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 More than 200 years ago, runners swiftly carried the newborn Kamehameha along a coastal trail toward the mountain ridges of Kohala to protect him from enemies who feared prophecies that he would one day hold great power. The legends of his birth gave names to places along the runners route, Hawi, "place of famine," where the baby Kamehameha needed breast milk, and Kapaau, "the place where the blanket went swimming," where his kapa (bark cloth) bunting got wet as he was carried across a stream. The prophecies of Kamehameha's greatness came true when, in 1795, he conquered the islands and united them in peace.

In North Kohala, the coastal highway turns inward, winding through the small town of Hawi and then the slightly larger community of Kapaau. Not far beyond, the road ends at Polulu Valley. In the center of Kapaau, shops, restaurants, galleries, and businesses line one side of the road. On the other side, standing where it has since 1912, is the bronze statue of King Kamehameha.on a rise above the road.

Although there is some debate as to the precise year of his birth, Hawaiian legends claimed that a great king would one day unite the islands, and that the sign of his birth would be a comet. Halley's comet was visible from Hawaiʻi in 1758 and it is therefore assumed that Kamehameha was born shortly after its appearance. Other accounts state that he was born in November 1737. The 1758 date is most likely, since his eldest son was born in 1797.