The visit to this park was fascinating. It was the site of the ruling family of the island of Hawaii (or a portion of it) for generations. The structure surrounded by tiki poles and a fence was the burial site of kings, at least 23 were buried here dating from about 1450 to 1818. The lava rock wall beside it was the base for a massive temple and the long wall, about a mile more, enclosed a “city of refuge” where people who broke a Kapu or a warrior defeated in battle could flee here and be absolved by a priest of their death sentence. Of course they had to make it here pursued by those who did not want them set free. There were royal fish ponds, a boat house and many more unrestored sites on the property. The VC had an excellent movie about one man’s journey to freedom. The grounds and the cove were so pretty and we just loved being here. We also hiked about a one mile trail to a cliff overlook. We passed other foundations, saw several Konane carved into the lava https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kōnane) and our first wild goats.
This is Kōnane, similar to the Japanese game of Go. The board could be any size with lava and coral pieces. These were high stakes games with much being bet on individual moves.
A small portion of the huge rock wall, 10 feet tall, 15 feet deep and no cement. Enclosed the city of refuge.
The boat house for repair or building a new canoe.