Kamakahonu

Kamakahonu, the residence of Kamehameha I, was located at the north end of Kailua Bay in Kailua-Kona on Hawaiʻi Island.

History

Kamehameha I (also known as Kamehameha the Great), who unified the Hawaiian Islands, lived out the last years of his life and instituted some of the most constructive measures of his reign (1810–1819) here. The residential compound included the personal shrine, Ahuena heiau, of the King. The name means "temple of the burning altar" in the Hawaiian language.

His son, the crown prince Liholiho, also lived here, taking the name Kamehameha II. In December 1819, Kalanimoku led an army from here to put down the rebellion of his nephew Kekuaokalani, in the Kuamoo Battle, a few miles to the South.
A battery of 18 cannons and large stone walls protected the fortress-like enclosure around several houses.

Island Governor "John Adams" Kuakini lived at Kamakahonu. He governed the island when the king was away on state affairs to another island and later when the capitol was moved to Lahaina on the island of Maui in 1820.
He later built a Western-style house called Hulihee Palace on the other side of the beach for entertaining visitors.
The bay was called ''Kaiakeakua'' in ancient times meaning "sea of the god", but is now called Kailua Bay.Map of the area from 1953
on the Bishop Museum collection web site

The name ''ka maka honu'' means "the turtle eye" in the Hawaiian Language, after a rock in the shape of a turtle that was located to the left of the present beach.
It was here, within a year of the Kamehameha's death, that the first American Christian missionaries to the Hawaii arrived on April 4, 1820.
The rock where Asa Thurston and Hiram Bingham I landed was later called the "Plymouth Rock of Hawaii".

Today

The point to the north was called Kūkailimoku, which means ''Kū, the thief of the islands'', was named for the war god Kū honored by Kamehameha I. It is now the site of the Kailua lighthouse.

The property is now part of King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel; none of the houses or walls remain. Ahuena heiau was reconstructed in the 1970s and can be viewed, but not entered. Some artifacts can be viewed in the hotel lobby, including a feather cloak and helmet (''mahiole''). The small sandy beach provides a protected beach for launching canoes, and children swimming. The hotel was built on the property in 1960, and was replaced with a new building in 1974. In 2009, the hotel was renovated, and a museum and cultural center were added. The hotel is operated by Courtyard Marriott.

The famous rock was covered over by construction of the pier, and much of the beach was destroyed to construct a seawall for Alii drive in the 1950s.
Cattle pens on the pier were used until 1966. When the deeper harbor was built at Kawaihae cargo traffic moved there.John R. K. Clark, ''Beaches of the Big Island'', Published by University of Hawaii Press, 1985,
This area is the start and finish of the Ironman World Championship Triathlon.

Gallery

File:Aerial view of Kamakahonu pier & beach.JPG, Aerial view of Kamakahonu, pier & beach.
Image:Artifacts in Kona Beach Hotel.jpg, Artifacts on display in the lobby.
Image:Kamakahonu Beach.JPG, The small beach is protected by the pier.
Image:Kona Beach Hotel.jpg, King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel now occupies the site.
File:Kamakahonu - Kamehameha I's hale at twilight.jpg, Kamakahonu - Kamehameha I's hale at twilight. (10/2012)

References

External links

King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel Official Site

{{Hawaiian royal sites

Residential buildings completed in 1812
National Historic Landmarks in Hawaii
Royal residences in Hawaii
Heiau
Hawaii (island)
Houses in Hawaii County, Hawaii
Museums in Hawaii County, Hawaii
Beaches of Hawaii (island)
National Register of Historic Places in Hawaii County, Hawaii
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii