Visit the Palace

Entry Hall  |  Kuhio Room  |  Kuakini Room  |  The Lanai  |  Second Floor Sitting Room
Princess Ruth's Room  |  Kawananakoa Room  |  The Grounds
Mokuaikaua Church  |  Ahu`ena Heiau

Ahu`ena Heiau
The reconstructed Ahu`ena Heiau, site of the Capital of Hawai`i from 1812 -1819, is easily seen from the Palace grounds.

After uniting the Hawai`ian Islands, King Kamehameha the Great moved the capital to Kailua-Kona.

He rebuilt the Ahu`ena Heiau as his personal temple to Lono, the god of peace and prosperity. Help for the King and his subjects was invoked by rituals and food offerings. Ahu`ena was not used for human sacrifice.

Kamehameha's compound at Kamakahonu was much larger than today's smaller scale reproductions.

The platform in the foreground is the lele where gifts are left. The white structure in the rear is the 'anu'u or oracle tower. It was the most distinctive feature of the heiau or temples of ruling chiefs.

The restored Ahu`ena Heiau is on the grounds of the King Kamehameha Hotel next to the Kailua pier.