The Last Voyage of Captain Cook (1779): Hawaii’s Deadly Welcome Discover the shocking true story of Captain James Cook’s final days in Hawaii. In 1778, Cook became the first European to make contact with the Hawaiian Islands. Initially welcomed as the god Lono during a sacred festival at Kealakekua Bay, the relationship between the British explorers and the Hawaiians took a dark and sudden turn. When a sailor died, the illusion of the "gods'" divinity shattered, revealing them to be mortal men.