Kamakahonu was the royal residence and political capital of the unified Hawaiian Kingdom from 1812 to 1819 — the seat of King Kamehameha I in the final years of his reign and the site of his death. The compound sat on a small protected cove at the north end of Kailua Bay, where a reconstructed thatch temple, Ahuena Heiau, now stands.
The heiau is the centrepiece of the site. The reconstruction was directed by archaeological reading of the original layout and includes a wood-and-thatch hale (priest's house), carved wooden kii (idols), and the platform from which Kamehameha conducted state business. The whole site sits beside the King Kamehameha hotel; access is free and informal, with interpretive plaques along the shoreline path. It is one of the few places in Hawaii where you can stand at the recorded location of a major event in the kingdom's history.