This tall white obelisk in Kaʻawaloa Cove is visible from a mile away at Kealakekua Bay. It marks the spot where Captain Cook was killed in an armed confrontation with Hawaiians in 1779. In 1877, as an act of diplomacy, the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi deeded the land that the monument stands on to Britain (so yes: this is technically British soil). Behind lie some scattered stones and foundation marks, the ruins of the ancient village of Kaʻawaloa.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
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7.32 MILES
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8.15 MILES
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Kona Coffee Living History Farm
1.47 MILES
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4.34 MILES
A pulpit with a view, gravestones cradled by tropical blooms and a little chapel with floor-to-ceiling 'outsider art' make this church a picturesque side…
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4.27 MILES
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Nearby attractions
0.61 MILES
Above Kealakekua Bay, the 'sacred cliffs of Keoua' were named for a chief and rival of Kamehameha I. Several high, inaccessible caves in these cliffs…
0.99 MILES
Veer right at the base of Napoʻopoʻo Rd to reach this broad stone platform temple dedicated to war god Ku that was Kealakekua's religious center. In front…
3. Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park
1.05 MILES
Beautiful, historic Kealakekua Bay is scalloped out of the mountains, a deep-blue half moon set against a low lava point to the north, tall reddish pali …
1.06 MILES
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5. Kona Coffee Living History Farm
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2 MILES
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Housed in one of Kona's oldest buildings, this museum is a taste of 19th-century Hawaiʻi. Built in 1875 and meticulously restored, it has educational…
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