Ke’eku Heiau and Hãpailai’I Heiau -- Keauhou Bay

 My friend Marian had taken me to see the turtles that swim in abundance in Keauhou Bay near the Keauhou Beach Hotel in the Kona region of the Big Island.  She did not tell me much else but when we arrived I found myself in a very pleasant bay with nice resort landscaped gardens and two heiau which were under restoration.  The coastlines of Hawaii were obviously very important to Hawaiians and much of the evidence of their habitation and worship has been lost so it is very gratifying to see that restoration of such sites is taking place.   

The area where the Heiau are situated is resort owned land and a sign in the hotel told me they were undertaking the identification of all sacred sites on their land with a view to restoration if possible.  The photo below is from the hotel foyer and shows the aerial shot of both heiau undergoing restoration. 

Hawaiian tradition says that Lanoikamakahiki defeated an invading Maui Chief and sacrificed him here.  The spirits of his grieving dogs are said to guard this site. 

Despite this information I did not feel any hostility or violence, the whole area had a sense of calm and peace about it so most likely it was not a place of constant violence in the past as I had sensed at Pu’ukohola and Pelekane Bay.  As I approached the Heiau I did feel the same barriers I had felt at other Heiau’s, The kapu was working here too and I was not welcome, although I felt only moderately repelled and not strongly repelled as I had at Pu’ukohola. 

Sometimes  I get specific messages when I visit places but in Hawaii I mostly  sensed an overall energy, it was either welcoming or hostile, in this place I felt welcome except for the spot immediately near thestairs of the heiau.  As  I would be forbidden, under the Kapu (Hawaiian Law), to enter the Heiau I was not surprised to feel a barrier between me and the heiau. Heiau's are spiritual places where Kahuna or priests pray  and receive messages from the Gods 

 I got a sense of  tradition, for want of a better word, as though there is a deeply embedded thread of heritage, of ritual and culture that goes back for centuries and it creates a type of energy which is comforting,  the kind of comfort we might  get by following rituals and doing things in a routine and familiar way.  It had a little more depth than just comfort, however, it is as though everything is done with a specific purpose in mind and this seems to mostly revolve around gratitude or giving thanks for abundance coupled with a strong sense of belonging. I guess what I was feeling was the mass consciousness of Hawaiians who had been there before me.  There is also a strong sense that, no matter who comes or goes here, life will go on and the Aina (land) will retain it's special energy.

Indeed I had discovered at the Garden of the Kamehameha’s that even the construction of a toilet block and a covering of tarmac could not squash the energy that has been instilled in these lands over the centuries and I have been left in no doubt that there is a great spiritual energy which lives on to reach out to and protect those who come in contact with it. 

Another gem which can be found at this place is Punawai Springs which means fresh water springs.  These springs were used for drinking, bathing, relaxing and rinsing.  There are several legends associated with this spring, one is that it is a fertility spring, Ali’i women who were having trouble conceiving would come to the spring with  a Kahuna (priest)  where he would bless the couple and bathe them in the spring.

There is magic in this tree I am sure, it looked and felt like the spirit of an animal and I felt compelled to take its picture and share it with you. 

So where are the turtles?  Well I saw one fine specimen swimming around and took his picture but the rest of them must have been on vacation.  It is a nice spot and well worth a visit with a lovely open air restaurant right on the shore where you can see turtles when they are home. 

Keauhou Bay is in the Kona District south of Kailua Kona and this particular area is accessed via the Keauhou Bay Hotel which is one of the Outrigger Chain

This story is extracted from Where is Hazel.Com

Hazel 2009 ©