Statue of King Kamehameha — Attraction in Hawaii

We went on Kamahamahema Day, which is June 11th every year. We arrived from Kona when the ceremonial draping of the statue of Kamehameha was underway. A local historian recited much of the story of Kamahemaha, and introduced a dance group, which performed several traditional works. After that, there was to be a parade at 11am (later than usual because the day fell on Sunday), but the procession did not appear until about 40 minutes later. While waiting, we met Koa and Pat, his grandmother. They had several relatives and many friends in the parade, which was mostly on horseback. After the Grand Marshall, Kahua Ranch was represented by at least a dozen and a half riders and a tram full of many more of their business "family." Riders (locals) represented the islands that the famous king united under his rule with different colored costumes and leis for each, and lovely girls playing the parts of each island's princesses. Other community groups, like 4-H, also had their floats representing them. Each equestrian group had a motorized vehicle followining it with a couple of young men who had the delightful job of cleaning up after the horses. It is a small, close-knit community where all greet each other affectionately. The locals speak English, and some may speak Hawai'ian, but there is also a dialect that they speak amongst themselves that begs interpretations for those not familiar with it. We left right after the parade, but now regret not sticking around for the rest of the festivities, food, and cultural activities. If you are on the Big Island on June 11th, be sure to attend the ceremonies. In any case, visit while the remaining giant historical albizia tree is still standing. One of them collapsed just a few days before the festival, and was severely pruned. The other, larger one, may meet a similar fate due to its age...

The entire grounds are well manicured with well kept restroom facilities. Kept in its turn of the century original form. More than adequate parking on the grounds. The ancient game stones remain accessible with no barrier as is the sacred statue of the Great One. The unpolished solid wood pughs are original and a comfortable resting place in shade on the wrap around porch with a water fountain. There's a Veterans Memorial dating from WW1 serving as the backdrop to the Militant King who united the Island Kingdom with an eerily interesting history of the lost, but then miraculously recovered shipwrecked statue from the Pacific depths, to its original and final resting place in Kohala. A most fantastic feature at the birthplace of a sacred and most celebrated King of the...

We don’t really have any plans to come up here but we ended doing it because it was a little windy that day. I’m actually really glad we came up here and saw the statue. It’s a cool landmark for you to come visit. I’m not saying you’re gonna spend the whole day here but you could spend a little bit of time and check it out. There’s some great information on the king here and what he did for the Hawaiian people. There’s also a great area if you wanna have a picnic lunch. This place is located right next to the...