At the southern end of Hōnaunau Bay in Kona, on the island of Hawaiʻi, a centuries-old stone wall marks an ancient place of refuge, or puʻuhonua, that once offered sanctuary to any fugitive, innocent or guilty, who could reach it. The wall sets off some six acres of land containing heiau (temple) platforms and storied stones, relics of the ancient regime when the puʻuhonua was a religious center as well as a sanctuary.
By Dorothy B. Barrere
