Birthplace of Kauikeaouli

Kauikeaouli, the second son of Kamehameha I and Keōpūolani, was born within this enclosure. Stillborn, he was cleansed in the water of Ka'opa Spring at the edge of the bay and revived as he lay upon the large rock to the left. Hawai'i's longest reigning monarch, Kauikeaouli was proclaimed king in 1825 when his older brother, Kamehameha II, died of measles while in London. Because he was so young, he shared the early years of his reign under a regency with Ka'ahumanu, his father's favorite queen, and later after her death with Kina'u, the dowager queen and his half sister. As Kamehameha III, he ruled during a time of great transition in Hawai'i, with increasing pressure from foreign conflicts and the arrival of diseases that decimated Native Hawaiians. He believed that education was the key to the survival of his people, and by the end of his 30-year reign, Hawai'i was one of the most literate nations in the world. He spoke the phrase that eventually became Hawai'i's motto: Ua mau ke ea o ka āina i ka pono - The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness. During his reign, the Kingdom of Hawai'i achieved diplomatic recognition, a constitution was developed, the tax system was reformed, and a legal basis for land ownership was instituted.

Kahaluu-Keauhou, Hawaii · United States