Captain Cook Monument Trail in Hawaii

In the early part of 2008, my wife Jacqueline and I spent a couple days on Hawaii Island (aka the Big Island) in Kona. We had a nice visit to Kona, Hawaii temple (we are LDS). We also took time to go hiking. I've never hiked in the Kona area, so prior to our trip I googled "Kona Hawaii hikes" and found out information about a 4+ mile hike to a monument for Captain James Cook at Kealakekua Bay.

For those who don't know Hawaiian history, Captain James Cook, who in 1778 was the European to make landfall in the Hawaiian Islands, which were populated by several hundred thousand Hawaiians at the time. Anyway, Cook was killed at Kealakekua Bay by Hawaiians who, according to some accounts, may have thought that he and his crew were overstaying their welcome. For a detailed rendering of that event in history, read more here.
http://www.captaincooksociety.com/ccsu2531.htm

The trail we hiked led down to the monument for Cook, which marks the spot on the rocky shoreline of Kealakekua Bay near where the British navy captain met his demise.

From the Big Island's tourist mecca, Kailua-Kona, we drove 14 miles south on the main highway. At a sign on the main highway for "Kealakekua Bay" we headed right on Napoopoo Road. I remembered from my google search that the trailhead was on the right within a hundred yards from the main highway on Napoopoo Road. After driving past the trailhead initially, I turned our vehicle around and saw a couple people who looked like hikers getting ready to set off.

I parked our car along the side of Napoopoo Road at a little turnoff spot right near the main highway and watched where the hikers were headed. Doing this, I was able to locate the trailhead. Note that just past the trailhead, a large house is under construction (circa Jan 2008). Also note that at the trailhead is a "Road Closed" sign. See the picture I have included with this report.