All the Gods

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After a leisurely morning of coffee and breakfast on our fabulous patio, Barb and I headed off in the car (me driving because I know where we are going 😳, um, yeah…right!  We only had one or two map stops to make sure) we headed off south to go to visit The Place of Refuge known as Puu'uhonua o Hōnaunau National Park.  Set on the rugged and beautiful south Kona coast, the 'place of refuge' or 'city of refuge' was a safe haven for those that broke the Kapu laws, which in old Hawaii were punishable by death. If you reached the Puʻuhonua, you would be pardoned by Kahuna and given a second chance at life.  

Grounds at Place of Refuge.

Place of Refuge.  A very holy place to native Hawaiians.  They had many Gods, perhaps this belief kept everyone behaving themselves!

One thing Barb and I discovered….do not wear flip flops….the crushed lava and coral sand gets in your feet, your feet sweat in the flip flops and hippitty hopping over the beach lava base like a graceful gazelle is not for the feint of heart!  We did it though without a scratch…..well, we weren't exactly graceful but we did it.  


This is Aunty Kieki weaving baskets and hats from palm leaves.  She told me she has been doing this for 40 years. For a donation of $20 we could choose one of her baskets.  Both Barb and I now have a piece of her work!  They will last a very long time.  She warned us about packing them in a suitcase and flattening or crushing.  I said, a pair of folded up socks would fit in mine to keep its shape!  She agreed. 

Once we left there I again drove us up to The Painted Church.  Saint Benedict's Catholic Church is a parish of the Roman Catholic Church in Honaunau, Hawaii. It was built between 1899 and 1902 under the direction of the Belgian Catholic missionary Father John Velghe, who then painted frescoes along the interior ceiling and walls.  He felt the pictures best told the stories of the bible to the Hawaiians.  It is so beautiful to enter this church and just sit quietly and look at the lovely serene and pastel shades of painted murals on the walls and ceiling.

By the time we completed viewing these two interesting religious places it was after lunch so we drove back to Kailua-Kona for a bite of lunch and stopped at a small market set up on Ali'i Drive on the way back to our condo.  The gods were with us because we found a parking spot right opposite the gate to go in!  Both Barb and I are thinking we may need to purchase another small suitcase to go home…sigh!

We both had a good belly laugh yesterday, Barbs daughter responded to our pictures taken at Hamakauas Macadamia Nut Business that "my mom went to Hawaii and the first thing that happened was her friend put her in the nut house!" 🤪🤪


Isn't it interesting how the lava retains its shapes during the floes!  And this lava is very old.
Now it's time to call it a day.  It's a rough life here, but Barb and I are up to the task! Another adventure awaits tomorrow…stay tuned.  Cheers all ♥️

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