Charles Lindbergh, the first man to fly nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean, moved to remote Kipahulu in 1968. After being diagnosed with terminal cancer, he decided to forgo treatment on the mainland and he lived out his final days here. Following his death in 1974, Lindbergh was buried in the graveyard of Palapala Hoʻomau Congregational Church. The church is also noted for its window painting of a Polynesian Christ draped in the red-and-yellow feather capes of Hawaii’s highest chiefs.
Lindbergh’s grave is a simple granite slab laid upon lava stones in the yard behind the church. The epitaph is a quote from the Bible: ‘If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea.’ Walk seaward and you’ll find a viewpoint aimed at those uttermost parts.
To find the church, turn left 350yd south of the Hana Hwy's 41-mile marker and follow the road a short distance. The church is at the end of a long driveway on the left.
There's a pretty park in the grounds to relax in, with beautiful views onto the rugged coastline.
