Кеалакекуа шығанағы: Гавайи тарихы мен мәдениетінің қазбасы

Bay and historic place in Hawaii County, Hawaii

Kealakekua Bay is located on the Kona coast of the island of Hawaii about 12 mile (19 km) south of Kailua Kona. Settled over a thousand years ago, the surrounding area contains many archeological and historical sites such as religious temples (heiaus) and also includes the spot where the first documented European to reach the Hawaiian islands, Captain James Cook, was killed. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places listings on the island of Hawaii in 1973 as the Kealakekua Bay Historical District. The bay is a marine life conservation district, a popular destination for kayaking, scuba diving, and snorkeling.

Settlement on Kealakekua Bay has a long history. Hikiau Heiau is a luakini temple of Ancient Hawaii located at the south end of the bay, at coordinates Cook recorded the large platform being about 16 feet (5 m) high, 250 feet (76 m) long, and 100 feet (30 m) wide. The sheer cliff face called Ka pali poko—a Manuahi overlooking the bay houses burials of Hawaiian royalty and their accompanied companions and funerary items. The northwestern part of the cliff is called Ka pali kapu o Keoua. The name means "sacred cliffs of Keōua " in honor of Keōua Nui. He was sometimes known as the "father of kings" since many rulers were his descendants. The difficulty in accessing the cliff kept the exact burial places secret. The village of Kaawaloa was at the north end of the bay in ancient times, where the Puhina O Lono Heiau was built, along with some royal residences. The name of the village means "the distant Kava", from the medicinal plant used in religious rituals. The name of the bay comes from ke ala ke kua in the Hawaiian Language which means "the god's pathway." This area was the focus of extensive Makahiki celebrations.

Although there are theories that Spanish or Dutch sailors might have stopped here much earlier, the first documented European to arrive was Captain James Cook. He and his crews on the Resolution and Discovery sighted Kealakekua Bay on the morning of January 17, 1779. He estimated several thousand people lived in the two villages, and many thousand more in the surrounding areas. On January 28, he performed the first Christian service on the islands, for the funeral of a crew member who had died. Kamehameha won control of the west and north sides of the island, but Keōua escaped. It would take over a decade to consolidate Kamehameha's control. In 1786, merchant ships of the King George's Sound Company under command of the maritime fur traders Nathaniel Portlock and Captain George Dixon anchored in the harbor, but avoided coming ashore. They had been on Cook's voyage when he was killed by natives. In December 1788, the Iphigenia under William Douglas arrived with Chief Kaiana, who had already traveled to China. The first American ship was probably the Lady Washington around this time under Captain John Kendrick. Two sailors, Parson Howel and James Boyd, left the ship (in 1790 or when it returned in 1793) and lived on the island. In 1791 Spanish explorer Manuel Quimper visited on the ship Princess Royal. He avoided anchoring in Kealakekua Bay, but met some men in canoes who were interested in trading. The common request was for firearms, which Vancouver resisted. One included chief Kaʻiana, who would later turn against Kamehameha. Vancouver suspected Kaiana intended to seize his ships, so left him behind and headed up the coast. There he was surprised to encounter a Hawaiian who in broken English introduced himself as "Jack", and told of traveling to America on a fur trading ship. Through him, Vancouver met Keeaumoku Pāpaiahiahi, who gave him a favorable impression of Kamehameha (his son in law). He spent the rest of the winter in Oahu. Vancouver left in March 1793 after visiting the other islands to continue his expedition, and returned again January 13, 1794. He still hoped to broker a truce between Kamehameha and the other islands. His first step was to reconcile Kamehameha with Queen Kaahumanu. He dropped off more cattle and sheep from California, and discovered a cow left the year before had delivered a calf. The cattle became feral and eventually became pests. They were not controlled until the "Hawaiian cowboys", known as the paniolo, were recruited. The ship's carpenters instructed the Hawaiians and the British advisers how to build a 36 feet (11 m) European style ship, which they named the Britania. On February 25, 1794, Vancouver gathered leaders from around the island onto his ship and negotiated a treaty. Although this treaty was sometimes described as "ceding" Hawaii to Great Britain, the treaty was never ratified by the British parliament. The wood Kii carvings were burned, and the temples fell into disrepair. A small Christian church was built in 1824 in Kaawaloa by the Hawaiian missionaries, and the narrow trail widened to a donkey cart road in the late 1820s, but the population declined due largely to introduced diseases and people shifted to other areas. In 1825, Admiral Lord Byron (cousin of the famous poet) on the ship erected a monument to Cook and took away many of the old, sacred artifacts. The last royalty known to live here was high chief Naihe, known as the "national orator," and his wife Chiefess Kapiolani, early converts to Christianity. In 1829, she was saddened to see that the destruction of the temples included desecrating the bones of her ancestors at the Puuhonua o Hōnaunau. She removed the remains of the old chiefs and hid them in the Pali Kapu O Keōua cliffs before ordering this last temple to be destroyed. The bones were later moved to the Royal Mausoleum of Hawaii in 1858, under direction of King Kamehameha IV. In 1839 a massive stone church was built just south of the bay. It fell into ruin, and a smaller building called Kahikolu Church was built in 1852. This also fell into ruin, but has been rebuilt. In 1894 a wharf was constructed at the village at the south of the bay, now called Napoopoo. A steamer landed in the early 20th century when Kona coffee became a popular crop in the upland areas. It marks the approximate location of Cook's death. It is located at coordinates
The Cook monument is unreachable by road; this remote location is accessible only by water or an hour long hike along a moderately steep trail. Many visitors have rented kayaks and paddled across the bay, about 1.5 mile (2 km) from its southern end. State conservation regulations prohibit kayaks, stand up paddleboards, surfboards, and bodyboards from entering the bay unless part of a tour with a licensed local operator. The pier at Napoopoo can be accessed down a narrow road off the Hawaii Belt Road. The beach sand was mostly removed by Hurricane Iniki in 1992. Boat tours are also available, leaving from Honokōhau harbor, Keauhou Bay, and the Kailua pier. A short single day eruption of Mauna Loa volcano took place underwater within Kealakekua Bay in 1877, and within a mile of the shoreline; curious onlookers approaching the area in boats reported unusually turbulent water and occasional floating blocks of hardened lava. Hawaiian spinner dolphins frequent Kealakekua Bay, especially in the morning. The bay serves as a place for them to rest and feed, and as a nursery for mothers and their calves. Due to the calm water conditions, extensive coral reef, and thriving underwater life, Kealakekua Bay offers some of the best snorkeling and diving in Hawaii, especially in the shallow waters adjacent to the monument. The bay is a protected marine environment so visitors can snorkel but no fishing is allowed in this area. About around the bay was designated a State Historic Park in 1967, and it was added as a Historic District to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 as site 73000651. A narrow one lane road to the south leads to Puuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park, which contains more historic sites.

Mark Twain's Roughing It mentions Kealakekua Bay and the killing of Captain Cook in Chapter 71. In Arthur C. Clarke's book Rendezvous with Rama, Kealakekua Bay is mentioned as a place where Bill Norton, the Commander of the Space Survey Vessel Endeavour, visited. The 1933 song "My Little Grass Shack in Kealakekua, Hawaii" mentions the state fish which can be found in the bay: the Humuhumunukunukuapuaa (Reef triggerfish).