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Kailua-Kona and the mauka villages are rich in Hawaiian history, dynamic history which predates the arrival of Captain Cook and the Europeans, and continues until yesterday.
Mauka and makai are practical terms in wide use here to denote direction. Mauka is toward the mountain; makai is toward the sea. On an island, those terms are more useful, less confusing and more intuitive than the four compass directions because it is easier to relate to your exact location. In Kona, west is makai (seaward), while in Hilo, east is makai. You can easily see how confusing compass directions can get.
Kona was first founded in 1812 by the great King Kamehameha I as his seat of government, and later became the Alii (royalty) vacation spot because of it's marvelous climate. Hulihee Palace stands proudly along the ocean front on Alii Drive in downtown Kona right across the street from Hawaii's first Christian Church, Mokuaikaua Church. By the time the church was founded in 1820, Kamahameha The Great had already passed on. Both the Palace and Church can be seen today, although the Palace is undergoing repair from damage sustained in the October 2006 earthquake.
Hulihee Palace Restoration 2009
The Palace is now a museum and site for concerts on the lawn, while the Church continues as an active church, and of course very popular historic tourist attraction. They are both clustered near the wharf, very central in the village.
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Old stone construction revealed
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