HULIHE’E PALACE, Kona, Hawaii, A Peek at Hawaii's Royal Past

Hulihe'e Palace, Kona, Hawaii, is a heritage site of Hawaii.

On Alii Drive in the center of Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii is Hulihe’e Palace, an elegant historic structure, one of  the few reminders of Hawaii’s past amongst the many tourist hotels and eateries around Kailua Bay.

Hulihe’e Palace was built using lava rock, coral lime mortar, koa and 'ohi'a wood. It was completed in 1838.

Examples of historic Hawaiian houses.

For centuries, the west part of the island of Hawaii has been associated with royal chiefs. The land on which Hulihe'e Palace sits was once part of a traditional homestead developed by King Kamekameha in the early 1800s. Grass houses (hale pili) once stood on the grounds along with a pavilion and a two story bungalow.

Statue of King Kamekameha in his royal finery.

Kamekameha's brother-in-law Kuakini built Hulihee Palace in 1838 as his royal residence. It is the oldest building on the island except for the Congregational Church on the opposite side of the road.

View of Mokuaikaua Church from front door of Hulihe'e Palace. It is the oldest Christian church in Hawaii. The congregation dates to 1820 and the building to 1837.

A number of the royal family inhabited Hulihe'e until 1914, when it was sold to a non-royal, Bathsheba Allen. She died a month later and the house was vacant for ten years. In 1925,  Hulihe’e was bought by the state of Hawaii with the purpose of preserving it as a museum. It is operated and maintained by the Daughters of Hawaii.

The Royal Lineages of Hawaii (Bishop Museum).

I visited the museum during my recent visit to Hawaii. I made a reservation online, but if the museum isn’t crowded, walk-in visitors are welcome. (Before going inside, you must leave your shoes on the porch--or wear booties over your shoes--to protect the beautifully polished dark wooden floors.)

From the ocean front lanai you can view directly across Kailua Bay to a site known as Kamakahomu. This is where Kamekameha I lived out the rest of his days after he consolidated the kingdom. The many ancient temples and royal residences have been replaced by hotels, restaurants and shops that line Kailua Bay. (The Kamekameha Hotel nearby was the site of my husband’s conference during our visit to Hawaii.)

Shark skin drum (paha). The paha is one of the most important instruments used to accompany the hula.

After confirming my reservation at Hulihe'e Palace, I received a brochure for a self-guided tour. On the main floor are the entry hall, parlor and dining room. The parlor, known as the Kuakini room, displays items such as bark cloth, wooden bowls, stone fishhooks, and other items used by traditional Hawaiians prior to modern times. 

Tapa (bark cloth) with bamboo block prints.

Feather cape.

The extinct O’o bird was prized for its few yellow feathers. Skilled bird catchers collected the feathers by listening and observing the birds and identifying the branches on which the birds would land. They spread sap on the branches to catch the birds. They then removed the yellow feathers, cleaned the sap off the bird’s feet and let it go. Feathers were used in helmets, capes, leis, or tall royal standards called kahili. The feathers are a symbol of Hawaiian royalty.

Princess Ruth Ke’elikolani in Western style clothes.

 

The upper floor of the Hulihe’e Palace consists of a sitting room and two bedrooms. In the sitting room are mounted portraits of the royal residents of Hulihe'e and a chart of the lineage of the royal family.
In 1887 Queen Kapi'olani traveled to England for Queen Victoria's Jubilee Celebration.  

This large wooden box made from the trunk of a coconut tree with a lid and legs of a koa tree was the hat box of Princess Ruth Ke’elikolani. She was the longest royal owner of Hulihe’e. 

Wooden hat box in the bedroom of Ruth Ke'elikolani.

The second bedroom is dedicated to Prince David and Priness Abigail Kawananakoa. As some of the last royal owners, Prince David and his wife visited Hulihe'e on their honeymoon in the early 20th century. This royal line thrives today and the family graciously loans many items to this room for display.

On my visit to Hulihe'e Palace I loved learning about the royal inhabitants of the palace and their history, and I especially enjoyed the Kuakini room with examples of crafts and everyday items from the time before Europeans came to Hawaii. If you are visiting Kona and have an afternoon free, a visit to Hulihe'e Palace is well worth the time. 

For more information go to the Hulihe'e Palace website.

One enters the palace grounds through an ornate iron gate.

 

FROM MAI TAIS TO MAHI MAHI: Eating Out on the Big Island of Hawaii

Mai Tai at Jackie Rey's, Kona, Hawaii

When you get a slice of pineapple in your drink, you know you are in Hawaii. For a long time Art and I have been making regular trips to the Big Island of Hawaii, where he attends a meeting every three years. (While he is at the meeting, I enjoy being a tourist.) In our search for good places to eat we have tried out various restaurants, returning to our favorites. 

Hilo

Sushi at the Hilo Bay Cafe

Our favorite restaurant on the whole island is the Hilo Bay Café, located in a former boat house on the bay in Hilo. We had dinner there on the first night of our recent trip to Hawaii. (We made a reservation a week ahead of time.)The food is fresh and the menu original, featuring, not surprisingly, seafood.

Our hotel that first night was The Inn at Kulaniapia Falls, about a fifteen minute drive outside of Hilo past fruit and nut orchards and fields of purple sweet potatoes. Breakfast, which was included, was served on a deck overlooking their own private waterfall. We chose our food from the menu the night before (eggs, bacon, toast, fresh pineapple.)

Breakfast patio with view of waterfall below.

The next day, after a morning at the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, we headed for the food stand where we have eaten on previous trips called What's Shakin just a mile up the road, but when we discovered that it is closed on Sundays, we went back to Hilo and got tasty pork barbecue sandwiches from a shop across from the Hilo Farmer’s Market.  

Kona

Our hotel in Kona, the Royal Kona Resort

The rest of our trip was spent in Kona, where most of the restaurants, especially on Alii Drive, the main street along the waterfront, cater to tourists. Our first night, after enjoying complimentary mai tais at our hotel, the Royal Kona Resort, we ate at a nearby restaurant, Thai Rin, sitting on the outside patio watching the sun set. We ordered fresh spring rolls and pad thai and had more than enough food. 

Crab cakes at Jackie Rey's

Two of our dinners in Kona were at Jackie Rey's Ohana Grill Kona, a more upscale but casual restaurant located away from the tourist strip. (There is also a Jackie Rey's restaurant in Hilo.)

Linguini with clams, Jackie Rey's

Another night on this trip we met friends at Sushi Cocoro, a small hole in the wall café, just off Alii drive, chosen because it was near the conference hotel. The food wasn't that great, but at least the restaurant wasn't noisy, so it was fine for talking.

Ba-le Kona Restaurant was our discovery of this trip. Located in a strip mall just a few blocks from the beach, the atmosphere is like a diner. Both times we ate there all the other customers appeared to be locals. The main dishes they offer are Pho (large bowls of noodle soup) and delicious pork sandwiches Vietnamese style, made on freshly baked French rolls. 

Across the street from Ba-le in another strip mall are the Island Corner Café (75-5595 Palani Rd STE A-10, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740) and Land L Drive Inn--L and L Hawaiian Barbecue, where we went for breakfast. Both are open early, an advantage when coming from the U.S. and waking up early because of the three hour time difference--or more if you are not from the West Coast. 

Waiting for the sun to set at Lava Lava Beach Club.

On several of our previous trips we ate dinner at Lava Lava Beach Club, the perfect place to watch the sunset and listen to Hawaiian music while enjoying our drinks and meal. Some of the tables are literally on the sand. It is in Waikoloa Village, about a half hour drive from Kona.

You can't go to Hawaii without having poke (pronounced PO-kay), raw fish cut into small cubes and flavored with various spices, often served with rice and vegetables as a poke bowl. In Kona we have gotten poke at Umeke's, both to take out from their fish market, and to eat in.

For snacks to eat in our room, we went to one of the convenient ABC stores along Alii Drive. And at the Farmer's Market in Kona (Wed-Sun), we bought a supply of macadamia nuts to bring home as gifts and souvenirs. 

Hawaiian food is basically American food, with a tropical twist. There is no shortage of places to eat or buy food in Hawaii. You may have your favorites. These are some of ours.

 

IMAGES OF HAWAII'S PAST: PETROGLYPHS AT WAIKOLOA on the Big Island of Hawaii

On our recent visit to the Big Island of Hawaii, we stopped to view the Waikoloa Petroglyph Preserve, a historic site sandwiched between condominiums and golf course fairways,  a short walk from the Waikoloa shopping center. A sign with the following information greeted us at the beginning of the path through the petroglyph field:

This collection of images engraved in stone is one of the major concentrations of ancient rock carvings (petroglyphs) in the Hawaiian Islands. Boundaries were not crossed casually in old Hawaii, and the thousands of surface carvings, just north of the border between the ancient kingdoms of Kohala and Kona, suggest that many may have a religious or commemorative meaning to the event of crossing that border.

Groups waiting for permission to cross, or armies poised to defend the border or attack it, made simple encampments using cave shelters and rock wall windbreaks. Some of the “C”-shaped windbreaks may still be seen in an unrepaired state.

Most petroglyphs were made with a sharp stone held as a chisel and struck with a hammer stone; the lines being further incised with a sharp rock fragment. Others were made by rubbing a blunt stone against a lava surface, or by bruising the surface by pounding, breaking the natural glaze which forms on cooling lava to reveal the granular interior. Erosion of the edges has blurred the most ancient carvings, and some damage has been caused by persons making rubbings (a practice not permitted without special permission.)

We can only speculate about the meanings of the petroglyphs. Some of the information given to early western observers is contradictory, perhaps deliberately misleading to preserve the secrecy of meanings not intended to be shared. But these carvings were not idle “doodling.” In the Polynesian world, every expression had significance and purpose. The pictorial images may have commemorated events, or served as representations or guardian spirits carved as prayer objects, or they may have been heraldic devices of clans. 

Concentrations of dots, lines, and circles may have recorded the number of persons in a group, or days of travel, or prayers made, or the number of trips made past this place, as an indelible communication to posterity. Here, travelers might come upon the signature of an ancestor, and add their marks.

The presence of Hawaiian names in Roman letters, of dates, and of images of sailing ships and horses, poignantly marks a time of change. The most recent carving is more than a century old. Because the trail was primarily used by commoners, these carvings may not have profound relevance to the main events of ancient Hawaii. But all petroglyphs are treasured as enigmatic but tangible evidence of the old culture, irreplaceable and priceless.

Transcribed from information sign at Waikoloa.

The Waikoloa Petroglyph Field is located between two golf course fairways, a short walk from the parking area and gas station adjacent to the Waikoloa shopping center. Go to the link to see photos and detailed instructions on how to get to the site. Be sure to wear a hat and sun protection. There is no shade on the petroglyph field and the sun can be hot, especially at midday.

NATURE AS ARTIST: HAWAII TROPICAL BOTANICAL GARDEN, Hilo, HawaII

Malay Rose at the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, Hilo, Hawaii

One of our favorite places on the Big Island of Hawaii is the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden near Hilo, a treasure trove of tropical plants from around the world. We visit the garden every time we are in Hawaii and I have written about it numerous times on this blog. (See links below for reports and photos from previous trips.) 

The giant leaves of this fan palm explode in a geometrical pattern.

No matter how many times we visit, it is always a new experience depending on the weather, time of day, and the constantly changing growth cycle of the plants. On this trip I was struck once again by the incredible variety of nature-- from big to small, simple to complex, subtle to brilliant, patterns of all kinds—all juxtaposed in the lush background of the steep coastal canyon. It was hard to stop taking pictures, each one becoming another canvas in nature’s art gallery. Here are just a few of my favorites!

The flower on this plant is like a tiny, elegant vase complete with its own blossom

The basket fern encircles the trunk of a tree, like a giant green bowl.

The brilliant blossom on the powder puff tree is hard to miss.

 Look closely at the center of each bloom for what looks like a tiny face. This is just one of hundreds of varieties of orchids displayed throughout the garden.

A tiny lizard is hiding in this flower. Can you find it? It wasn't until I looked at the photo after I got home that I saw it.

These are among dozens of varieties of ginger displayed in the garden.

These leaves overlap one another like an abstract painting.

The dark dots and stripes almost seem to be painted on these leaves, as if they were made of  ceramic.

The colors of this heliconia bloom are almost glow-in-the-dark. The plants are sometimes called lobster claws.

I love how the names of the plants often reflect how they look. Not surprisingly, this flower is called cat's whiskers.

Tickets to enter the garden are purchased at the gift shop next to the parking area. An annex to the gift shop has interesting displays of items collected by the Lutkenhouse family (who built and founded the garden) that reveal some of the early history of the area. Dan and Pauline Lutkenhouse founded the garden in 1978 and opened it to the public in 1984. It is now operated as a non-profit corporation. Admission for a day is $25 for adults, children ages 6 - 16 are $12. Children under 6 are free.

Directions: The Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden is located on the 4-mile scenic drive off of Highway 19 (turn off just after the 7 mile marker). The scenic route goes through dense rainforest. This side of the Big Island is the rainy side, and, in fact, there was a small shower just before we arrived at the garden on our recent visit. (The gift shop provides umbrellas if needed.) But, whatever the weather or time of day, the garden is always worth a visit.

Report of our visit in 2015: https://theintrepidtourist.blogspot.com/2015/05/hawaii-tropical-botanical-garden-hilo.html

Report from 2012: https://theintrepidtourist.blogspot.com/2012/04/hawaiis-big-island-hilo-side.html

PLACE OF REFUGE on the BIG ISLAND OF HAWAII by Caroline Arnold at The Intrepid Tourist

 52 Places to Go: Week 22

Place of Refuge, National Historical Park, Hawaii

When I am on the Big Island of Hawaii, one of my favorite places to visit is Pu’uhonua o Honaunau, the Place of Refuge, a 45 minute drive south of Kona. At the edge of the ocean, it is the perfect place for a picnic lunch, exploring tide pools, and learning about ancient Hawaiian culture. Once a sacred spot, it is now a National Historical Park.

Coconut palms line the shore in the Place of Refuge

On our recent visit to Hawaii we spent an afternoon there. After listening to an introductory talk from a park ranger, we explored the grounds on our own following the numbered posts that were explained in our brochure.

Carved figures guard the heiau (temple) where the bones of 23 chiefs are contained.

The first Polynesians arrived in Hawaii about a thousand years ago. People settled the islands and lived in family groups governed by chiefs or alii. Complex rules or kapu  governed every aspect of life. If kapu was broken the punishment was death. BUT if the person could make it to a designated place of refuge or Pu’uhonua, a priest could cleanse the sins and the person could return to village life. During times of war the Pu’uhonua was also a sanctuary for children, elders and noncombatants. Defeated warriors could also seek safety in the refuge. When the battle was over, they returned home.

This 12 foot high stone wall, built without mortar, divides the royal grounds from the Place of Refuge

There are two main parts to the park–the royal grounds, which is where the priests lived, and the Pu’uhonua or Place of Refuge.

Fish pond in the royal grounds

In the royal grounds there are several shallow ponds that were used to keep fish for the royal menu.  As we looked into the water we could see dozens of circular depressions in the bottom of the pond, each occupied by a pair of fish. These were their nests.

Each circular nest is guarded fiercely by its occupants

Before metal was introduced to Hawaii by Europeans, tools and building materials were made of stone, wood, shells and other natural materials.

Two shelters in the royal ground display examples of canoe making and other craft skills.

 

Small holes carved in the surface of this rock were used for playing a strategy game called konane. It is played with black and white pebbles.

Complex rules governed ancient Hawaiian society.  In the time of kapu, examples of infractions included a man eating with a woman, a fisherman catching a fish out of season, or a commoner casting his shadow on a chief. In 1819 the tradition of kapu ended and the places of refuge were no longer necessary. Elsewhere on the Hawaiian islands were other Places of Refuge. This is the only one that has been preserved.

All text and photos copyright Caroline Arnold at The Intrepid Tourist

HAWAII TROPICAL BOTANICAL GARDEN: Hilo, Hawaii by Caroline Arnold at The Intrepid Tourist

 52 Places to Go: Week 16

Heliconia bihai, Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden

The Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, a treasure trove of tropical plants from around the world and a photographer’s delight, is one of our favorite places on the Big Island. We have been there three times, including on our recent trip to Hawaii two weeks ago, and each time we have had a different experience–depending on weather, time of day, and the growth and addition new plants as the garden is maintained.

View from trail of Twin Rocks in Onomea Bay 

The garden is planted along a steep, narrow valley with a walkway descending 500 feet from the top of the garden (120 feet above sea level) to the ocean below. The top portion is densely planted along a boardwalk and is the perfect place to be eye-level with some of the taller plants. As the walkway reaches the lower part of the garden various side trails lead to waterfalls, a lily pool, a bird cage, orchid garden and more. Actually, orchids have been strategically placed throughout the garden and almost everywhere you look their colorful blooms pop out of the background.

Onomea Waterfall

The sheer variety of plants in the garden is overwhelming with shapes, patterns and colors more like modern art than Mother Nature.  I was reminded of the paintings of French artist Henri Rousseau (who was inspired by the plants he saw in the greenhouses of the botanical garden in Paris.) Among the goals of the garden is to collect and cultivate tropical rain forest flora of every nature and origin, with emphasis on species threatened by extinction.

Patterns of green plants

Although plants are the main emphasis of the garden, the valley is also home to a variety of wildlife. As we walked the garden paths, cardinals and other birds flew overhead, insects buzzed around the flowering trees, frogs called from inside bromeliads, and lizards scampered along the large leaves.

Heliconia along boardwalk

Tickets to enter the garden are purchased at the gift shop next to the parking area. An annex to the gift shop has interesting displays of items collected by the Lutkenhouse family (who built and founded the garden) that reveal some of the early history of the area. Dan and Pauline Lutkenhouse founded the garden in 1978 and opened it to the public in 1984. It is now operated as a non-profit corporation. Admission for a day is $15 for adults, children ages 6 - 16 are $5. Children under 6 are free.

Lily Lake

Directions: The Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden is located on the 4-mile scenic drive off of Highway 19 (turn off just after the 7 mile marker). The scenic route goes through dense rainforest. This side of the Big Island is the rainy side, and, in fact, there was a small shower just before we arrived at the garden on our recent visit. (The gift shop provides umbrellas if needed.) But, whatever the weather or time of day, the garden is always worth a visit.

This article was written after my visit in 2018. For more about Hilo and the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden go to my post I wrote in April 2012.

Entrance to the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden

All text and photos copyright Caroline Arnold.