Pu'uhonua O Honaunau

Pu'uhonua O'Honaunau is a National Historical Park marking the royal grounds of kings and queens. The early monarchs were considered the offspring of the gods and as such their grounds were considered sacred. The buildings on such grounds were often destroyed following the arrival of Christianity. but because certain locations were the burial sites of the monarchy these grounds were saved as historical sites.

Artifacts from the site reveal much about this ancient culture. Flat rocks on the site contained a pattern of marks indicating the rocks were used in a board game - Konane. The playing pieces were either white coral or black lava. Players would just each other's pieces until a player was unable to make a move. This game sounds similar to that game with gold tees made available in restaurants to help diners pass the time while waiting for food. I guess that game is more a puzzle enjoyed by one person at a time. The Hawaiian board game was played for high stakes - leaders used to play to settle disputes. The game was also outlawed for a time because it was frequently played for money. The game is supposedly enjoying a comeback.