Kealakekua Bay is located on the Kona coast of the island of Hawaiʻi about 12 miles (19 km) south of Kailua-Kona.

Settled over a thousand years ago, the surrounding area contains many archeological and historical sites such as religious temples (heiaus) and also includes the spot where the first documented European to reach the Hawaiian islands, Captain James Cook, was killed.

[2] The bay is a marine life conservation district, a popular destination for kayaking, scuba diving, and snorkeling.

[6] The sheer cliff face called Ka-pali-poko—a-Manuahi overlooking the bay houses burials of Hawaiian royalty and their accompanied companions and funerary items.

The village of Kaʻawaloa was at the north end of the bay in ancient times, where the Puhina O Lono Heiau was built, along with some royal residences.

Although there are theories that Spanish or Dutch sailors might have stopped here much earlier, the first documented European to arrive was Captain James Cook.

Cook himself attempted to barter for the wood used to border the natives "Morai" (a sacred burial ground for certain high-ranking individuals).

Since Cook's men felt they could not leave without resupplying fresh water and further repair of their damaged mast, subsequent skirmishing resulted in dozens of native deaths by musket fire and the ships cannons; a portion of Kireekakooa, one of the towns in the bay, was also burned.

[citation needed] When Kalaniʻōpuʻu died in 1782, his oldest son Kiwalaʻo officially inherited the kingdom, but his nephew Kamehameha I became guardian of the god Kūkaʻilimoku.

Young and Isaac Davis, the lone survivor of the Fair American, slowly adjusted to the island lifestyle.

There he was surprised to encounter a Hawaiian who in broken English introduced himself as "Jack", and told of traveling to America on a fur-trading ship.

Impressed by the warriors' abilities, Vancouver fired off some fireworks at night to demonstrate his military technology.

Scottish doctor James Lind had recommended the use of citrus juice to prevent scurvy on long voyages.

The botanist Archibald Menzies had picked up some citrus fruit seeds in South Africa, and dropped them off here, so that future ships might be able to replenish their stocks at the Hawaiian islands.

After a failed attempt to negotiate peace, he marched his army north to meet Kalanimoku's troops who were gathered at Kamakahonu.

A small Christian church was built in 1824 in Kaʻawaloa by the Hawaiian missionaries, and the narrow trail widened to a donkey cart road in the late 1820s, but the population declined due largely to introduced diseases and people shifted to other areas.

In 1825, Admiral Lord Byron (cousin of the famous poet) on the ship HMS Blonde erected a monument to Cook and took away many of the old, sacred artifacts.

[17] The last royalty known to live here was high chief Naihe, known as the "national orator," and his wife Chiefess Kapiʻolani, early converts to Christianity.

She removed the remains of the old chiefs and hid them in the Pali Kapu O Keōua cliffs before ordering this last temple to be destroyed.

A steamer landed in the early 20th century when Kona coffee became a popular crop in the upland areas.

[5] A large white stone monument was built on the north shore of the bay in 1874 on the order of Archibald Cleghorn and was deeded to the United Kingdom in 1877.

The chain around the monument is supported by four cannon from the ship HMS Fantome; they were placed with their breaches embedded in the rock in 1876.

The Cook monument is unreachable by road; this remote location is accessible only by water or an hour-long hike along a moderately steep trail.

State conservation regulations prohibit kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, surfboards, and bodyboards from entering the bay unless part of a tour with a licensed local operator.

A short single-day eruption of Mauna Loa volcano took place underwater within Kealakekua Bay in 1877, and within a mile of the shoreline; curious onlookers approaching the area in boats reported unusually turbulent water and occasional floating blocks of hardened lava.