The Honaunau Bay on Big Island Hawaii is home to the Pu’honua o Honaunau, a national historic park which showcases and preserves ancient Hawaiian traditions that were established centuries ago.
Pu’uhonua, a massive wall, was built for defeated warriors and those who violated kapu, the sacred laws. It became a place of refuge and sanctuary that gave the offenders a second chance.
In 1819, Kamehameha II abolished traditional religious practices and many sites and temples were destroyed. A century later, in the 1920s, Pu’honua became a county park and in 1961, it became a national historical park. It is truly a beautiful place and well worth visiting when on the Kona Coast of Big Island Hawaii.
