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Captain Cook Monument
Located within the West Region on Kauai
Captain Cook Monument in Waimea
On January 20, 1778, Captain James Cook sailed into Waimea Bay and became the first European to make contact with the Hawaiian Islands. A statue in downtown Waimea marks the approximate landing spot.
The Monument
The statue is a replica of the original that stands in Whitby, England, the port where Cook trained as a seaman. The British government gifted it to the town of Waimea. It is a modest monument near the water, depicting Cook in his captain's uniform.
A plaque provides basic historical context. The whole stop takes five minutes unless you want to read and reflect on the significance of first contact between Europeans and Hawaiians.
Cook's Story in Hawaii
Cook named the archipelago the "Sandwich Islands" after his patron, the Earl of Sandwich. After his initial landing at Waimea, he sailed on to explore the other Hawaiian islands. He returned to the Big Island in 1779, where a dispute over a stolen boat escalated into a fatal confrontation at Kealakekua Bay.
The legacy of Cook's arrival is complicated. First contact brought trade goods and new technologies, but also introduced diseases that devastated the Native Hawaiian population in the decades that followed.
While You're in Waimea
The monument is in downtown Waimea, right off Highway 50. A handful of plate-lunch counters and food trucks in town make it an easy meal stop. From here, it is a short drive to Russian Fort Elisabeth and the Menehune Ditch. Most visitors stop in Waimea on their way up to Waimea Canyon, so you can hit all four in a single morning. Waimea is also a smart place to gas up before the drive — you won't find a station on the way up the canyon.
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Trade winds are strong right now, with high surf hitting the south shore today. Windward areas are seeing frequent showers through the weekend.
South-facing beaches have dangerous surf today through Sunday—stay out of the water unless you're an experienced swimmer. East-facing shores will build rough water by Sunday or Monday. The bigger picture is a tropical system, Fausto, heading our way. It's weakening but should arrive near the islands by Tuesday or Wednesday as a tropical storm or weaker system, bringing strong winds, rough seas, and heavy rain. The exact track is still uncertain, so check the forecast daily.
Get your beach time and water activities in today through early next week on the leeward side, where conditions stay calmer. Be ready to shift plans by midweek when conditions turn rough.
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Windy conditions across Maui right now, with trade winds gusting strong. South-facing shores have high surf today and will see another big swell Saturday and Sunday—the water's dangerous unless you're an experienced ocean swimmer.
Through the weekend, windward areas will get frequent showers while trade winds stay gusty. The bigger picture arrives midweek: Hurricane Fausto is weakening as it moves toward the islands and should reach Maui as a tropical storm or weaker system Tuesday or Wednesday. That'll bring rough seas, strong winds, and heavy rain. Track and timing are still uncertain, so check updates daily.
Hit the leeward beaches and snorkel south Maui coasts today through early next week, but stay out of windward and south-facing waters through Sunday.
0:000:54
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Windy conditions dominate right now with strong trade winds pushing across the island. South-facing shores have high surf today—dangerous water if you're not an experienced swimmer.
Through the weekend, those south shores see another big swell Saturday and Sunday, and east-facing shores will build dangerous conditions by Sunday or Monday. Windward areas get frequent showers. A tropical system—the remnants of Hurricane Fausto—is weakening and headed toward the islands as a tropical storm or weaker system by Tuesday or Wednesday, bringing rough seas, strong winds, and heavy rain midweek. Timing and track are still uncertain, so check updates daily.
Leeward beaches on the Kona side stay your best bet today through early next week, but avoid the water on the windward and south shores through Sunday.
0:000:57
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Strong trade winds are pushing showers across windward areas through the weekend. On Kauaʻi, expect frequent showers on the windward side.
High surf is running on south-facing shores today and will build again Saturday and Sunday—stay out of the water unless you're an experienced swimmer. East-facing shores will also see dangerous swell by Sunday or Monday. Hurricane Fausto is weakening as it moves toward Hawaii. By Tuesday or Wednesday it should reach the islands as a tropical storm or weaker system, bringing rough seas, strong winds, and heavy rain. Track and timing are still uncertain, so check updates daily through midweek.
Beach time on leeward shores works through early next week. Plan water activities for today, but be ready to shift if Fausto's track becomes clearer—conditions will deteriorate by midweek.
Created with AI from the official NWS forecast discussion · verify with NWS before heading out
