Huna Kalani in Kealakekua, Hawaii
Pocket Paradise © Martyn Kahekili Carruthers

Online Huna & Ho'oponopono . Hawaiian Shamanism

The Pacific Ocean has long been home to a great seafaring race. Moving eastward from Indonesia, people now called Polynesians discovered and colonized islands scattered across the huge ocean. They brought their language, customs and gods to live in delicate harmony between land and sea.

I studied with many native Hawaiian kahuna and kupuna ... I thank Papa Henry, George Naope, Miriam Baker, Margaret Machado, Mona Kahele, John Kaimikaua and Daddy Bray for their incredible knowledge and wisdom that I and my friends integrated into a cohesive whole (see Awaiku).

Kealakekua is a reminder of another Hawaii. With a 1000 foot (300m) cliff on one side, a stony beach on another, dense jungle behind and an ancient temple to the south. It is a pocket paradise on Big Island. You may feel hooked from your first view from the end of the Napo'opo'o road in the village of Kahikolu.

Captain Cook and Lono

Both a paved road and a wild road accesses Kealakekua Bay - and it's a good idea to avoid driving on the wild road, unless you have a four-wheel drive vehicle. Across the bay is the monument to Captain James Cook, RN ... near the approximate place where Cook was killed by angry people who had previously considered him to be a manifestation of the god Lono.

Kealakekua provides a refuge for people like us who want to avoid the twenty-first century for a while. But don't expect to be showered with aloha if you trespass on kapu (private) property. You don't want to experience the mana of irritated Hawaiians! Honor their privacy, and, as you walk around Kealakekua, remember that the banana, avocado and citrus trees and their fruit all belong to someone.

Kealakekua Bay includes an incredible underwater park. I have seen giant barracuda here but I have only heard about schools (shoals?) of hammerhead sharks, I am happy to say.

Practical Tips for Kealakekua

Pack in fresh water. I suggest one gallon (4 L) per person. After a long walk in the heat - you will want it, and having some left over is much better than not having enough. Been there ... done that ... got the dehydration.

There are no public footpaths from the access road to Cook's monument. Pack a lunch and rent a kayak. If you wish, take a mask snorkel and fins (and a plastic noodle if you are not a good swimmer) ... and shoes (not beach slippers) that can cope with the terrible acacia thorns!

Kealakekua History

Kealakekua history records the death of Captain Cook, where a monument to his memory now stands. Captain Cook arrived in Kealakekua Bay during a festival dedicated to the god Lono-i-ka-makahiki. The Hawaiians decorated the festivities with symbols of white banners, which resembled the masts and sails of Captain Cook's ship. About 10,000 Hawaiians were attending.

James Colnett was a master on one of Captain Cook's ships at Kealakekua. His journal reads: one of the chiefs was a priest, attended with the Taboo Rods & a white Flag at each end of the pendant stick was a bunch of green Bows. He included a sketch. Colnett MS: 17 January, 1788

The Hikiau heiau (pre-Christian Hawaiian temple) is where Captain Cook was apparently deified. To the north of the heiau is a fresh-water pond and the ruins of a village. A lovely sandy beach was washed away by hurricane Iniki in 1992, although many writers of tourist guides haven't noticed yet.

Captain Cook sailed from Kealakekua Bay but returned after a storm. The Hawaiians stole Cook's cutter - a valued possession. Cook took a Chief as hostage until his cutter was returned - but in old Hawaii a chief was extremely sacred. During a struggle, the Hawaiian natives killed Cook on Feb. 14, 1779. His body was ... poetically and physically ... cooked (as part of normal death rites - not as food).

Why not meditate here, under the palm trees, with the sound of surf and a cool trade wind? Try to visualize an old village called Ka’awaloa and sandy beaches strewn with canoes. Try to imagine yourself as a native Hawaiian ... in a remote community at the base of a cliff at the edge of a forest ...

Ride the Tide ...

The waves on the beach at at Kealakekua hide an underwater park. Unless you are a strong swimmer, however, rent a kayak and paddle across to the north side, by Cook's monument. (Note that a government sign warns you that it is illegal to molest a dolphin or a turtle. Work it out.)

On the north side of the bay from the access road is the end of a TOUGH walk or drive from the village of Captain Cook. If you decide to hike in - prepare carefully. It's a strenuous walk for fit people. Unless you are blessed with a 4-wheel drive vehicle, by the time you return to Captain Cook village, you can expect tired legs and a sunset that you will remember. (I recommend the Manago Hotel restaurant.)

Hawaiian Spirituality . Ho'oponopono . Huna, Healing and Ohana . Kumulipo . Awaiku

Will you come with us to Kealakekua? Will you sit with us under the palm trees and learn huna kalani by the sea? Will you meditate with us by the ancient Hawaiian heiau?

Why not join us in Hawaii? Our classrooms are beaches, forests and volcano craters. We can help you make Hawaii a journey of a lifetime. E komo mai - welcome - come with us to the most beautiful, most sacred (and most haunted) places on Big Island.

Or will you help us bring Hawaii to you? Do you want to heal your life?
We help people recover this ancient magic.

Plagiarism is theft © Martyn Carruthers, 2000-2012 All rights reserved.

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