Hawi questions

Has anyone stayed at ';A Whale Crossing'; or any other cottage/small house in the Hawi area? (A whale Crossing is NE of Hawi near Upolu Point and airport.) Any chance of purchasing organic foods in the area? Has anyone taken any of the purchased tours of the area? Would appreciate any input. Going there in early April. Thanks!

Hawi questions

Why would you want to stay in Hawi, so far from everything? There is really not much to see and do there. You can just do a day tour to visit the area.

Hawi questions

I haven%26#39;t stayed there. I have lived in the area. What is the address?

Upolu Point gets a whole lot of wind (and has a wind farm) but if there%26#39;s an ocean view at the place you%26#39;re looking straight at Maui.

I would stay there, TT. It%26#39;s only 20-30 minutes to Hapuna and it%26#39;s a nice area if you want non-touristy.

There%26#39;s a health food store there by the ice cream place.

There%26#39;s a farmer%26#39;s market until noon on Saturday%26#39;s.

If you are really into organic food you will fit right in with the people up there.

I don%26#39;t know what purchased tours you mean. Could you be more specific? Also if you want feedback on how the rental looks you could post a link to a website and the physical address.

One issue in the area that interferes with peace and quiet is the number of barking dogs some people keep -- not specifically at Upolu, the whole area. So I hope the house is sitting with some space around it.

The address of the place we are considering is 56-105 Old Coast Guard Road. Owner told me you turn of Rte 270 at or very near mile marker 18. Its vbro# 96184

We want to stay in this area as we will have been a week in the K-K area w/ all the tourists and later we are going to VNP. We feel drawn to the Hawi area. There seems to be lots of history and spirituality about the place.

Someplace I read about some guided hikes to waterfalls. To get there you need to cross private property and the guides have permission to lead small groups across these private lands.

Thanks for your assistance!

Ah, what a great location! The ocean views are stunning there. The other name for this road is Kamehameha Birthplace Rd. Just south of you is Puakea Bay Ranch, where people build multi-million dollar homes so as to enjoy this view.

One can almost draw a line where the rainier/greener part of North Kohala starts, just around the bend from you. So many times when driving that road it will start to rain just as the road turns east after the turnoff to your road. Where you are should be sunny and dry.

Many people are drawn to this areal if you feel this, you should follow your instincts. It is not the best choice to stay in Hawi for a first time trip if you seek out the mainstream vacation, but as you are already getting that the week before, this will give you a chance to stay closer to ';the real Hawai`i.'; I can%26#39;t say ';live like the locals do'; because the neighbors down the road are very wealthy!

For extraordinary sunsets, go down to Mahukona. This is a place where local people come, back the truck in, sit on the tail gate, and socialize. It%26#39;s a good place to say hi. By local I mean both born and raised and the old and young ';hippies'; who have moved to the area. People fish and snorkel there as well. It%26#39;s an alternative place I don%26#39;t recommend to just anyone, only to people who are comfortable with local culture.

Kapa`a Beach Park, the closest one to you, also has sunsets, but it is really a desolate place, and actually I don%26#39;t recommend a woman going down there alone without being, at least, alert. It is more used by local youth, but there are people who go down there for photography. My reservations about the place are that you are really at anyone%26#39;s mercy who shows up ... very few places on the island creep me out at sunset, but that one does. Mahukona always has enough people that nothing weird will happen.

To meet people, in the day go to the Hawi coffee shop. That%26#39;s where people hang out. Read the local bulletin board postings to get a sense of what is going on. Three good places for that--in the little center across from the coffee shop; as you walk into Takata%26#39;s grocery store in Kapa%26#39;au (the only real grocery store up there), and at the Kapa`au post office, on the wall outside.

Also stop in the galleries and gift shops as the owners and attendants often like to talk story when they%26#39;re not actually waiting on someone.

oops, forgot evening recommendations. The remodeled Kohala Inn, just up Hawi Rd from Akoni Pule Hwy (intersection in center of town), has a new bar and restaurant, Luke%26#39;s Place, where people hang out. Also the counter at Tante%26#39;s. I think there%26#39;s jazz at Sushi Rock. The Bamboo is more expensive and has moved away from being the place people who live there go, but if you go, pick a night when John Keawe is playing slack key.

Do not miss the Farmer%26#39;s Market. This one really does start winding up at noon. Suggestion -- buy yourself cheap live orchid or cut flowers at the Farmer%26#39;s Market to enjoy during your stay.

Why are you bumping a year old post to make your first post?

Sounds suspiciously like promoting ... certainly there%26#39;s no question being answered, as the OP went almost a year ago.

North Kohala including Hawi and Kapaau, is loaded with amazing sights, hikes, shops, restaurants, activities and some of the most important Hawaiian historic sites on the island not to mention the stunning beauty of Pololu Valley and the dramatic views of Maui across the channel. Maybe you should take a closer look and spend a little more time there.

wow, I looked at those rates. $500 a NIGHT and as much as $650? Plus $150 cleaning fee per booking? Jeez!

Definitely for those of means pursuing the rural fantasy.

Puakea is nice (although windy), but still.

And it is NOT 15 minutes to Spencer without speeding.

It%26#39;s not a bad drive to Spencer, but I don%26#39;t think the website should give times like that.

I always see tourists speeding on that road, and getting ticketed.

cc5597, I like North Kohala very much, and I don%26#39;t need to take a closer look because a) I used to live there and b) I visit my family there every couple weeks.

The point is that it%26#39;s against TA guidelines to sign up and start promoting, and you must identify whether you have an interest in a tourist business up there, so as to be totally out front.

I got on your case because you found a post by someone who had already been on her trip in order to do some advertising of the vacation rentals and the area. If you were answering a current question and if you have no business interest in tourism up there, then I have no problem.

A lot of people think TA is a place to promote business, but it%26#39;s not allowed here.