And we're gonna get a smiley! Across the road from the beach parking lot you will see a steep, narrow road. You can park at the bottom and walk up, but I prefer to drive to the top of the hill. It's perfectly do-able with any sort of vehicle.
Welcome to the Henry Opukaha'ia Memorial Chapel! This beautiful, open-air, lava rock church was built to honor the man who is credited as the first Hawaiian to become a Christian. The chapel is surrounded by a cemetery with some extremely interesting and unique burial sites.
Henry's life story is beyond amazing! He was born in this area around 1792. He became an orphan at the age of 10 when his parents were killed during a brutal war between Chiefs Namakeha and Kamehameha. He rescued his infant brother who was soon killed by a spear while Henry was carrying him on his back. Henry was then taken into the home of the man responsible for this killing. He later went to live with his uncle who was a Kahuna (high priest.) Traumatized, poor Henry dreamed of escaping, and 6 years later he swam out to a trading ship. The kindly captain took Henry aboard and allowed him to sail back to Connecticut with him. This is where Henry received an education and became a Christian. He had a burning desire to return to Hawaii to share his faith. But tragically, he died from typhus at age 26, before he could return. However, he did inspire the voyage of the first group of Christian missionaries who landed in the Islands in 1820.