We went to the very northern part of the Big Island this morning to hike to Mo’okni Heiau. A temple was first constructed there in the 5th century but it’s said that the ruins of the current temple were built between the 13th and 14th centuries by a high priest who also introduced human sacrifice to Hawai’i. There’s a huge stone outside the temple walls where they removed the sacrifices’ bones from the flesh. (I learned early this week that people believed people’s spiritual essence, their mana, was in their bones.)
We visited this site last year as well — it’s a pretty hike along the water out to the temple. Huge swells crash upon the rocks. We kept an eye out for whales but only saw a few spouts out in the distance this time (it was more of show last year — this year our show was watching a crew of skydivers). It’s a quiet walk too, we only ran into one other couple and for the most part we had the nearly five-mile hike to ourselves. Just the way we like it.
We also took the fork in the trail that led us to King Kamehameha’s birthplace, the royal housing complex 2,000 feet south of the temple. Mo’okini Heiau was dedicated to Kamehameha’s family’s war god until he built a new one twenty miles down the coast (the one we visited earlier this week).
After lunch at Gill’s Lanai, we headed back for a quiet afternoon where I finished my book and then headed to get a delicious waffle cone from Gypsea Gelato (I had a strawberry chocolate scoop called “love potion” and an oreo scoop — heavenly).
This evening involved wine, cards, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. A show we’re now watching as a family? Tomorrow’s our last full day in Hawai’i and it looks to be a rainy one. My hope is for more card games and Avatar.
With Love,
Natalie