King Kamehameha Statue

Located within the Kohala Region on Big Island

Big Island of Hawaii Sight

King Kamehameha

The original King Kamehameha I statue stands in Kapaʻau in North Kohala on Hawaiʻi Island. Plan the statue stop separately from Kamehameha’s birthsite and Moʻokini Heiau at Kohala Historical Sites State Monument.

In 1878, the Hawaiian legislature commissioned sculptor Thomas R. Gould to create a monument to Kamehameha. The original statue was lost at sea near the Falkland Islands while being shipped to Hawaiʻi. A replacement was commissioned for Honolulu before the original was recovered and sent to Kohala.

The statue in Kapaʻau is the original; the one in Honolulu is the replacement. Kamehameha Day, June 11, is marked with flower lei draping at the statues. Check the current event schedule if you want to attend a ceremony. For a separate visit to the birthsite and Moʻokini Heiau, consult Hawaiʻi State Parks visitor information and follow posted signs and restrictions.

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