Hibiscus
Kona is located on the west side of Hawaii's Big Island and stretches up the coast. Rich in history and natural beauty, Kona offers travelers many sightseeing, historic, shopping and relaxing options. It is most famous for the coffee grown in the volcanic soil of Kona's uplands along a 20-mile strip elevated between 1,000 and 1,400 feet above sea level. You can see tha,t too.
Puuhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park
In south Kona you can visit the 180-acre Puuhonua o Honaunau National Park, where Hawaii's ancient culture becomes palpable. It was originally home to Hawaii's royal chiefs and offered shelter to women, children and noncombatants during times of war. It also was a sacred place of refuge for ancient Hawaiian lawbreakers who wished to avoid execution. Today, visitors can walk the park grounds and see the Great Wall (10 feet high, 17 feet thick), large wooden images of gods guarding a sacred temple that once held the bones of deceased Hawaiian chiefs and shorelines of black lava rock. The Royal Grounds nearby include Keoneele Cove, where the canoes of Hawaiian royalty landed, and heiau, a sacred place of worship.
Kailua-Kona
At the heart of the Kona Coast is Kailua-Kona, where visitors can find shops, restaurants and historic sites. Just off Alii Drive, the main drag, you can check out the Kailua Pier, where the Ironman Triathalon starts and finishes every year; Hulihee Palace, now a museum of Victorian artifacts from the Kalakaua Dynasty, the reigning family of the the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1874 to 1893; and Mokuaikaua Church, the oldest Christian church in Hawaii founded in 1820. King Kamehameha lived near the Kona Beach Hotel until his death in 1819 and reconstructed a temple called the Ahuena Heiau, now registered as a National Historic Landmark. Kailua-Kona is a must for those interested in Hawaii's past.
Holualoa
Stroll through a village on the coffee belt called Holualoa, located on the slope of Hualalai volcano just above Kailua-Kona off of Mamalahoa Highway. Within two blocks under the shade of a lush landscape, you can visit art galleries, quaint shops, a general store, vintage gas station, church, post office and the Kona Hotel. It's hot pink. Be sure to stop in the Holuakoa Café to get a cup of Kona coffee; it is grown right in town.
Kealakekua Bay
Go scuba diving, snorkeling, kayaking and swimming in Kealakekua Bay, a Marine Life Conservation District south of Kailua-Kona. You can see everything from coral to colorful schools of fish to spinner dolphins. It's also where Capt. James Cook, the first European to make contact with the native Hawaiians, was killed in 1779. The event is marked by a white obelisk in Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park.
Tags: coffee grown, Historical Park, Honaunau National, Puuhonua Honaunau, Puuhonua Honaunau National