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Polynesia. The Hidden Paradise
Sezione 1
Sezione 2
Kealakekua, Bay
James Cook. 1778
PLAY ME
It was the second week in August 1778,
and we were sailing to the Chukchi Sea.
I was sailing along the Alaskan coast, when the frozen sea stopped us; I sailed to the Siberian coast, and then southward to the Bering Strait. Early in September, 1778, I found myself again in the Bering Sea, embarked for the Sandwich Islands, the Hawaiian Islands.
Stomach trouble caused me great discomfort during my voyage. I was on the open sea, far from any civilization and hospitals. I did not know if I would have any chance of recovery, I needed medical assistance, I felt lost and hopeless; however, I managed to come out of my health problems.
We were approaching Hawaii, and there was good news for me and the crew. I docked in Kealakekua Bay, one of the largest islands in the Hawaiian archipelago. Our arrival coincided with Makahiki, the Hawaiian harvest festival, in honour of the Polynesian god Lono. Lono was one of the four gods that Hawaiians believed in,
even believing he existed before the creation of the world and associated him with peace and enlightenment. In addition, the shape of our ship, HMS Resolution, was reminiscent of some of the details of the Lono cult season. We never expected to be received so enthusiastically.
Sezione 3
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