The hidden and hard-to-reach 8-meter-high white memorial obelisk to the death of Captain James Cook continues to stir controversy decades after it was erected.

The memorial stands on the shores of Kealakekua Bay at the site of the violent death of famed navigator, geographer and adventurer James Cook. He was killed here by local residents on 14 February 1779.

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Death of James Cook

This famous British navigator, who made history by discovering many islands, especially in the Pacific, was not very respectful of the indigenous tribes. However, when he landed off the coast of Hawaii, he was initially well received by the locals, but Captain Cook and his crew soon began to abuse the Hawaiians' hospitality, culminating in a conflict between one of the crew members and several local men.

Captain Cook decided to capture a local tribal chief, shooting one of the natives in the process. However, the tribesmen rebelled violently, protected their chief, and everything culminated in violent retaliation and the death of James Cook.

The erection of the obelisk and the controversy

One hundred years later in 1878, a white obelisk was erected on the shores of Kealakekua Bay to commemorate the death of James Cook.

However, due to the circumstances of the seafarer's entire time in Hawaii and the violence he later committed there, the James Cook Monument never found much acceptance among the locals and some controversy continues to this day.

How to get there

The monument lies in a difficult to access location with no road for a car. However, there is a marked hiking trail from the village called Captain Cook that leads to the obelisk, which takes you through small fields, lush, dense vegetation and offers some amazing views from the cliffs over the open ocean.

In total, the trail is 3 km one way and, apart from a short, high elevation gain towards the end of the trail, it is easy and can be easily managed by less trained hikers.