

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Our National Parks.’ See more responses here. There are two national parks on the island. One is Hawaii Volcanoes National Park which encompasses Kilauea Volcano and Mauna Loa Volcano. The other is the somewhat lesser known Pu’uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park, which is also known as Place of Refuge.
There are two parts to the park, which are separated by an imposing rock wall. On the inland side of the wall are the grounds where Hawaiian royalty made their home. The water side of the wall was the place of refuge. Anyone who had broken the law or kapu faced the death penalty, but if they could reach a place of refuge they would be forgiven by a priest and allowed to return to their normal lives.
At one end of the wall is the Hale o Keawe temple, surrounded by ki’i (wooden statues). This structure houses the bones of many Hawaiian royalty or ali’i, which are believed to give the place great power or mana.
For more photos and information on this site about these parks, click on the tags for Pu’uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park or Hawaii Volcanoes National Park at the bottom of this page.
For more information about Pu’uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park, visit https://www.nps.gov/puho/index.htm. For more information about Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, go to nps.gov/havo/.

Very interesting – I wonder whether the place has a special feeling of sanctuary as some such places do seem to have their own power?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think many people would say that is the case, though I have never sensed anything in that regard. But then, I’m not the most sensitive of people!
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂 But I have seen some places that get to even the biggest sceptics …
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is true.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What an interesting park, Graham! Beautiful photos, love the wooden statues. Where on the BI is this?
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s on the west side of the island, a little way south of Captain Cook. It’s right next door to Two Step, a pretty good snorkeling spot, so I like to explore the park and then go for a swim or vice versa.
LikeLiked by 1 person