Kealakekua Bay

[
heiau at Kealakekua Bay, by William Ellis] Kealakekua Bay is located on the Kona coast of the island of Hawai'i about 12 miles south of Kailua-Kona.cite web | url = http://www.coralreefnetwork.com/reefs/hawaii/kbay/kbay.htm | title = Coral Reef Network | publisher = coralreefnetwork.com ]

The sheer cliff face overlooking the bay was once the burial place of native Hawaiian royalty. A child would be given the bones of the deceased royalty to place in one of the many volcanic holes in the cliff and the child would then be lowered by a rope down the cliff face. Once the bones were buried, the rope was cut, sending the child to his or her death and keeping the location of the burial a secret. It was considered an honor to be chosen for this task.

The area is a marine life conservation district, outlawing fishing there and making it a popular area for diving and snorkeling.

Captain Cook

Captain James Cook and his ships, the "Resolution" and "Discovery", first sighted Kealakekua Bay on the morning of January 17, 1779. Unbeknownst to him, he had entered the bay during the height of a local religious festival in honor of the god Lono. Some Hawaiians believed Cook was an incarnation of Lono since his ships resembled a symbol used to represent Lono. Cook and his crew stayed for several weeks, returning to sea shortly after the end of the festival; but after suffering damage during a storm, the ships returned two weeks later on February 14, 1779. After some Hawaiians took one of Resolution's small boats, Cook attempted to lure a Hawaiian chief aboard until the boat should be returned. A skirmish ensued during which Cook was struck in the head and stabbed, on nearly the very spot where he had first set foot on the island. A large white stone monument to Cook, deeded to the United Kingdom and off-limits to private boaters due to the possibility of damage to the reef, marks the approximate location.cite web | url = http://www.letsgo-hawaii.com/captcook/ | title = Let's Go Hawaii | publisher = letsgo-hawaii.com]

Notes

In Arthur C. Clarke's book Rendezvous with Rama, Kealakekua Bay is mentioned as a place where the Commander of the Space Survey Vessel Endeavour, Bill Norton, visited.

References

External links

* [http://www.to-hawaii.com/big-island/beaches/kealakekua-bay.php Kealakekua Bay review]