You’ve probably heard of the renowned British sailor and explorer Captain James Cook, who plied the seas from South Africa to Australia, through the South Pacific, and on to Alaska between 1768 and 1779. He was indeed a man of vision and a supremely skilled navigator, geographer and sailor. There are many places throughout the world that bear his name in honor of his exploits: the Cook Islands, Cook Inlet, Mount Cook, to name just a few. And then there’s Captain Cook, Hawai’i. Heard of it? Maybe not, unless you live on or have been to the island of Hawai’i (popularly known as the Big Island). 

Hawaiians all know the story, which we won’t recount here. Suffice it to say that, due to cultural differences, a series of misunderstandings, the poor judgment or hotheadedness of several individuals, and plain bad luck, the captain met his untimely end on the rocky shore of Kealakekua Bay on the small peninsula of Ka’awaloa. Four British sailors were killed in the ensuing fracas, as were many more Hawaiians, including ali’i, members of the royal families. The treatment of native Hawaiians at the hands of foreigners had never been particularly respectful or fair, and after the incident at Kealakekua, things went from bad to worse. Nevertheless, in the 1870’s, in the spirit of aloha, Princess Likelike had a monument to James Cook built on a small plot of land which was then ceded to Britain. The monument stands today, a little piece of the British Empire overlooking Kealakekua Bay and one of the best snorkeling spots in the islands.

Given this unhappy history, you might wonder why the folks living in the town overlooking this bay would choose to call it after someone whose name is associated with so much indignity and loss. Well, in fact, they didn’t. The naming of Captain Cook, or rather the naming of the post office and the subsequent “census designated place,” was quite by accident, the result of a series of random events.

Following Hawaii’s annexation to the United States in 1893, the U.S. Postal Service established numerous offices throughout the islands, including the Kealakekua post office on Napo’opo’o Road above the bay. In 1906 it was decided to move that office a bit north to the central Kona area known as Konawaena. The post office kept the name of Kealakekua, however, which was perplexing and disorienting for the locals. (The long-established and traditionally named land divisions (ahupua’a) of the Hawaiians have been routinely disregarded.) In 1916, it was determined that a post office was needed once again in the area above Kealakekua Bay still known as “Kealakekua village.” 

The gentleman who was charged with finding the site inquired at the general store located in a commercial building on the main road. He was sent to the establishment at the end of the lanai, which happened to be the office of the Captain Cook Coffee Company. A deal was struck, and the new post office was called, simply, Captain Cook. Much more recently, the Census Bureau established the category of “census designated place” for what had formerly been called “unincorporated areas,” and the name of the captain became further institutionalized. 

It should be noted at this point, that there are no incorporated towns or cities in the state of Hawaii. There are no governmental divisions below the county level. Towns just “happened” where people traditionally congregated, and most have Hawaiian names—names rooted in culture, history and geography (although some, like Kealakekua, have been uprooted and replanted in a different locale). Driving south from Kailua, west Hawai’i’s largest town, you pass through Holualoa, Kahalu’u, Keauhou, Kainaliu, Kealakekua (formerly Haleki’i or Konawaena), CAPTAIN COOK, Ke’ei, Honaunau, Ho’okena…. You get the idea.

The point of this brief history is this. The citizens of the area called “Captain Cook,” which is comprised mainly of the ahupua’as of Kealakekua, Ka’awaloa and Ke’ei, would like to have a say in what our town, census designated place, or simply “the place where we live” is called. We deserve to have an address that reflects the cultural heritage and the historical and geographical integrity of this place. We propose to call our home Ka’awaloa, which is the actual name of the ahupua’a where the current post office is located, as well as the name of the point and ancient village site on the bay below us.

We plan to petition the U.S. Congress to make this change official. It may take some time, but with enough community support, there is no reason why this cannot be accomplished. We are asking for the support of the Hawai'i County Council in this endeavor.