Quiet, Quaint, Old Hawaii, A Step Back in Time with Deep-Rooted Community.

The North tip of the island is called North Kohala, a little nook in the island where the small towns of Hawi and Kapaau rest.  At the very end of the road, you’ll find Pololu Valley with its picturesque views of the seven valleys.  If you’re looking for solitude and quiet, North Kohala is the place.  Come rest easy here in this beautiful, green countryside in a small town community.

To get to North Kohala, you’ll drive a lonely deserted stretch of highway around the corner of the island after passing the Beach Resort Areas and the little port town of Kawaihae, which is home to some of the most luxurious neighborhoods like Kohala Waterfront and Kohala by the Sea.  Headed out, you will see Maui straight in front of you, ocean to your left and three glorious mountains in your rearview mirror.  Bending around the corner, the desert slowly–or actually surprisingly rather quickly–becomes green.  The countryside gradually becomes deeper and deeper shades of lush, tropical greenery as you drive into the two quaint little towns that make up North Kohala — Hawi (pronounced Ha-Vee) and Kapaau (pronounced Kaw-pa-ow).  The towns are not rivals but rather are the same and would prefer that you call them “Kohala”.  You don’t live in Hawi, you live in Kohala.  They share their schools and a grocery store.  They are blended into one place.

The Maui Channel, between Hawi and the end of the road of Hana is only 30 miles away.  You can look across the ocean to see Hana at the tip of the island, just as Kohala is at the tip of the Big Island.  And if you’ve been to Hana, then you will know the weather that is also Kohala’s.  It’s 60-80 inches per year of rain which is significantly more than 20 miles away at the Beach Resort Areas at less than 10 inches per year.  The temperatures follow a similar pattern averaging between 70-80 degrees in Kohala while the Beach Resort Areas are generally 80-90 degrees.  That 20 mile drive around the island will usually drop a good 10 degrees.  So if you’re at 90 degrees at the beach, by the time you get home to Kohala, it will be a perfect 80 degrees.

The moment we knew that Kohala was home was when on our first drive into Hawi, we ended up on a little road with thick jungle on each side as a little motorbike whizzed in front of us as he went cowboying into the country.  It was home.  Right then and there, this scene captured our hearts and we knew that our family with four boys would find lots of room to explore and to be wild and rugged.  We had found a place that felt tucked away from the world, full of both adventure and serenity.  And since that day, it really has proven to be a perfect place to call home.