King Kamehameha Statue

Hilo

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At the northern end of Wailoa River State Park, a 14ft bronze statue of King Kamehameha stands facing the bay. Sculpted by R Sandrin at the Fracaro Foundry in Vicenza, Italy, in 1963, it is actually a hand-me-down. Kaua‘i's Princeville Corporation originally commissioned this $125,000 statue for their resort. But residents opposed the statue since King Kamehameha had never conquered Kaua‘i. Princeville thus donated the statue to the Big Island, where it has stood since 1997.

The statue, which underwent a $30,000 gold-leaf restoration in 2004, is draped with dozens of lei on King Kamehameha Day.

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