Place of Refuge, Last swim


Saturday, July 27, 2019

Just one planned activity this morning, a visit to the Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park, about a 30-minute drive from Kona.  (See https://www.nps.gov/puho/index.htm)

In traditional Hawaiian culture most offenses against the kapu, the laws, were capital offenses and resulted in a death sentence.  However, there were a few places of refuge, and if the offender could reach one, short-term rehabilitation (measured in weeks or months) could be accomplished by the priests who resided there and the offender could then be released back into society.  This National Historical Park is one such place of refuge.  It was impossible to miss the parallel with the biblical cities of refuge!

Also here are royal grounds, sort of a kingly beach resort area.  An odd juxtaposition of two sites.  At the junction of the two is a giant wall-altar (a heiau):



And at the junction of the two sites are statues of Polynesian gods:



The Hawaiians grew gourds on clever racks:



 We smelled (and did not taste) the fruit of the noni tree which is as foul a smell as you can imagine.  Sort of like the ripest stinky cheese you’ve ever been near, and, of course, thought to have many powers, including medicinal, if eaten:



A park ranger gave us a short talk, and we took a group photo:



 Back in town we all had lunch and then spent the afternoon relaxing at the pool and beach.  We had a lovely last dinner together, and the children had a last swim together:



We leave for home at noon on Sunday, arriving mid-morning Monday (Kona-Honolulu-Detroit-Rochester).  Assuming no travel trauma to report, this will be the last post.

Comments

  1. Ralph P. LockeJuly 28, 2019 at 12:56 PM

    Good luck with the return! Thanks for all the great descriptions and photos! Ben looks like he's been having a great time--and it seems to have been a plus that there were other grandkids as part of the group. I didn't know about such tours.
    Ralph

    ReplyDelete
  2. xctravelerJuly 28, 2019 at 1:18 PM

    Happy travels, you've paid your travel dues for the year, for the decade? Look forward to seeing you in Rochester.
    Paul

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ann Carol GoldbergJuly 28, 2019 at 1:59 PM

    Hoping for an easy return, no more rotten flights mishaps and no more posts. Can't wait to see you after 4-5 days or recovery. Hugs, Carol

    ReplyDelete

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