Kamehameha the Great united the warring islands of Hawaii in 1810, bringing a new age of peace and prosperity to this tropical paradise.
The inimitable Bigs Bardot united the world’s Big Things and roadside attractions under one website in 2021, bringing love and happiness and greater awareness of roadside attractions to every corner of the world (yes, even Нады́м, Россия – did you think I forgot about you, Yevgeny?).
Finally, in an event celebrated from Hilo to Honolulu, these icons met. Two kings, separated by centuries, ruling over their subordinates with brutal yet mostly fair fists.
Hail to the King, baby
The 14-foot-tall tribute to the Great One lives in the well-presented Wailoa River State Park, and is one of four similar statues scattered throughout the United States. There’s one in Honolulu, another in Kohala, and a third all the way over in Washington, DC. I certainly hope that one’s got a jumper!
This version, just outside Hilo’s quirky downtown is, however, by far the tallest – and boasts a most peculiar history. He was sculpted in Vicenza, Italy, way back in 1963, but wasn’t erected until 1997. The nearby isle of Kaua’i was intended to be his forever home but, astonishingly, the locals violently protested his arrival as the real-life King had never actually conquered their home.
I suppose, sadly, xenophobia is alive and well in Kaua’i.
But this tale has a happy ending. The statue was handed over to the the people of the Big Island of Hawai’i, the real King’s home. He was carefully placed in front of the splendid Wailoa fish pond, where Kamehameha had often fished for ‘ono and diligently perfected his hip hop dance manoeuvres.
