A tour of Keauhou Resort, a sprawling 2,300-acre property just south of Kailua-Kona, will bring to life a virtual map of the island's past. Here you'll find remnants of a civilization ruled by feudal chiefs who imposed a strong system of religious kapu (sanctions) administered by kahuna (priests).
There are 19 historic sites on the property. They include:
- Royal Holua Slide. The slide was used for the sport of holua (sledding) as well as to transport canoe hulls down to the bay for final carving and finishing. The slide is accessible by foot from Ali'i Drive opposite the golf clubhouse entrance.
- Po'o Hawaiian Pond. On the grounds of the Keauhou Beach Resort, this is a pond where fish were kept for the chiefs and where chiefs bathed in its brackish waters. Near the pond are two large stones sacred to fishing.
- King Kalakaua's Beach House. This frame house originally built a century ago has been reconstructed and is being furnished as a museum of the monarchial era. It is located near Po'o Pond near the Keauhou Beach Resort hotel.
- Ho'okuku. This is the birthplace of Kamehameha III who was reputedly born a blue baby and was revived in the cooling waters of a nearby spring and warmed on a sun-heated rock. He was the last son of Kamehameha I to sit on the throne of Hawaii and the longest reigning monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom (1825-1854). He penned Hawaii's motto, which exists today: "The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness."
- Lekeleke Burial Grounds. Warriors slain at the battle of Kuamo'o are said to be interred within many of the rock cairns located here. This battle pitted traditionalists attempting to reinstitute the kapu system against Christian converts. The Christians prevailed, led by the forces of King Liholiho. The easily recognized site is accessible from Ali'i Drive at its southerly end.
