Pu'uhonua o Honaunau

A pu'uhonua is a sacred place of refuge for those defeated warriors or any person who violated the kapu for which death is the penalty. To get to this one, you have to swim the Honaunau Bay and hope the sharks don't eat you (said Charles, our tour guide). If you reached the pu'uhonua, you were safe. The holy priests would absolve all wrongdoings and allow you to return to your life and family. King Kamehameha II abolished these old practices in 1819 when he saw that the world was changing.



A great wall separates the pu'uhonua from the royal grounds. The wall, as well as the stone platforms - heiau - were built from stones fitted together without any mortar. Some of the stones are enormous and weigh tons - there is no record of how these stones were moved. Our guide Charles says it could have been the menehune. The temple and living huts inside the wall were built on top of the heiau.

Archeologists opened the wall to study its construction. They put it back together using modern methods. After the repaired section of the wall failed in a tsunami, it was repaired again using concrete and chain link. The original sections of the wall remain intact.


A cape of ti leaves sheds rain and provides warmth. Ti leaves are also tied into the lau and used in the traditional hukilau.


The papamu is a stone playing board in the game of konane. It is a game of strategy and was used to settle disputes. The stakes for this game were generally land, wife or life.

I was moved deeply to be on those ancient grounds, moved to tears. Our guide Charles was kind and funny as he led us through the tour, and he shared his own stories and jokes as we walked with him. Rick teased him at the start, so Charles made him the example in his story of exile throughout the tour. It was all in good fun and, I'm told, consistent with the Hawaiian culture. Rick was much at home for the entire trip and was very patient as he translated and taught me the language. It was a beautiful, amazing experience.

Sherri