Captain Cook Monument

This tall white obelisk in Kaʻawaloa Cove is visible from a mile away at Kealakekua Bay. It marks the spot where Captain Cook was killed in an armed confrontation with Hawaiians in 1779. In 1877, as an act of diplomacy, the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi deeded the land that the monument stands on to Britain (so yes: this is technically British soil). Behind lie some scattered stones and foundation marks, the ruins of the ancient village of Kaʻawaloa.