but keep in mind it’s an active parish; most services are at 7 or 7:15am, with one afternoon Mass celebrated at 4pm Sat.
84-5140 Painted Church Rd., Captain Cook. thepaintedchurchhawaii.org. 808/328-2227. From Kailua-Kona, take Hwy. 11 south 20 miles to a right on Rte. 160. Go 1 mile to the 1st turnoff on the right, opposite from a King Kamehameha sign. Follow the narrow, winding road about ¼-mile to church sign and turn right. Free.
Puuhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park HISTORIC SITE With its fierce, haunting carved idols known as ki’i—the Hawaiian word for tiki—this sacred, 420-acre site on the black-lava Kona Coast certainly looks forbidding. To ancient Hawaiians, it served as a 16th-century place of refuge (pu’uhonua), providing sanctuary for defeated warriors and kapu (taboo) violators. A great rock wall—1,000 feet long, 10 feet high, and 17 feet thick—defines the refuge. On the wall’s north end is Hale O Keawe Heiau, which holds the bones of 23 Hawaiian chiefs. Other finds include a royal compound, burial sites, old trails, and a portion of the ancient village of Kiileae (a 2-mile hike). You can learn about thatched huts, canoes, and idols on a self-guided tour, but try to make one of the free daily ranger talks at 10:30am, 1:30pm, and 2:30pm in a covered amphitheater. Sunday through Thursday, cultural practitioner Kahakaio Ravenscraft demonstrates traditional crafts like creating kapa cloth. Note: Only bottled water is sold in the park, but there are picnic tables on the sandy stretch of the south side.
Puuhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park
Hwy. 160, Honaunau. www.nps.gov/puho. 808/328-2288. From Kailua-Kona, take Hwy. 11 south 20 miles to a right on Hwy. 160. Head 3½ miles and turn left at park sign. $15 per vehicle; $10 per motorcycle; $7 per person on foot or bicycle; good for 7 days. Visitor center daily 8:30am–4:30pm; park daily 7am–sunset.
South Kohala
Hamakua Macadamia Nut Factory FACTORY TOUR The self-guided tour of shelling, roasting, and other processing that results in flavored macadamia nuts and confections is not that compelling if production has stopped for the day, so go before 3pm or plan to watch a video to get caught up. But who are we kidding—it’s really all about the free tastings here, generous samples of big, fresh nuts in island flavors such as chili “peppah,” Spam, and Kona-coffee glazed. Outside the hilltop factory warehouse are picnic tables with an ocean view.
61-3251 Maluokalani St., Kawaihae. www.hawnnut.com. 888/643-6688 or 808/882-1690. Free. Daily 9am–5:30pm. From Kawaihae Harbor, take Hwy. 270 north ¾-mile, turn right on Maluokalani St., factory is on right.
Kohala Petroglyph Fields ROCK CARVINGS Hawaiian petroglyphs are an enigma of the Pacific—no one knows who made them or why. They appear at 135 different sites on six inhabited islands, but most are found on the Big Island, and include images of dancers and paddlers, fishermen and chiefs, and tools of daily life such as fish hooks and canoes. The most common depictions are family groups, while some petroglyphs depict post–European contact objects such as ships, anchors, horses, and guns. Simple circles with dots were used to mark the puka, or holes, where parents would place their child’s umbilical cord (piko).
Sweet on chocolate
Tucked between coffee orchards in the uplands of Keauhou, the Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory, 78-6772 Makenawai St., Kailua-Kona (www.ohcf.us; 888/447-2626 and 808/322-2626) began growing cacao in 1993. It was the first in the islands to produce 100% Hawaiian chocolate. The 1-hour walking tour ($20 adults, free for kids under 12) includes the orchard, small factory, and chocolate sampling, plus the option to buy the expensive but delectable chocolate bars and pieces shaped like plumeria flowers. Tours are at 9am Wednesday and 9 and 11am Friday by reservation only; book well in advance. The factory store is open Tuesday through Friday from 10am to 3pm.
The largest concentration of these stone symbols in the Pacific lies in the 233-acre Puako Petroglyph Archaeological Preserve next to the Fairmont Orchid, Hawaii, at the Mauna Lani Resort. Some 3,000 designs have been identified. The 1.5-mile Malama Trail through a kiawe field to the large, reddish lava field starts north of the hotel, makai side. Take Highway 19 to the resort turnoff and drive toward the coast on North Kaniku Drive, which ends at the Holoholokai Beach parking lot; the trailhead on your right is marked by a sign and interpretive kiosk. Go in the early morning or late afternoon when it’s cooler; bring water, wear shoes with sturdy soles (to avoid kiawe thorns), and stay on the trail.
Local expert Kaleiula Kaneau leads a free 1-hour tour of the petroglyphs near the Kings’ Shops in the Waikoloa Beach Resort Thursdays and Fridays at 9:30am; meet lakeside by Island Fish & Chips. You can also follow the signs to the trail through the petroglyph field on your own, but be aware that the trail is exposed, uneven, and rough; wear closed-toe shoes, a hat, and sunscreen.
Note: The petroglyphs are thousands of years old and easily destroyed. Do not walk on them or take rubbings (the Puako preserve has a replica petroglyph you may use instead). The best way to capture a petroglyph is with a photo in the late afternoon when the shadows are long.
Puukohola Heiau National Historic Site HISTORIC SITE This seacoast temple, called “the hill of the whale,” is the single most imposing and dramatic structure of the early Hawaiians, built by Kamehameha I from 1790 to 1791. The heiau stands 224 feet long by 100 feet wide, with three narrow terraces on the seaside and an amphitheater to view canoes. Kamehameha built this temple to Ku, the war god, after a prophet told him he would conquer and unite the islands if he did so. He also slayed his cousin on the site, and 4 years later fulfilled his kingly goal. The site includes a visitor center; a smaller heiau-turned-fort; the homestead of John Young (a British seaman who became a trusted advisor of Kamehameha); and, offshore, the submerged ruins of what is believed to be Hale O Kapuni, a shrine dedicated to the shark gods or guardian spirits called ’aumakua. (You can’t see the temple, but shark fins are often spotted slicing through the waters.) Paved trails lead around the complex, with restricted access to the heiau.
62-3601 Kawaihae Rd. (Hwy. 270, makai side, south of Kawaihae Harbor). www.nps.gov/puhe. 808/882-7218. Free. Daily 7:30am–4:45pm.
North Kohala
It takes some effort to reach the Kohala Historical Sites State Monument , but for those with 4WD vehicles or the ability to hike 3 miles round-trip, visiting the windswept, culturally important site on the on the island’s northern tip may be worth it. The 1,500-year-old Mookini Heiau, once used by kings to pray and offer human sacrifices, is among the oldest, largest (the size of a football field), and most significant shrines in Hawaii. It’s off a coastal dirt road, 1½ miles southwest of Upolu Airport (hdlnr.hawaii.gov/dsp/parks/hawaii; Thurs–Tues 9am–8pm; free admission).
