stone (Stop 12). The story goes that Queen Kaʻahumanu, Kamehameha I's favorite and most powerful wife, had a fight with the king. She fled here for refuge. She hid under this very stone. But her little barking dog gave away her location. Thankfully, the two made up. The writer Mark Twain, visiting in 1866, famously laughed at the tale. He noted that the strong, six-foot-tall queen could no more fit under the rock than "pass between the cylinders of a sugar mill." But perhaps, as he thought, she wanted to be found.