James Cook was probably one of, if not the greatest explorer the world has ever seen. One of the things that made Cook great was his humanitarian attitude to the people of the lands that he “discovered”.

In Hawaii Cook was initially, at least, was seen as a god as he arrived just about the time the Hawaiians were expecting one. Despite a lot of confusion, no doubt in part due to the language barrier, the Hawaiians and the English hit it off pretty well. As Cook was well documented for his fair-mindedness when “visiting” new lands one wonders what led to the situation where Cook was killed and eaten. One could speculate that, as Cook was regarded as a god, that the Hawaiians saw some value in consuming him. Or perhaps Cook overstepped the mark in the re-provisioning of his ship and the Hawaiians sought retribution. In any event it’s clear that the Hawaiians hold Cook in some regard, with streets and towns named after him. One local described Cook as Hawaii’s Christopher Columbus and part of Hawaii’s history. On reflection that’s seems pretty fair.

But you see now I’m confused. I’m confused because we tried to visit the Cook monument that is very close to where “the worlds fairest explorer” and a part of Hawaii’s history met his maker. The problem is there are no signs for direction. In fact people seem to be actively discouraged from visiting the monument. No, I am not being paranoid; look at the only sign at the start of the four-hour trek to the monument. Look at the parking at the trailhead, oh and don’t forget to dial 911 when your trip to Cook’s monument goes pear-shaped.

Something is wrong here, Hawaii thrives on tourism, names a town after their Christopher Columbus yet it’s a half day trek to see the monument if you can find the track.

Just as an aside the person who made that statement had a tattoo that said “Hawaiian by birth, American by force”. What if the Hawaiians dislike the US more than Cook? I still see the Union Jack on the state flag after all.

Enter at your Peril

The Cook “No Parking” Lot

Just another day in Hawaii.