Captain Cook Monument

Captain Cook Monument in Waimea

On January 20, 1778, Captain James Cook sailed into Waimea Bay and became the first European to make contact with the Hawaiian Islands. A statue in downtown Waimea marks the approximate landing spot.

The Monument

The statue is a replica of the original that stands in Whitby, England, the port where Cook trained as a seaman. The British government gifted it to the town of Waimea. It is a modest monument near the water, depicting Cook in his captain's uniform.

A plaque provides basic historical context. The whole stop takes five minutes unless you want to read and reflect on the significance of first contact between Europeans and Hawaiians.

Cook's Story in Hawaii

Cook named the archipelago the "Sandwich Islands" after his patron, the Earl of Sandwich. After his initial landing at Waimea, he sailed on to explore the other Hawaiian islands. He returned to the Big Island in 1779, where a dispute over a stolen boat escalated into a fatal confrontation at Kealakekua Bay.

The legacy of Cook's arrival is complicated. First contact brought trade goods and new technologies, but also introduced diseases that devastated the Native Hawaiian population in the decades that followed.

While You're in Waimea

The monument is in downtown Waimea, right off Highway 50. Waimea Brewing Company is nearby if you want a meal or local beer. From here, it is a short drive to Russian Fort Elisabeth and the Menehune Ditch. Most visitors stop in Waimea on their way up to Waimea Canyon, so you can hit all four in a single morning.