Kaunaoa Bay

Kaunaʻoa Bay has one of the few white sand beaches of the Kohala Coast, the western side of the island of Hawaiʻi.

[1] The bay is accessed via Mauna Kea Beach Drive, just west of state Route 19, Hawaiʻi Belt Road, at 20°0′16″N 155°49′30″W / 20.00444°N 155.82500°W / 20.00444; -155.82500, about 2.6 miles (4.2 km) south of Kawaihae, Hawaii.

The state agreed to pave the Hawaii Belt Road (called the Queen Kaʻahumanu highway for this section) to the site and build a new Kona International Airport.

Rockefeller bought the land of the nearby Puʻukoholā Heiau and donated it for a National Historic Park.

[5] The open-air design allowed natural ventilation from the trade winds, although rooms had air conditioning available.