Historic Kona

Kona and the area to the south are well known for Hawaiian historical sights. There are two main museums run by the Kona Historical Society, including a coffee museum. The main museum features a historic store and a Portuguese stone oven.

The most significant historic spot we won't want to miss is the Place of Refuge, which is now a national park. The park system describes its significance as a place where all Hawaiians could come to seek sanctuary. It also includes royal grounds, an historic village, and the site where criminals were punished. One cool thing the park features is an audio tour available by phone.





North of the Kailua-Kona town is Kaloko-Honokohau National Historic Park, which is the remains of an ancient fishing settlement. Many of the aquaculture ponds are still in tact, so I think this might be a good birding spot.


We also might want to stop by the Painted Church while we are in coffee country. It's named for the paintings adorning the inside walls, painted by the original father of the church, the church was built in 1899 and is very pretty on the outside as well. A Hawaiian blogger has written about this historic area in detail. He describes a cool petroglyph area near the Keauhou resorts, but it sounds like the tide makes them difficult to see. There's also Captain Cook's monument, but the hike sounds like an ordeal. You can see it from one of the snorkel tours I mentioned before.