Kauila and the Sea Turtles of Punalu'u

In Hawaiian mythology, the mystical turtle Kauila makes her home at Punalu'u Bay in the Ka'u District, where she was believed to have the power to change from turtle into human form, play with children along the shoreline, watch over them, and provide pure drinking water through her spring. The people of Ka'u loved Kauila as a guardian of their children, and her presence is still associated with the sea turtles that inhabit the bay today. The Hawaiian honu, or green sea turtle, is regularly seen there feeding on limu in the shallows, and the honu'ea, or hawksbill turtle, sometimes comes ashore at night to lay eggs in the black sand. Both species are fully protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and wildlife laws of the State of Hawaii.

Naalehu, Hawaii · United States