Pu'uhonua o Honaunau - Place of Refuge

For Christmas, our Alaskan friends, The Burson family bought Jillian an annual pass to a National Historic Park here in Hawaii....The Place of Refuge. When we got there, we learned that the pass is also good for the volcano park here and the one on Maui. That is so cool, we can't wait to go back again and again! :)


The Pu'uhonua was a sanctuary that provided the Hawaiian people with a second chance. No blood could be shed within its confines. That means that any lawbreaker or person seeking refuge during wartime could go to a pu'uhonua and be safe. If you had broken a law, the kapu, the penalty was death. Reaching a pu'uhonua would guarantee absolution and you were safe to return home.



















There is no swimming or sun bathing on their beach because it is considered sacred ground.

The Great Wall runs a border along the park, it was constructed in 1550 and stands 10 feet high and 17 feet thick. Amazing! You can just see the wall beyond the coconut trees.

















Jillian is playing Konane, an ancient Hawaiian game.
























The wooden totem poles are called Ki'i and stand guard around the park. Jillian LOVED them! I think the picture of her kissing that mean grimace is so cute!

When we woke up on this morning the temperature was in the low 70's. We thought that was pretty chilly, so all 3 of us wore jeans. :) I think we're getting acclimated....




Inside the park is a beautiful area for picnicking. The tide pools there are very neat! Fish are washed into the shallow-ish pools with the tide. We have friends who've seen an octopus one day in a tide pool here. Sadly, this day there were no fish. We'll just have to try again on another day.