Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park

Hula dancers
Imagine you had just broken the sacred laws, the kapu, and the only punishment was death. Your only chance of survival is to elude your pursuers and reach the Puʻuhonua, a place of refuge. The Puʻuhonua protected the kapu breaker, defeated warriors, as well as civilians during the time of battle. No physical harm could come to those who reached the boundaries of the Puʻuhonua.
Map showing location of park.
A stone papamū (Kōnane playing surface) with Hale o Keawe and Hōnaunau Bay in the background.
Photo by NPS / Chisholm
A double-hulled canoe sits in Keoneʻele Cove with Hale o Keawe in the background.
Photo by NPS Photo / Tyler Chisholm
Close up image looking along the stones of the Great Wall in the Puʻuhonua with coconut trees
Photo by NPS Photo
Hula dancers raise their arms to the sky in the sandy Royal Grounds.
Photo by NPS Photo
An a-frame canoe hale (house) in the Royal Grounds
Photo by NPS Photo / Jeff Walsh
A glowing sunset reflects in the calm waters of a tide pool.
Photo by NPS Photo / Jeff Walsh