Kealakekua Bay and Captain Cook Bay History

Kealakekua is rich in history and long before Hawaii’s discovery by Captain James Cook, Kealakekua Bay was a sacred place, home to Hawaiian Royalty and Captain James Cook’s final resting place.

We have tried to display some of that history throughout Kealakekua Hale, and we continue to collect and commemorate the very special nature of the area and the islands of Hawaii. We were even lucky enough to discover that an ancient water well on the grounds was used by the villagers as a natural healing well for treatment of measles and chicken pox introduced to the islands by the arrival of early Europeans.

In keeping with that goal of celebrating the local history, we have included short briefings on the time before the arrival of Captain Cook and the period at his arrival. In addition, we have several historical books and articles at Kealakekua Hale that are available to our guests during their stay, for those seeking further knowledge on the history of Hawaii and its people.