About The Point at Poipu, Kauai - A Sunterra Premier Property

There is so much to love about the beautiful Kauai Oceanfront resort, The Point at Poipu, Kauai, a Sunterra Premier Resort. The staff at the resort welcomes you to enjoy the amenities or to engage yourself in the many island activities.

The Pointe At Poipu today stretches across that long dune above Makahu'ena Point, overlooking Keoneloa Bay. Before its construction, archaeologists investigated these lands and studied historic documents to preserve the story of the generations of Hawaiians who had lived and died here over many centuries.

Nineteenth century records tell of a heiau (a place of worship or shrine) that once stood upon Makahu'ena. And concealed beneath the sands of Keoneloa Bay is a limestone ledge upon which dozens of petroglyphs have been incised. The petroglyphs are lively, filled with exuberance and boldness.

The great dune of Makahu'ena was also an ancient burial place. A portion of the burial site has been preserved in homage to the ancestors of Keoneloa Bay.
Artifacts recovered during archaeological excavating within the Pointe At Poipu grounds revealed this to have been the site of a prehistoric fishing camp. Detailed reports on the archaeological work accomplished here and artifact collections are now available to scholars and students.

There is another saying about Makahu'ena:

"Hulili ka la i ke kula o Makahu'ena, he huaka'i 'oi'o."

- When the sunlight vibrates over the plain of Makahu'ena, a procession of departed chiefs and their followers is going through.
Archaeological study may help to keep alive for future generations the memory of these departed Hawaiians of Kaua'i.

Prepared by Cultural Services Hawaii   

Before construction of The Point At Poipu began, archaeologists investigated these grounds - once a great sand dune stretching above Keoneloa Bay - searching for material evidences of the Hawaiian culture that once thrived here. By controlled excavations, they removed material ranging from artifacts to food refuse that enabled them to recreate the premodern Hawaiian culture of Keoneloa.

The food refuse - such as seashells and bones - and artifacts were studied and analyzed. These studies revealed changes in the population and diet of the inhabitants over generations, as well as the kinds of work and play they engaged in.

The results of the excavations suggested that this area was the campsite of the fishermen of Keoneloa Bay. Especially striking were the shell and bone fishhooks - in various states of completion - and hook-making tools. By studying these hooks, we can even reconstruct the stages in the Hawaiian craftsman's shaping of a shell fishhook.

As you walk through the grounds of the Pointe At Poipu, try to imagine a Hawaiian craftsman, deep in concentration as he shapes a fishhook from a shell, sitting here on a vast sand dune above the blue waters of Keoneloa.

Prepared by Cultural Services Hawaii