Pu'uhonua o Honaunau, or the Place of Refuge, is a must-see for island visitors. It provides a look at Hawaiian history in a stunningly beautiful setting. In the days of kapu, people could incur death penalties for a number of offenses. If a condemned person could get to a sacred place of refuge, the offense could be forgiven and his life saved. It was also a refuge in times of war; nobody could be harmed here.

The park is set up very nicely, with exhibits, an amphitheater, and rangers to answer your questions. As you walk in, you go past a panorama of Hawaiian history, and you can press buttons to listen to several brief but comprehensive stories that set the tone for your visit to the park. The stories start with arrival of the first Hawaiians to the islands and cover daily life and the refuge.

Then you walk around the grounds, taking the self-guided tour with the explanatory brochure or just meandering. Several structures recreate traditional Hawaiian lifestyle and show the history and sacred nature of the refuge. There are canoes and a couple of setups for a traditional game played on a flat rock with black (lava) and white (coral) stones, like checkers. Two women were sitting at one of the setups playing the game; they seemed to know the rules.

There's a cove with a small beach. On this visit, signs asked people to stay back from the beach to protect the area, but you can still look into the water from the rocks on the side of the cove. You are sure to see turtles grazing there.

The park also includes the grounds of the royal compound, adjacent to the refuge. The fish ponds are lovely, and attract some interesting birds. A giant stone platform in the royal grounds is impressive, a reminder that a flourishing and powerful group of people inhabited this place for many years.

Pu'uhonua o Honaunau is about a half hour drive south of Kailua-Kona. Take the well-marked turnoff after the town of Captain Cook. You'll probably want to spend 1-2 hours here. You can combine the trip with browsing in town, snorkeling at Two Step (which is right next to the park), sightseeing at Kealakekua Bay, or swimming at Ho'okena Beach, all within a short drive. On the drive down the hill from the highway, you can turn off and look at the Painted Church or visit a coffee tasting place or two. You may also be able to pick up some fruit or a lei from a roadside stand set up on the honor system, with a box to leave your money in.

I can't praise this park enough. It is as beautiful and historic as one can dream of. The former royal court borders the place of refuge, so you can walk from one to the other. But you have to see it for yourself, honestly. Then let me know how you felt about this place.

I highly recommend a picnic to watch the sunset at the picnic area by the ocean, to which you can drive (it's across the parking lot).

Another unique Hawaiian experience. The Place of Refuge is just behind Volcanoes National Park as a must-see attraction. It starts with an explanation of ancient Hawaiian customs and gives you insight on ancient Hawaiian culture in this original village. Also a great photo opportunity - just don't touch the basking sea turtles, it's a kapu.

Imagine a place where royalty walked. Hawaiian royalty, to be exact. These ali’i lived at the current site of Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Historic Park (808-328-2288 or 2326) until 1819, when King Kamehameha II abolished traditional religious practices and the place was abandoned and left to the elements. The National Park Service has done their best to restore these royal grounds to what they most likely looked like at that time.

Picture the attendants and servants of the ali’i pounding taro, gathering traditional plants for food and medicine, or taking fish from the fish ponds. Women might be making dye or evaporating salt using "bowls" carved into the rock. Traditional structures, called hale, were made of ohi’a wood tied with coconut fibers, and thatched with ti leaves. In them, women might be cooking. Or men might be building a new canoe for the king. When work was done, folks might relax with a game of konane, played with pebbles on a stone playing surface. Suddenly, a boy runs through, and announces that the royal canoes are landing in the cove!

Some of the traditional structures have been rebuilt at Pu’uhonua O Honaunau. At Hale O Keawe, ki’i (wooden images) guard the reconstructed temple. Originally the temple also contained a masoleum with the bones of 23 ali’i. Fishponds have been rebuilt and have some tiny fish in them, and there are traditional plants all around the grounds. You will see the "bowls" in the rock, the konane gameboard, and a wooden canoe. As I was walking through the grounds, I had a very powerful feeling come over me when I was near the fishponds. I could feel the presence of those who had lived there before, and I swear I could almost see them. My friend who was with me felt it at the same time, and asked me if I could feel the energy. I could. I had felt it before she mentioned it.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the grounds is the Place of Refuge. This is an area that was set apart by a massive stone wall which was built in 1550. At one time, Hawaii was governed by a set a sacred laws, or kapu. If a commoner were to break a kapu, such as allowing his shadow to fall across the path of royalty, or a woman eating the wrong food, the penalty was death. The people felt that breaking a kapu would anger the gods. So in order to avoid punishment from the gods in the form of tidal wave, or volcanic eruption, the kapu breaker had to die. But if the kapu breaker could make it to the Place of Refuge (usually reached by an extremely dangerous ocean crossing), then a priest could perform a ceremony to absolve the person and they could then live. The Place of Refuge was also a destination for defeated warriors.

Pu’uhonua O Honaunau should definitely be on your "must-see" list.

Easy, rewarding place to visit. $2 entrance fee unless you have a National Park pass. Picnic tables, restrooms, concession stand and a visitors orientation building. Exhibits, including canoe making. Gentle, self-guiding paths over a large area sheltered by coconut trees. An informational pamphlet is provided.

Culturally, this place is a gem. The finest remaining example in Hawai'i of a Place of Refuge, it was established in the 1500's and contains a massive stone wall 1000 ft long, 10 ft. high and 17 ft thick built entirely of cut stone set without mortar. That wall separated the kapu royal grounds from a rocky shelf by the ocean where kapu breakers could flee to safety. (Kapu breaking generally meant death unless the guilty made it to a Place of Refuge).

The Kamehameha dynasty was connected to this place and many of the royal bones are kept here - probably the reason the site was revered and protected after the abolition of traditional religious practices in 1819. There's much more to this story tnan room to tell here - pick up a guide book.

The park rangers tell me that the name Honaunau derives from the practice of making 'awa (or kava) drink. Often done by pounding the plant and straining the juice from the mash - here it was done by chewing the plant. Nau is Hawaiian for "to chew".

The park is a short distance from Kealakekua Bay, where Captain Cook was killed in 1779. More later on an interesting way to drive there from Honaunau.