SACRED TEMPLE OF THE BIG ISLAND
In the heart of kailua-kona by the pier, an ancient sacred site exists amid the busy visitor attractions of the seaside village.
A Sacred Site in Historic Kailua Village
Known for centuries as Kamakahonu, this royal compound fronts Courtyard King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel in Historic Kailua Village. The area served as a spiritual center as early as the 1400s.
King Kamehameha I later made Kamakahonu the first capital of the unified Hawaiian Kingdom. He spent his final years here in Kailua-Kona. In 1813, he rebuilt the former sacrificial temple known as Ahuʻena Heiau and dedicated it to Lono, a god associated with peace, agriculture, and abundance.
Kamakahonu and King Kamehameha I
Kamakahonu means “Eye of the Turtle.” During Kamehameha’s reign, the compound included a royal residence, fishponds, gardens, and other important sites. Today, hotel grounds and Kailua Pier cover much of that historic landscape.
Ahuʻena Heiau still remains. In 1975, the late David Kahelemauna Roy helped lead a restoration effort with Bishop Museum. Restoration crews recovered stones from the ocean, where they had rested for more than 100 years after the fall of the old religion in 1819.
The Restoration of Ahuʻena Heiau
The restored Ahu‘ena Heiau features the traditional and sacred attributes of a Hawaiian temple of its stature. Known as “Lananau‘umamao,” the three-tiered oracle tower resembles a smoke stack and represents the high mountain of Mauna Kea. It is made of ‘ohia wood and covered with white tapa cloth known as “‘oloa.” The primary structure, Hale Mana, comprises the most sacred house on the platform. Thatched with tens of thousands of ti leaves, the hale is where the king would have held council with his chiefs and advisors. The dark border of amauu fern identifies it as a chiefly house.
Traditional Features of the Heiau
The restored heiau includes many traditional features of a Hawaiian temple. The three-tiered oracle tower, known as Lananauʻumamao, resembles a smokestack and represents Mauna Kea. Builders made it with ʻōhiʻa wood and covered it with white kapa cloth known as ʻoloa.
The main structure, Hale Mana, is the most sacred house on the platform. This hale is thatched with thousands of tī leaves. Kamehameha would have met there with his chiefs and advisors. A dark border of ʻamaʻu fern marks it as a chiefly house.
Carved images, or kiʻi, represent ancestral gods and guardians. One figure represents Kalaemoku, a healer of diseases. Other guardian images represent lineage, prosperity, and protection.
Ahuʻena Heiau also includes a thatched drum hale and three offering platforms, known as lele. Nearby, a stone platform marks the place where King Kamehameha’s body lay in state after his death in 1819. The location of his burial remains unknown.
The Breaking of the Kapu System
Another major moment in Hawaiian history happened at Kamakahonu after Kamehameha I died. His wife, Queen Kaʻahumanu, and his son, Liholiho, publicly shared food together. This act defied the long-standing kapu system, which had forbidden men and women from eating together.
Their choice changed the course of Hawaiian history. It helped bring an end to the kapu system and led to the destruction of many idols and temples across the islands.
A Sacred Place Surrounded by Modern Kailua-Kona
Ahuʻena Heiau became a National Historic Site in 1964. Today, nonprofit Hawaiian cultural organizations help maintain and protect it.
Although the site holds deep cultural and historical importance, modern Kailua-Kona surrounds it. Hotel grounds, vendors, visitor activities, a nightly lūʻau, Kailua Pier, and the bustle of town now sit around the sacred compound.
When the hotel was built in the 1950s, protections for sacred sites were not what they are today. Still, traditional practitioners continue to worship and make offerings at Ahuʻena Heiau.
Even with the activity of modern Kailua-Kona nearby, Kamakahonu remains a place of deep mana. It continues to reflect the history, spirituality, and legacy of Hawaiian royalty.