From Boston to Kailua-Kona: the 1820 voyage that brought Christianity to Hawaii

Fourteen Boston Missionaries Land at Hawaii’s Cultural Crossroads

When fourteen Americans set sail from Boston in 1819, they had no idea they’d land at a turning point in Hawaiian history.

Inspired by the writings of Henry ʻŌpūkahaʻia, a Hawaiian convert who died before seeing his dream fulfilled, these missionaries endured 160 days at sea.

They reached Kailua-Kona on April 4, 1820, stepping onto what would later be called “Hawaii’s Plymouth Rock. ” Their timing was uncanny.

King Kamehameha had just died, and the ancient kapu religious system had crumbled months before. The new king granted them a one-year trial stay.

Today, Kamakahonu stands as a witness to this cultural crossroads where Hawaiian tradition and Western influence first truly met.

A Hawaiian Boy Watched His Family Die

Henry ʻŌpūkahaʻia was born around 1792 on Hawaii’s Big Island. His life changed forever when he turned 10.

Warriors fighting for Kamehameha I attacked his village during a rebellion. The young boy saw soldiers kill his parents right in front of him.

He tried to save his baby brother by carrying him on his back while running away. A spear caught them, killing the baby while Henry lived.

The warriors took him to live with the people who killed his family. He later ran away and found safety with his uncle, a priest.

Brave Teen Swam To A Foreign Ship

In 1807, ʻŌpūkahaʻia made a bold choice that changed his path. The 15-year-old swam out to a trading ship called the Triumph in Kealakekua Bay.

Captain Caleb Brintnall let him and another Hawaiian boy named Thomas Hopu come aboard. The ship went to China first and then to New York, with the Hawaiian boys working as cabin boys.

During the trip, ʻŌpūkahaʻia started learning English from Russell Hubbard, a Yale student on the ship. By the time they got to Connecticut, the Hawaiian teen knew basic English and wanted to learn more.

Tears On Yale’s Steps Led To Education

Someone found ʻŌpūkahaʻia crying on Yale College’s steps one day. When asked why, he said, “No one will give me learning.”

This moment caught the eye of Timothy Dwight, Yale’s president, who set up his schooling. The young Hawaiian threw himself into his studies.

He quickly learned English and went on to study Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.

His clever mind created a unique Hawaiian spelling system that mixed coded numbers with English letters, helping build the future Hawaiian language.

His Faith Sparked A Mission Movement

ʻŌpūkahaʻia became a Christian in 1815 after years of religious teaching. The next year, he joined the Foreign Mission School in Connecticut as one of its first students.

He wanted badly to go back to Hawaii and share his new faith with his people. He often talked about wanting to “preach the Gospel to his poor countrymen.”

To get ready for this dream, he worked hard on making Hawaiian grammar books, a dictionary, and spelling guides to help future missionaries talk with his people.

Fever Took His Life But Not His Vision

Typhus fever hit ʻŌpūkahaʻia in early 1818 when he was just 26 years old. He died on February 17, 1818, in Connecticut, never getting back to Hawaii.

As he lay dying, four Hawaiian students promised to carry on his work to bring Christianity to Hawaii. His story lived on through books written by Edwin Dwight.

This book became very popular across America.

Many missionaries read about the young Hawaiian’s life and felt they should go serve in the Pacific islands, carrying on the work he never got to finish.

Fourteen Missionaries Sailed From Boston Harbor

The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions put together the first missionary group to Hawaii in 1819. On October 23, they held a big goodbye event at Park Street Church in Boston.

The group had seven missionary couples, with six of them getting married just weeks before leaving to meet the mission board’s rules. Daniel Chamberlain, a farmer, brought his wife and five kids.

Four Hawaiian students who had studied in America joined them for the trip home: Thomas Hopu, William Kanui, John Honoliʻi, and Prince Humehume (son of Kauai’s king).

The Ship Battled Storms For 164 Days

The brig Thaddeus left Boston Harbor on October 23, 1819, starting an epic 18,000-mile trip to Hawaii. The missionaries spent 164 days at sea, sailing around the dangerous Cape Horn at South America’s tip.

Life on the 85-foot boat tested everyone’s strength.

They faced strong storms that tossed the small ship, lived with the constant threat of pirates, and dealt with cramped spaces with little privacy.

Journal entries from the travelers show their mix of seasickness, fear, and hope as they pushed toward their goal across the vast Pacific.

Perfect Timing Changed Hawaiian History

The Thaddeus first spotted the Hawaiian Islands on March 30, 1820, first landing at Kawaihae on the Big Island.

On April 4, the ship stopped at Kailua-Kona, pulling up to Kamakahonu, which had been King Kamehameha’s royal compound. The missionaries stepped into a society going through big changes.

They learned that King Kamehameha I had died in May 1819, just 11 months before they got there.

Even more surprising, they found out that Kamehameha II had gotten rid of the ancient kapu religious system in November 1819, creating a spiritual gap in Hawaiian society.

The Rock Where Christianity Came Ashore

Reverends Hiram Bingham and Asa Thurston came ashore at what later became known as the “Plymouth Rock of Hawaii.”

They met with 21-year-old King Kamehameha II (Liholiho) right in the compound where his father had died the year before.

The high priest Hewahewa greeted them warmly, telling them he had predicted that a “true God will come.”

The timing seemed almost magical, the missionaries landed at the exact spot where months earlier, the king had hosted the feast that officially ended the old religious system.

A Young King Made A Life-Changing Decision

King Kamehameha II talked with his advisors about what to do with these foreign missionaries. Queen Ka’ahumanu and Queen Keōpūolani both shared their thoughts on the big decision.

At first, the king only let the missionaries stay for a one-year trial. After thinking for a week, on April 11, 1820, he officially gave them permission to stay in Hawaii.

This key decision happened at Kamakahonu, the very place where the ancient Hawaiian religion had been thrown out just months before.

Christianity Spread Across The Islands

Several missionary families stayed in Kailua-Kona to build the first mission station. Other families traveled to different islands to start evangelical work throughout the Hawaiian chain.

Within months, they began building New England-style structures and Hawaii’s first Christian church. The missionaries learned the Hawaiian language and started teaching reading and writing.

Their arrival marked the beginning of huge changes in Hawaiian society and culture.

The work they started fulfilled ʻŌpūkahaʻia’s dying wish to bring Christianity to his homeland, though he never lived to see it happen.

Visiting Kamakahonu, Hawaii

You can visit Kamakahonu for free at the Courtyard King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel on Palani Road in Kailua-Kona.

This is where Christian missionaries first arrived in Hawaii in April 1820, earning it the nickname “Plymouth Rock of Hawaii.”

The hotel offers free guided tours weekdays at 1:30 pm, and you can see Hawaiian artifacts in the lobby. The beach is open 6am to 11pm with no lifeguard.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

Read more from this brand:

• The nun who chose to live with Hawaii’s most rejected souls
• After converting to Christianity, this Hawaiian princess walked into an active volcano to prove Pele had no power
• How ancient Hawaiians turned harsh lava into thriving fishponds at Kaloko-Honokohau