Kohala Coast on the Big Island of Hawaii
NOTE: This is the first of a series of posts on designing and building your dream home. We just happen to be doing it in paradise. If you’re interested in home design, or just enjoy amazing home design pictures, follow us room by room in the Ahonui section of Aloha Dreams as we design and build our house. The posts can be accessed in chronological order at the bottom of the page.
Local Beauty
The northwest area of the Big Island of Hawaii is known as the Kohala (pron. Ko-HA-la) coast. It is here that Hale Ahonui is located. The Kohala coast offers a wide cross section of the best of Hawaii. The southern part of the area is home to world-class beaches, resorts, and golf courses, while the northern part has Hāwī (pron. Ha-VEE), and Kapaʻau (pron. Kapa-OW), several of the most charming small Hawaiian towns you could ever hope to find. Here the countryside of the real Hawaii remains unchanged. Nestled between the wind swept terrain of Kohala Mountain to the east, and the beautiful Pacific Ocean on the west, Hale Ahonui rests on the grassy meadows, reminiscent of the Kansas Flint Hills, in between (you can take the girl out of the prairie…). It’s an incredibly beautiful area which contains many of the unique things to do on the Big Island.
Local Abundance
Given the similarities with the Kansas Flint Hills, it’s little surprise that the Big Island produces the lion’s share of Hawaii’s beef. In recent years Hawaii has become more focused on locally grown food. The year-round growing opportunities, bountiful harvest from the ocean and large pastures all support this trend. Although the statistics from the USDA Hawaii Field Office are no longer available, it is estimated one-fourth of the Big Island’s cattle are now sold for local consumption.
The Kohala Coast is truly a food lover’s paradise. We’re blessed with an amazing abundance of fresh, local ingredients: from Mahi Mahi, Ahi, and Opakapaka fresh off the boats in the Kawaihae (pron. Ka-WHY-hi) harbor to an unbelievable selection of local fruits such as the rare white pineapple, dragon fruit, guava, and passion fruit. We even have succulent macadamia nut-fed wild pigs from Parker Ranch just down the road (sigh). In the months ahead I will be sharing luscious recipes enabling you to recreate this bounty, and more.
The elevation of the Kohala Coast ranges from 120 feet above sea level at the Akoni Pule highway to 5,400 feet above sea level at the summit of Kohala mountain, providing varied climates and terrain to suit every preference. The panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean to the west, the three mountains Hualalai, Mauna Loa, and Mauna Kea to the south, and Kohala Mountain to the northeast, are truly breathtaking and magical.
Hale Ahonui
Hale Ahonui is a 3 acre lot at the 1,000 foot elevation, and as such we enjoy an average temperature of 73°. The highs can get up to the low 80°s during the day, and in the evenings it can get down to the mid 60°s. We selected this elevation in part because of the panoramic views but also because of these temperatures.
I found the Kohala Coast when I was googling vacation ideas one day several years ago. After concluding that the Caribbean was too hot and Mexico was too fraught, I ran across a picture similar to the one above and immediately fell in love. (And immediately booked the trip). While on the Big Island, we happened upon a realtor who was aware of this lot. We purchased it on the spot.
Here is the ocean view from Hale Ahonui currently.
And if I’m able to do the calculations correctly, here is what I’m anticipating you’ll see from the house as you’re heading out to the pool at sunset. Not too shabby, huh? So grab a fruity drink, kick off your flip flops (they call ’em slippahs in Hawaii) and join me as we design and build Hale Ahonui!
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