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HVCB |
British Sea Captain James Cook, thought to be the first Westerner to set sight on the Hawaiian Islands, spotted the islands of O'ahu and Kaua'i on Jan. 18, 1778. Almost a year later. on Jan. 17, 1779, the explorer found his way to the Big Island. He anchored his ships in Kealakekua Bay where the annual Makahiki Festival was in progress. Thinking Cook might be the god Lono, Hawaiians welcomed him with a great feast.
On Feb. 4, Cook left the Big Island only to return about a week later after a severe storm damaged one of his ships. This time the Hawaiians, who had discovered Cook was not a god, were quite hostile. As tempers flared, muskets were loaded. Cook and four of his sailors died near the village of Ka'awaloa. The sea captain's badly mutilated remains were returned to his crew and he was buried at sea on Feb. 21, 1779.
At the far northern end of Kealakekua Bay, a small bronze plaque, often awash in waves, marks the spot where Cook died. In 1874, Cook's fellow countrymen erected a 27-foot obelisk near the plaque. Kayaks are allowed to land at an ancient canoe dock about 100 yards left of the monument.
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