KÃÂneaka Hà Âlua Slide which is better known today as the Keauhou Hà Âlua Slide is located in Keauhou (original name of this area was Kahaluûu) on the island of Hawaii. It is the largest historical hà Âlua course left in the islands. Hà Âlua slides were used in the extremely dangerous activity of sliding across solidified lava surface.
Though many had believed for years that this ritualistic practice was restricted to the alii class of men, this is not the case. The majority of oral and written histories of heûehà Âlua prior to missionary/western influence was inclusive of the female as well as the male nobility of ancient Hawaii. Contrary to popular belief, heûehà Âlua was widely practiced among all the Kanaka Maoli community throughout the Kingdom. This particular hà Âlua course was primarily used for ritualistic purposes, but perhaps there were times when it was openly used. There are several burials found throughout the slide area suggesting that injuries and death were common when sliding down this particular course. The remaining length of the slide is approx. long, of the original length which was said to be over long. The slide course ended on the shoreline at Heûeia Bay. Small portions of the hà Âlua course are still remain on the shoreline at the end of the hà Âlua slide where the waves meet the rock coastline. When constructed it was first layered with large slabs of pÃÂhoehoe lava with smaller and smaller lava material added until the kahua hà Âlua was finished off with a fine ash surface to cover those larger pieces of lava rock. When in use, it was covered lightly with pili grass to provide a medium surface to minimize the friction between the papahà Âlua and lava rock surface during the practice of heûehà Âlua. Today, there is one other usable kahua hà Âlua slide that was constructed in 2011 and is located at Turtle Bay Resort. Other than that heûehà Âlua is practiced today in pastures on the high slopes of Hawaiûi Island and Maui, as well as on groomed grass hills throughout Hawaiûi.
The KÃÂneaka Hà Âlua Slide was connected to the Makahiki games. It can be seen from Alii Highway, across from the Kona Country Club golf course clubhouse. The slide originally went into Heûeia Bay, but the part below the road was destroyed and is now used by a golf course and vacation homes. The preserved parts above the road are best viewed from the air, e.g. satellite images at This area was used by the royal families such as the King Kamehameha III and King David KalÃÂkaua.
By the 1950s trees and shrubs were encroaching on the sides of the slide, and sections had settled due to earthquakes. It was added to the list of National Historic Landmarks in Hawaii on December 29, 1962, and added to the National Register of Historic Places listings on the island of Hawaii on October 15, 1966. A small museum at the nearby Keauhou Shopping Center includes a reproduction of a hà Âlua sled and more information about the other historic sites in the area.