Join our amazing crew on the Hoku Nui to sail out to the famous Kealakekua Bay, and snorkel under the Captain Cook Monument. Here are some fun facts about these tributes to Captain Cook.
According to Wikipedia, there are two Captain Cook monuments, one in Great Ayton, North Yorkshire, England, and the other in Kealakekua Bay, Hawaii. There is also a Captain Cook Statue in Whitby, Yorkshire, UK, which was unveiled in October of 1912.
The Captain Cook Monument in Great Ayton was built in 1827 by Robert Campion, a wealthy banker from Whitby. Campion was a great admirer of Cook, who was born in Marton, a few miles from Great Ayton. The monument is a 60-foot-tall obelisk that stands on Easby Moor, overlooking the village of Great Ayton. The inscription on the monument reads:
“In memory of the celebrated circumnavigator Captain James Cook F.R.S. A man of nautical knowledge inferior to none, in zeal prudence and energy, superior to most. Regardless of danger he opened an intercourse with the Friendly Isles and other parts of the Southern Hemisphere. He was born at Marton Oct. 27th, 1728, and massacred at Owythee Feb. 14th, 1779, to the inexpressible grief of his countrymen.”
The Captain Cook Monument in Kealakekua Bay, Hawaii, was built in 1874 by Cook’s fellow countrymen. It is a 27-foot-tall obelisk that stands on the site where Cook was killed in 1779. The inscription on the monument reads:
Captain James Cook, R.N., F.R.S., died on this spot, February 14th, 1779, aged 50 years. This monument was erected by his countrymen, A.D. 1874.
The Captain Cook monuments are both reminders of the life and legacy of this famous explorer. Cook was a pioneering navigator who opened new trade routes and explored uncharted lands. He also had a significant impact on the Hawaiian Islands, both positive and negative. The monuments serve as a tribute to Cook’s achievements, as well as a reminder of the complex history of contact between Western explorers and indigenous peoples.
