C-PU'UHONUA+O+HONAUNAU+NATIONAL+HISTORIC+PARK


 * [[image:36981-shot.gif width="192" height="160"]] Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Park **





**Location**//:// On the island of __[|Hawaii]__ about 22 miles south of __[|Kailua-Kona]__ __ [|Puʻuhonua O Hōnaunau] __, formerly known as the City of Refuge Park, was set aside as a national historical park by Congress on July 1, 1961. The park, located on the Big Island of Hawaii, has major cultural and historical significance. It is situated on 180 acres, but is easy navigated on foot. The park has two major sections, __[|the Palace Grounds]__ and the Pu ʻ uhonua O Hōnaunau, the Place of Refuge. Separating the two areas of the park is __[|the Great Wall]__. Your walk through the park begins at the Palace Grounds, the home of the ruling chief. It is surrounded by a beautiful coconut palm grove overlooking Hōnaunau Bay. The nearby beach was strictly reserved for the royalty. All of their construction was done with the mat erials native to the land. Along your path you see models of the different types of houses and storage sheds which sat on the palace grounds. As you leave the palace grounds you approach the Great Wall. This huge rock wall, built sometime in the 1500's, is constructed of dry masonry and fit together like a jig saw puzzle. The purpose of the wall was to separate the Palace Grounds from the pu ʻ uhonua (sanctuary). For the most part, the wall that you see today is the original wall, although it has been repaired on two occasions. In order to enter the Pu ʻ uhonua (place of refuge, sanctuary) you must walk around the wall on the right near [|Honaunau Bay]. media type="youtube" key="tsz2H8D3vdE" height="266" width="326" align="right" The history comes alive here at Pu’uhonua o Honaunau. The people and places here have left many stories that are still waiting to be told. This was organized into a social structure including chiefs, priests, skilled laborers and commoners. Strict laws existed for each of t he separate divisions. The Royal Grounds which is next to the pu’uhonau was a favored place of the Hawaiian chiefs. __[|Hale-o-Keawe]__ acted as a royal mausoleum and held the remains of 23 chiefs. Hale-o-Keawe stands in the pu’uhonua, protected by several watchful [|ki’i] (wooden images of the gods), that alerted visitors that this was a special and important place. The [|mana] (spiritual power) remains present upon this sacred area. This temple was constructed in honor of __[|Keawe’ikekahiali’i o kamoku]__, the great-grandfather of Kameh media type="youtube" key="ewyBfbpe-pc" height="223" width="302" align="right" ameha I.
 * __ Park Profile __**
 * Park Size**: 180 acres
 * Climate**: Usually warm with moderate humidity. Summer days can be hot.
 * Region of the US**: The West [[image:Hawaii-Islands.gif width="274" height="274" align="right" caption="Map of Hawaii (Big Island is where Pu'uhonau o Honaunau is located)"]]
 * Visitors per Year**: half of a million visitors a year (heaviest visitation: Christmas holiday period, spring break, and late summer)
 * __ History __**

Pu’uhonau o Honaunau means place of refuge because it was once a place of refuge for offenders of ancient Hawaiian sacred laws, called [|kapu]. The penalty of breaking these laws was almost always death. The only possibility of escaping the penalty was to flee to the nearest pu’uhonau, and a major one was located here next to the sacred home of the Hawaiian __[|ali'i]__ (kings or chiefs). The refuge is separated from the royal residence and grounds by a huge wall that is ten feet high and seventeen feet wide.

**Weather**: There are only two seasons- the summer months (called Kau) that extend from May to October and the winter months (called Hoolio) that run from November to April. The average daytime summer temperature is 85 degrees, while the average daytime winter temperature is 78 degrees. Usually the temperatures at night are 10 degrees less than the average.
 * __ Environmental Issues __**
 * Inhabit [[image:owl.jpg width="202" height="238" align="left" caption="The Pueo"]] ants:** There are many unusual and rare species that live in the area of Pu’uhonau o Honaunau. There are two important mammals that are endangered in this sacred area. One is the __[|Hawaiian Hoary Bat]__. This is the only land mammal native to Hawaii. The second one is the __[|Hawaiian Monk Seal]__. Scientists have estimated that there has been a decrease of 11% per year since 1989. This is also the most endangered U.S. marine ma [[image:bird.jpg width="162" height="207" align="right"]] mmal. There have been recordings of 30 species of birds in the Hawaiian areas, but only 6 of these are native to Hawaii. One of the birds is called[|the Pueo] (short-eared Owl). It is usually silent except for a series of low hoots and an occasional muffled bark. The Pueo was revered as an [|aumakua] (guardian spirit) by the ancient Hawaiians. Sea turtles are very popular in Pu'uhonau o Honaunau because there are so many of them in the ocean. Many people like to swim with them.

media type="youtube" key="SsImRDRoASY" height="246" width="350" align="left" **__

Recreational Activities __** · h iking · fishing · scuba diving/snorkeling · swimming/jumping off huge rocks · observing cultural demonstrations. ** media type="youtube" key="4b0nodsgk0g" height="232" width="308" Trails: ** ·  A self-guided trail passes through the royal grounds and place of refuge (pu’uhonua). · A historic trail along the coast near the park boundary affords views number archeological sites à including temple sites (heiau), sledding tracks (holua), and old house sites (kahua), all reminders of the rich cultural history of Hawaii.

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 * __ WORK CITED __**