1778 captain james cook hawaii

Historic site on Kauai, Hawaii

"Cook Landing Site" redirects here. For the site of Cook's landing in New Zealand, see Puhi Kai Iti / Cook Landing Site.

United States historic place

The Cook Landing Site in Waimea on Kauaʻi island in Hawaii, is where Captain James Cook landed at the mouth of the Waimea River on January 20, 1778.

Cook was the first European reported to have sighted the Hawaiian Islands,^[4] and the January 20 landfall on southwestern Kauaʻi was his first arrival upon Hawaiian soil.

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Cook Landing Site was registered as a National Historic Landmark on December 29, 1962. The landing is principally commemorated at Hofgaard Park, a small county park located near the supposed landing site.

Location and setting

The Cook Landing Site is located on the shore of Waimea Bay in southwestern Kauaʻi, just west of the mouth of the Waimea River.

The exact spot where Cook came ashore is unknown, and it is suspected that the land has actu