Royal Center at Keauhou Bay

In the time of the ruler 'Umi-a-Liloa, 22 generations before the time of King Kamehameha I, the Royal Center moved away from Waipi'o in the island's northern region, and as a result Royal Centers developed along Kona's leeward coast. By the 1600s through the early 1800s, seven Royal Centers were well established in Kona, including one at Kahalu'u and one at Keauhou. A Royal Center typically contained residences for the ruling chief and high chiefs, a complex of sacred areas and significant heiau, house sites for family and kahuna, and areas for daily life activities, along with essential features such as natural resources, recreation opportunities, and canoe landings. Keauhou Bay had superb ocean access, and canoe landings once dotted its shore. In the early 1800s, King Kamehameha I and his royal family occasionally resided on the northern shore of Keauhou Bay, on land between Puco and Ha'ikaua Cove, and Puco Cove served as the royal canoe landing. In ancient Hawai'i, the canoe was a principal means of travel, with highly trained paddlers giving a chief freedom of ocean mobility regardless of wind conditions. Before motorized transportation, canoes gave people easy access for short coastal trips between villages, were much faster than travel on foot, and could be used for fishing, carrying goods, and crossing open-ocean channels in long-distance travel between islands.

Kahaluu-Keauhou, Hawaii · United States