Images of Old Hawaiʻi

by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Charles Lambert

Kalākaua had a great interest in science and he saw it as a way to foster Hawai‘i’s prestige, internationally.

The opportunity to demonstrate this interest and support for astronomy was made available with the astronomical phenomenon called the “Transit of Venus,” which was visible in Hawai‘i in 1874.

“The coming transit of Venus will be observed from about 75 stations, at many of which there will be a large number of instruments. … Wherever knowledge can be gained it is worth being gained … these expeditions will lead to most valuable results.”  (George Forbes, Chief Astronomer)

The King allowed the British Royal Society’s expedition to set up three sites in the Islands, Honolulu’s waterfront in a district called Apua (mauka of today’s Waterfront Plaza,) Kailua-Kona at Huliheʻe Palace and Waimea, Kauai.

The mission of the British expedition was to observe a rare transit of Venus across the Sun for the purpose of better determining the value of the Astronomical Unit – the Earth-to-Sun distance – and from it, the absolute scale of the solar system.

The orbits of Mercury and Venus lie inside Earth’s orbit, so they are the only planets which can pass between Earth and Sun to produce a transit (a transit is the passage of a planet across the Sun’s bright disk.)

Professor George Forbes was the Chief Astronomer for the British expedition.  He befriended Charles Lambert, eldest son of an English gentleman residing at Coqnimbo in Chile.  (Lambert, not one of the astronomers, had been invited by his friend Captain Ralph P Cator, (Commander of the ‘Scout’) to accompany him in his cruise to the Hawaiian Islands.)

“(Lambert) had come out for his health on the ‘Scout,’ from Valparaiso, his father being one of the richest copper-mine owners in Chile. He intended to stay here a short time with the Venus Transit party (Prof. Forbes and Barnacle.)  (Pacific Commercial Advertiser, December 5, 1874)

Then, the fateful day … not December 8, 1874 (the date of the Transit of Venus) – rather, November 13, 1874 when tragedy struck.

“During three days previously a Kona had been blowing into the bay, and having on Thursday seen the natives using the surf-board, Mr Forbes and his friend (Lambert) thought of trying their hands at it.”

“They were furnished by the Hon. Simon Kaʻai, Sheriff and Representative of the District, with surf-boards, he not considering that there was any danger in so doing.”

“Professor Forbes entered the water first.  When it was up to his chest, being about thirty yards from the shore, he began to look out for a good wave to try to ride in upon.”

“Not having been successful and happening to look round he found that he was a hundred and fifty yards from the shore, having been carried out by the under current.  He did not however at that time apprehend any danger.”

“A small native boy, an adopted son or Simon Kaai, now shouted to him, gesticulating and pointing to Mr Lambert, who was about fifty yards nearer to the shore than himself.  He saw that Mr Lambert had let go of his surf-board, and was in difficulty.”

Forbes reached Lambert and tried to bring them both in to shore.  “He made however no head way, but was drifted farther out, and it then occurred to him that there was no prospect of either of them being saved, and he resolved to hold up his friend until they should both go down together.” (Hawaiian Gazette, December 2, 1874)

Folks on shore were able to bring a canoe out through the surf.  Henry Weeks, a carpenter putting up the astronomical buildings, and a local swam “out to their assistance, but (Weeks) was soon exhausted and was just able to reach the canoe.”  (Pacific Commercial Advertiser, December 5, 1874)

“The surf was at this time dashing against the rocks at their side so that landing seemed impossible. … Ten minutes after Professor Forbes became absolutely exhausted; his arms lost their power, and it was only with the greatest difficulty that he was able to hold on to Mr Lambert, every wave engulphing them both.”

Lambert drowned.

“The Professor with the dead body of his friend was put into (the canoe,) and reached the shore in safety.”

“Great credit is due to Simon Kaʻai for his attempts to aid Professor Forbes and his friend, he (Simon Kaʻai) stated that he was much flurried, and that was why he did not think of a canoe sooner.”

“Thanks also are due to Mr Bergman, a German resident here, for coming off in the canoe, and likewise to the stepmother of Simon Kaʻai for the same service.”

“Mr Lambert met his end, as all who knew him must have felt that he would, with fortitude and resignation, it is believed that he died without pain; and the calmness of his expression showed that he died in peace.”

“The conduct of Professor Forbes, in whose arms Mr Lambert drew his last breath, and who, with unequalled courage and devotion, risked and would have sacrificed his life to save that of his friend, is beyond all praise.”  (Hawaiian Gazette, December 2, 1874)

Lambert “was buried the next day, twelve natives carrying the coffin to the English Episcopal Church in South Kona.  The case is all the sadder from the circumstance that Lambert was actually improving here with a good prospect of completely recovering his health.”  (Pacific Commercial Advertiser, December 5, 1874)

On December 8, 1874, the transit was observed by the British scientists; however, the observation at Kailua-Kona was interrupted by occasional clouds.  The Honolulu and Waimea sites were considered perfect throughout the event, which lasted a little over half a day.

Ironically, on December 8, 1874 the big day, the king was absent, being in Washington to promote Hawaiian interests in a new trade agreement with the United States.

When American astronomer Simon Newcomb combined the 18th century data with those from the 1874/1882 Venus transits, he derived an Earth-sun distance of 149.59 +/- 0.31 million kilometers (about 93-million miles), very close to the results found with modern space technology in the 20th century.

After the Transit of Venus observations, Kalākaua showed continued interest in astronomy, and in a letter to Captain RS Floyd on November 22, 1880, he expressed a desire to see an observatory established in Hawai‘i.  He later visited Lick Observatory in San Jose.

Perhaps as a result of the King’s interest, a telescope was purchased from England in 1883 for Punahou School.  The five-inch refractor was later installed in a dome constructed above Pauahi Hall on the school’s campus.

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Kona Lagoon

“Originally called the ‘Kona Hawaiian Resort,’ the new hotel’s developers renamed it ‘to better reflect its environment and because operations will be under management of Hawaiian Pacific Resorts, operators of Hilo Lagoon.’” (HTH, Nov 9, 1972)

“Located next to the Keauhou Beach Hote on Alii Drive, the new Lagoon is a joint venture between Hawaiian Pacific Management Resorts and Mitsubishi of Japan.” (HTH, May 30, 1973)  The 462-room hotel opened April 6, 1973

“A prime feature of the resort will be a 600 person capacity convention hall in Polynesian longhouse design.” (HTH, May 30, 1973) “With the completion of the Kona Lagoon hotel recently my list of impressive buildings on this island is up not one, but two!”

“Portions of this new hotel are the equivalent of an artistic museum of Hawaiian history. The main lobby is a bifurcated sort of a structure with an ‘island’ in the middle on which there is a pictorial history that really amounts to an art gallery.”

“The presentation is vital and the art good, and with enough variations in style to denigrate any possibility of the boredom that can sometimes come with historic subjects.” (Von Garske, HTH, Agu 4, 1974)

“The Kona Lagoon is the third large-scale resort hotel in Keauhou, joining the 314-room Keauhou Beach Hotel operated by Amfac and the 550-room Kona Surf operated by Interisland Resorts. The Bishop development south of Kailua Village now has nearly 1,500 guest rooms in a project that has cost more than $40 million to date.”

“The Lagoon features a 700-seat convention building known as the Polynesian Long House, a highly decorative structure in front of the hotel along AIii Drive. … The resort has two dining facilities – the Tonga Dining Room and the Wharf Gourmet Restaurant – two bars and a specialty Japanese steak house.”

“Another feature is a salt water lagoon surrounding the hotel with first floor guests encouraged to leap immediately from their rooms into the water.” (HnlAdv, March 21, 1974)

“When the Kona Lagoon Hotel opened its doors, guests and staff reported a wide variety of unexplained phenomena – shadowy figures roaming the hallways, disembodied screams piercing the night, and lights flickering without cause. Such events led to whispers of a curse, a belief that the hotel was built upon land that the living were never meant to inhabit.” (AmericanGhostWalks)

“The property was sold in May 1986 through a foreclosure auction … to Otaka Inc.” (Hnl Adv, May 7, 1988) In 1987, Azabu USA, a subsidiary of Azabu-Jidosha, a foreign car bought the Kona Lagoon from Otaka. (SB, April 17, 1987) About a year later, they announced the hotel would close for a 17-month reconstruction to turn it into an all-suites resort. (SB, April 15, 1988)

“When the hotel closed in 1988, the official reason was because the Japanese owners ran out of money and were unable to obtain additional financing.” (Harry Helms)

“Some people think the Kona Lagoon Hotel was cursed from the start. Surrounded by ancient temples and archaeological sites, it was built on the dwelling place of supernatural twin sisters, ‘aumakua who took the form of lizards, according to Hawaiian legend.”

“Security guards hired to watch the property when the 462-room hotel closed in 1988 were frightened at night, said Joe Castelli, who lives at the neighboring Keauhou Kona Tennis and Racquet Club.”

“They told me that they would see lights up there and hear Hawaiians singing and talking,” Castelli said. “…But when they got there, they didn’t find anything. So they said they just didn’t go anymore.”  (HnlAdv, Oct 14, 2002)

“Construction of the hotel obliterated the legendary Keawehala Pond, once thought to be inhabited by twin sisters who wielded extraordinary powers. These superwomen were the fierce protectors of local fresh water, who could transform themselves into formidable 30-foot lizards known as mo‘o.”

“The giant edifice of concrete and glass also infringed on nearby heiaus, sacred Hawaiian temples. … One of these sacred Hawaiian temples, called a luakini, was specifically dedicated to human sacrifice.”

“This ancient walled structure, built from native volcanic rocks, was 7-feet high. Providing a platform for carved wooden idols called ki‘i, which represent Hawaiian gods, the fortress-like enclosure protected thatched huts that held drums and offerings. This luakini was named Ke‘eku Heiau.” (AmericanGhostWalks)

“Whether or not the property is cursed, it’s true that attempts by landowner Kamehameha Schools and its for-profit subsidiary, Kamehameha Investment Corp., have failed to find a lessee.” (HnlAdv, Oct 14, 2002)  The Kona Lagoon was demolished in 2004.

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Ka‘ahumanu’s Kailua-Kona Home Site

For centuries, Kaiakeakua (also spelled Kaiakekua) was a favored place for royalty.  Kamakahonu Royal Center at Kailua Bay was the residential compound of Kamehameha I from 1813 until his death in 1819. It had previously been the residence of a high chief, and it was undoubtedly a residential area back into the centuries prior to European contact. 

During Kamehameha’s use of this compound reportedly 11 house structures were present. These included his sleeping house, houses for his wives, a large men’s house, storehouses and Ahuʻena heiau.  Kamehameha’s entourage (wives and chiefs, etc) had homes surrounding Kaiakeakua Bay (we now call it Kailua Bay in Kona).

Liholiho’s (Kamehameha II) house was where the Kona Inn is; Keōpūolani (mother of Kamehameha II and III) had her house on the south side, at Oneo Bay; and Ka‘ahumanu’s house was adjacent to (on the south side of) what is now Mokuaikaua Church property.

Fast forward … a couple pioneers in neighbor island hospitality helped form Hawaiʻi’s early fledgling visitor industry.  At the time, emphasis and facilities were focused in Waikīkī.  However, two locally-grown chains saw the opportunities and put their attention on the neighbor Islands.

The first, Inter-Island Resorts under the Child family, grew into a number of ‘Surf Resorts’ on the neighbor islands; the other, Island Holidays, under the Guslanders, had several neighbor island ‘Palms Resorts.’

With several smaller business-oriented hotels downtown Honolulu and spotted across the neighbor islands, on November 1, 1928, the Kona Inn in Kailua-Kona (at the place of Liholiho’s house), the first neighbor island visitor-oriented resort hotel, opened with great fanfare.  (Hibbard, Schmitt)

The Inter-Island Steam Navigation Co originally intended to build the Kona Inn on the site of Huliheʻe Palace.  The idea was met with considerable opposition and the Territory bought the Palace and the company erected its new hotel on a 4-acre parcel adjoining the former Royal Residence.  (Hibbard)

A Star-Bulletin editorial noted on February 7, 1928, “The land of the first Kamehameha; the land which cradled the old federation of the Hawaiian Islands, the storied land where an English ship’s captain was worshipped before natives found him human and slew him there …”

“… is to be opened at last to the comfort-loving tourists of the world. … Soon after the completion of the hotel, the territory will have cause to be grateful to the foresight and enterprise of Inter-Island.” (SB, Feb 7, 1928)

It wasn’t until 1955, in the area where Ka‘ahumanu lived, that Guslander brought his competing Palms Resorts to Kona, and was the third facility in the hotel chain that included the Maui Palms and the Coco Palms on Kauai. (HTH Sep 6, 1955)

“The former Kailua-Kona Hotel, now a part of the Kona Palms operation, provides an additional 16 rooms for a combined total of 38 rooms which will be available.” (HTH Aug 26, 1955) “A new restaurant and cocktail lounge, the Kona Marlin club will open between July 5 and 10 as a part of the Kona Palms development though operated by another lessee.” (Adv June 12, 1955)

At the dedication of the hotel and restaurant (Kona Palms and the Kona Marlin Club), “The Rev Abraham Akaka of Haili church gave the dedication prayer, anointed the old stone of King Kamehameha I and Queen Kaahumanu’s residence still at the site, and cut the cord which combined ‘the old and the new’ of Kona.” (Adv Sep 7, 1955)

In 1964, “The Kona Palms Hotel in Kailua-Kona has been sold to the former-publisher of the Honolulu Advertiser and his wife Mr. and Mrs Lorrin P Thurston … the property was sold because … [the owner] will make a substantial investment in the Outrigger Hotel being developed by Roy C Kelley between the Royal Hawaiian and Moana Hotels.” (SB July 11, 1964)

Then, in 1972, “HC [‘Pat’] Patterson … announced forthcoming development of The Dolphin Condominium in Kailua, Kona.  The four-story condominium apartment is planned as 75 residential units and some 10,600 square feet for retail specialty shops and office condominiums”. (HTH Feb 27, 1972)

“HC Patterson, the creator of the Dolphin Condominiums in Kailua, Kona, has lived on the Big Island since his return from Japan in 1962. In Japan, he had been involved in plywood manufacturing in Osaka and the logging industry in Fiji.

“Patterson built the Marlin Plaza in 1962, which was Kona’s first modern shopping center, and the Dolphin Plaza in 1964, which is adjacent to the Marlin.” (HTH May 8, 1975)

Unfortunately, “Glenn Construction Corp, one of the Big Islands’ contracting firms, has gone out of the active construction business.  The firm’s apparent financial demise leaves behind a tangled web of more than 80 unsettled lawsuits and countersuits [most involving subcontractors claims of not being paid] … The majority of these involve work on the Kona Dolphin condominium …” (SB Oct 31, 1974)

The Dolphin condominium property went into foreclosure and project lender, Independence Mortgage Trust Co of Georgia, was the only bidder and ended up with the property. (SB May 20, 1976) Shortly thereafter, the Dolphin project name was changed to Kona Plaza.

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Kalāke‘e

In 1804, King Kamehameha I moved his capital from Lāhainā, Maui to Waikīkī; in 1809, he moved his Royal Residence to Pākākā at Honolulu Harbor in 1809.

“Kamehameha’s first residence at Kailua, Kona was at Kalakee.” “On this land, Kalakee [site of Hulihee Palace], was the first site of the king’s [Kamehameha] residence, and his house was called Papa.”

“There stones had been heaped up like a wall at the edge of the sea to make a foundation level with that of the inland side. This was done in order to set apart the makai trail that came down from Pa O Umi, a trail used since remote times. The place where the heir of the kingdom lived”.  (John Papa ‘Ī‘ī)

“Between 1810 and 1812, Kamehameha set up governorships on each island, after which he returned to Kalakee, Kona, where the Hulihee Palace now stands.”

“Shortly after, he appropriates land from the Keawamahi family at Kamakahonu and rebuilt the Ahuena heiau that had been there since the 15th century”.

“It was completed in 1813, and Kamehameha moved there. He educated his heir, Liholiho, in agriculture, fishing and statesmanship.”  (Akana, SB June 11, 1980)

“John Papa ‘Ī‘ī began serving in the royal household of Mō‘ī Kamehameha as a kahu ali‘i (attendant and guardian ofr an ali‘i) in 1810, when he was ten years old.  As a kahu ali‘i, ‘Ī‘ī was highly familiar with the inner workings of the royal household.” (Brown) ‘Ī‘ī shared the following:

“Kamakahonu was formerly the place of Keawe a Mahi, the kahu of Keawe a Heulu. When Keawe a Heulu died, it went to his son Naihe, who, it is believed, caused the death of Keawe a Mahi. Kaawa, a favorite kahu of Naihe is said to have been responsible for the king’s residing there”.

“Kamakahonu was a fine cove, with sand along the edge of the sea and islets of pahoehoe, making it look like a pond, with a grove of kou trees a little inland and a heap of pahoehoe in the center of the stretch of sand. A stone wall ran inland from the right side of Kamakahonu, and on the other side of that wall there was sand as far as a rock promontory.”

“This sandy stretch, called Kaiakekua was a canoe landing, with some houses mauka of it. The rock promontory above Kaiakekua is the Pa O Umi. Beyond it are the sands of Niumalu, and next, the spot where Hulihee Palace now stands.”

“On this land, Kalakee, was the first site of the king’s residence, and his house was called Papa. Outside of the enclosure, by the edge of the sea, was a spring called Kiope. Its fresh water came up from the pahoehoe and mixed with the water of the sea.”

“It was a gathering place for those who went swimming and a place where the surf rolled in and dashed on land when it was rough. It was deep enough there for boats to land when the tide was high, and when it was ebb tide the boats came up close to its rocky pahoehoe side.”

“From there the sea was shallow as far as the spring of Honuaula, where there was a house side on a raised pavement. There the young chief lived. Just makai was a patch of sand facing north, where canoes landed, in front of the heiau of Keikipuipui.”

“A Hale O Lono faced directly toward the upland, and toward the north there was a bed of pahoehoe which reached to the sea, where there was a surfing place for children. To the south was where the waves dashed onto the land. West of the Keikipuipui heiau was a surfing place called Huiha, north of Kapohonau. Later, a heiau was built there by the king ….”

“Ii went with them, and the canoe landed where the water was shallow. Then the women led the way to the main trail. They went past the Kaaipuhi spring, between the houses on both sides of the trail, and on until they arrived at the mauka side of the Honuaula cave. On the upper side of this trail, about 5 or 6 chains from where their canoe had landed, was a small group of houses standing apart.”

“Where the houses began on the south side of the trail that ran through the village another trail branched off, ascending the mountain and leading to the food patches. A stone wall to protect the food plots stretched back of the village from one end to the other and beyond ….”

“Soon after the building of the king’s [Kamehameha] houses at Kamakahonu, two ti-thatched houses were built for the young chief [Liholiho] at Papaula in Honuaula.”

“One was a mua [men’s house] for the heir of the kingdom; the other, a hale ʻaina [woman’s eating house] for his young wife. The name of the woman’s eating house was Kawaluna; that of the husband was Hookuku. “

“Two or three storehouses, some work sheds (halau), and work houses in which women could print their tapa were also built. There were two kinds of work sheds, all thatched with pili grass, behind the white sands of Kaiakeakua and the brine-covered sands close to the pahoehoe.”

“Behind these houses was the trail that went up to the plains, to the area overgrown with thickets, to the bottom of the mountain slope, to the region where the ʻamaʻu ferns grew wild, and on to the mountain.”

“In the storehouses were piled bundles of surplus paʻu, malos, and tapa sheets. These had been given to the chiefs as makahiki taxes that were presented to the gods when they made a circuit of the island every twelfth month.”

“Because the profit received from these taxes on the land was so large, combined with the king’s personal sharesfrom his other lands, goods were piled in great heaps. If one looked into the storehouses, one saw small, large, extra large, and medium-sized bundles and wooden bowls filled with hard poi. There were separate bundles for women and for men.”

“Consequently, separate storehouses were provided for the food to be eaten by each sex. There was no separation of the fishes, however, because either men or women could take what they wanted.” (John Papa ‘Ī‘ī)

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Kahului Landing

It is believed that initial Polynesian discovery and settlement of the Hawaiian Islands occurred between approximately AD 1000 and 1200. (Kirch) This effectively started the ‘Settlement’ phase.

For generations, the small, slowly growing population clustered around shore sites near streams that supplied them with water. Such sites are best for inshore fishing.

The food plants of Hawaiʻi can be divided into three groups: those known as staple foods (the principal starchy foods – kalo (taro,) ʻuala (sweet potato,) ʻulu (breadfruit,) etc;) those of less importance (to add nutrients and variety to the diet;) and those known as famine foods. (Krauss)

Kamakau states that there were no chiefs in the earliest period of settlement but that they came “several hundred years afterward … when men became numerous.” The communities shared familial relations and there was an occupational focus on collection of marine resources.

By the 14th century, inland elevations to around the 4,000 foot level were being turned into cultivated fields of the early dryland Kona Field System.

By the 15th century, residency in the dry uplands was becoming permanent, and there was an increasing separation of chiefly class from commoners. In the 16th century the population stabilized and the ahupua‘a land management system was established as a socio-economic unit. (Kepā Maly)

“The sweet potato and gourd were suitable for cultivation in the drier areas of the islands. The cult of Lono was important in those areas, particularly in Kona on Hawaii and ‘Ulupalakua on Maui . At both of these places there were temples dedicated to Lono. The sweet potato was particularly the food of the common people.”  (Handy Handy & Pukui)

In the later Hawaiian period (c. 1600-1800), leading to the eventual rise of Kamehameha I to power (c.1791 A.D.), the ko kula kai and ko kula uka (coastal and upland-slopes) of this area came to be extensively cultivated with important staple and supplemental crops suited to dryland planting techniques and the Kona environment. (Kepa Maly)

“Not the smallest piece of Ground was left uncultivated.  By their accounts it is hardly possible that this Country can be better cultivated or made to yield a greater sustenance for the inhabitants; they passed thro fields of hay, with which they cover the young Tarro Grounds, to prevent the suns drying it up.”

“In their walk through the Villages they met with real hospitality, every one was desirous of entertaining them, & used enticing arts to prevail upon them to stay some time amongst them; these Villages were never found farther than 4 or 5 miles from the sea side”. (Journals of Captain James Cook, Beaglehole)

“Small bays generally had a cluster of houses where the families of fishermen lived-as in Kona, Hawaii, in the specific localities of Kailua, Holualoa, Kahalu‘u, Keauhou, Napo‘opo‘o, Honaunau, Kealakekua, and Ho‘okena. … Wherever a ruling ali‘i had his establishment there was a large aggregation of domiciles.” (Handy, Handy & Pukui)

Of significance to the land of Kahului, is the fact that a number of early historians record that the area between modern day Kailua Town to Keauhou, was favored by the ali‘i nui (high ranking chiefs) of the island of Hawai‘i as a residence. (Maly)

Kahului is a ili within the ahupua‘a of Holualoa. (Ili, ahupua‘a and moku are Hawaiian terms that refer to land divisions. A moku is a large section of an island, while an ahupua‘a is a portion of a moku that is typically somewhat pie-shaped, and runs from the mountains to the ocean, and an ili is a portion of an ahupua‘a.) (NPS, Henderson House) (Others suggest Kahului is an ahupua‘a.)

Kahului is a part of this larger district that was a significant political seat and population center. (Maly) On the makai side, at Kahului Bay, was a canoe landing.

“Look at all the ulu niu [coconut grove]. This is about 1890, it’s Kahului Bay, there are canoes at the landing, the sand was up. Look where all the people are standing. And there are thatched house here. This is where the Kona Tiki Hotel is now.” (Kepā Maly)

“You know, the shore was very different here, even when I was young. The beach came up with sand and rocks into the yard, and there used to be an old canoe and boat landing in front here. You know Kahului was an important landing, before days.”

“Over there [pointing to a thatched house in the picture on the north side of the landing] that’s where the Kona Tiki Hotel is now. You see, they’ve filled all this in to make the road and hotel. The landing is all changed now.”

“But look, there are so many people, all Hawaiians down on the shore. Now almost all the families are gone. Our house would be just off the picture here. Now, all these walls and house sites are all gone too.” (Luciana Ka‘ailehua Makuakâne-Tripp, Interview with Kepa Maly)

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