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Hawaii County Routes 160 and 161

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Hawaii County Routes 160 and 161 are located on the Big Island of Hawaii.  The combined corridor serves as an eleven-mile loop of Hawaii Route 11 serving PuŹ»uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historic Park via Keala O Keawe Road, Puuhonua Road and Napoopoo Road.  The four-mile long Keala O Keawe Road was completed as part of Hawaii Route 16 in 1967 and later renumbered to Hawaii Route 160 in the late 1970s.  Hawaii County would later extend the state highway corridor as Hawaii County Route 160 via Puuhonua Road and Napoopoo Road.  Keala O Keawe Road has been relinquished from the state highway system and Napoopoo Road has been reassigned as Hawaii County Route 161 as of 2012.  

The current alignment of Hawaii County Route 160 can be seen below.


The current alignment of Hawaii County Route 161 can be seen below. 




Part 1; the history of Hawaii County Routes 160 and 161

Hōnaunau (Honaunau) was an ancient Hawaiian city and site of the Hale o Keawe.  Honaunau is thought to have been established likely around 1475 and the heiau (temple) of Hale o Keawe is thought to have been constructed by 1650.  Hale o Keawe is where those who broke the ancient Hawaiian laws of kapu could seek absolution from those seeking to end their lives.  The so-called "City of Refuge" and Hale o Keawe were virtually abandoned by the 1820s.  Hale o Keawe was destroyed at the direction of High Chiefess Kapi'olani in 1829. 

On July 26, 1955, City of Refuge National Historical Park was established.  Hale o Keawe was reconstructed during the 1960s and the park name was changed in 1978.  The Hawaiian National Park Language Correction Act of 2000 designated the current name of PuŹ»uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park. 

PuŹ»uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park was originally accessed via a series of roadways looping from Hawaii Route 11.  The northern routing originated near Captain Cook descending southward via Napoopoo Road and Puuhonua Road.  The southern routing originated near Keokea descending westward via what was early Keala O Keawe Road, Painted Church Road and Honaunau Road.

The original roads to PuŹ»uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park can be seen on the 1959 Gousha Highway map of Hawaii.  


According to Oscar Voss's hawaiihighways.com Keala O Keawe Road was straightened and extended to PuŹ»uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park as part of Hawaii Route 16.  The then new state highway was completed by September 1967.  The corridor would be later renumbered to Hawaii Route 160 during the late 1970s which denoted it was a secondary state highway. 

Hawaii Route 160 can be following Keala O Keawe Road on the 1982 United States Geological Survey map (courtesy historicaerials.com).  



At some unknown point Hawaii County Route 160 was designated from the terminus of Hawaii Route 160 at PuŹ»uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park.  The county designated highway followed Puuhonua Road and Napoopoo Road to Hawaii Route 11 near Captain Cook.  

Napoopoo Road appears re-designated as Hawaii County Route 161 on the 2012 Federal Aid-System for the County of Hawaii (sourced from a document by the Hawaii Department of Transportation).  



Keala O Keawe Road was in recent years relinquished to Hawaii County.  The roadway no longer appears on the current inventory of Big Island state highways on the Hawaii Department of Transportation webpage.  Functionally Keala O Keawe Road has become an extension of Hawaii County Route 160.  




Part 2; a drive on Hawaii County Routes 160 and 161

Hawaii County Route 160 begins at Hawaii Route 11 at Keokea.  PuŹ»uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park is noted to be 3 miles away.



Hawaii County Route 160 follows Keala O Keawe Road via quick descent and intersects Painted Church Road.  






Painted Church Road can be used to access St. Benedict's Painted Church.  The church structure at St. Benedict's was constructed on coastline near Honauanu in 1842.  The church building was dismantled and relocated to the present location in 1899 at the direction of Father John Berchmans Velghe.  The murals the church is famous for were completed shortly after being relocated and in 1902 it was consecrated as St. Benedict's.
















Hawaii County Route 160 from Painted Church Road follows Keala O Keawe Road to PuŹ»uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park.  The reconstructed ruins of Honaunau and Hale o Keawe can be visited along the shore of Honaunau Bay.  











































Departing the National Historical Park traffic heading north on Hawaii County Route 160 is notified that Napoopoo is 4 miles away.  Hawaii County Route 160 transitions from Keale O Keawe Road to the mostly single lane Puuhonua Road.  




Puuhonua Road is a narrow single lane which overlooks the cliffs above Kealakekua Bay.  Much of the road has steep garbage filled drop offs.  













Puuhonua Road widens to two lanes between Ke El Road and Kahauloa Road.  




Puuhonua Road narrows back to a single lane through Napoopoo.  The designation of Hawaii County Route 160 ends at the intersection of Puuhonua Road and Napoopoo Road.  








Hawaii County Route 161 begins along Napoopoo Road immediately east of Puuhonua Road.  The highway beings at Mile Marker 7 which is displayed with the Hawaii County Route 161 number.  Traffic is warned of 4 miles of steep and winding grades.  


Hawaii County Route 161 follows Napoopoo Road up the cliffs of Kealakekua Bay to Hawaii Route 11 and Hawaii County Route 187 (Alii Drive) near Captain Cook.  


























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