Scenic Byway & App

Royal Footsteps Along The Kona Coast

Discover Ali‘i Drive

Explore seven miles and seven centuries of Hawaiian royal archaeology, history and cultural traditions. FREE interpretive experience guides you through this treasured Hawai‘i Scenic Byway. Points of interest and an ocean recreation guide are tagged with GPS coordinates.

Find Fun Facts

• King Kamehameha the Great learned to excel in board and canoe surfing at Holualoa Bay.
• The former site of Kamakahonu Royal Center, adjacent to Kailua Pier, once served as the residential compound for King Kamehameha the Great from 1813 until his death in 1819.
• Popular Kahalu‘u Bay Beach Park once served as a residential area for many of Hawai‘i’s ancient rulers.
• 300 warriors who fought at the Battle of Kuamo‘o are buried in the upslope terraces of Lekeleke Burial Grounds.

About the Royal Footsteps Along the Kona Coast

Kailua Village Business Improvement District (KVBID) launched a free smartphone application that users can download to learn more about history, significant sites and things to do along Royal Footsteps Along the Kona Coast, the state’s second Hawaii Scenic Byway. The Kona Royal Footsteps APP is an interpretive experience that focuses on Alii Drive’s roughly seven miles of roadway with seven centuries of archaeological, historic and cultural traditions and more than two dozen impressive points of interest.

Thanks to efforts by Kailua Village Business Improvement District, the Local Byway Committee, a grant from Hawaii Tourism Authority, and to HTA-funded County of Hawaii County Product Enrichment Program funding, the Kona Royal Footsteps APP shares a tremendous amount of historical information and photos along with ocean recreation, shoreline access, area accommodations and more.

Kailua Village Business Improvement District sponsored the nomination of Alii Drive as a Hawaii Scenic Byway. Royal Footsteps Along the Kona Coast was designated as the state’s second Hawaii Scenic Byway.

Following are links to the Final Draft Corridor Management Plan for Royal Footsteps Along the Kona Coast:

Corridor Management Plan June 2011 (Note: 6.63 MB)
Corridor Management Plan Appendices (Note: 6.85 MB)

Media release: Preservation Honor Award presented to Royal Footsteps Along the Kona Coast.
Media release: Pualu Award for Culture & Heritage presented to Royal Footsteps Along the Kona Coast.

Kailua Village Business Improvement District and the Local Byway Committee ask that you respect Hawaii’s historical and cultural treasures and remind you to observe private property boundaries. Thanks to Hawaii Tourism Authority and County of Hawaii Dept. of Research & Development for funding support.