Country United States County Kauai | State Hawaii Elevation 9 ft (3 m) | |
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Time zone Hawaii-Aleutian (UTC-10) | ||
Captain James Cook was the first European reported to have sighted the Hawaiian Islands, and the January 20 landfall on southwestern Kauai was his first arrival upon Hawaiian soil. On January 20, 1778 two ships under the command of British navigator Captain James Cook set anchor at the mouth of the Waimea River. The crew was able to converse with the native people having been acquainted with the Tahitian language. They spent two weeks on Kauai provisioning their ships for the journey north. They British explorers were amazed at the finding of Polynesian people on these remote islands.
Hofgaard Park in Waimea Town is dedicated to these historic events and a statue of Captain Cook is located in the park. The statue is a replica of the original statue in Whitby England. A timeline of Waimea and Western influence are documented on plaques in the park.
The actual landing site is located in Lucy Wright Beach Park near the mouth of the Waimea River just south of the town of Waimea. A plaque at the park commemorates Cook's landing on the island.