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 Here
on the Big Island
- By
Kelly H. Moran
“It’s
really big!”
You
hear that a lot, from visitors, especially first-timers.
Maybe they’ve cruised the Caribbean islands, most of which
are downright tiny by comparison. Or they’ve seen the other
Hawaiian islands first – Maui, Oahu, Molokai, Kauai, or
Lanai – before coming here to the Island of Hawaii.
In the words of the late naturalist Euell Gibbons,
“This one island is considerably larger than Delaware and
Rhode Island combined, and rises to an altitude much higher
than New Hampshire and Vermont would be if they were stacked
one on top of the other.”
It covers 4,000 square miles – literally twice the area
of all the other Hawaiian islands combined. And since it
measures 100 miles long by 100 miles wide, you need a full
two hours to drive non-stop from one end to the other. But
that’s not the best way to see Hawaii. Better to take at
least two days, and make a circumnavigation. There’s an
airport with rental cars on each side: in Hilo on the east
side, and in Kona on the west, which also serves the big
resorts that are oases on the black lava fields of South
Kohala.
Driving from Hilo, the “classic” visitor route is
clockwise: heading first to the volcano – Kilauea has been
especially active, lately – and coming up to Kona from the
south; spending a night there, and going back to Hilo by way
of the ranchlands of Waimea and the lush Hamakua Coast.
From Kona or South Kohala, the “classic” drive is typically
counter-clockwise, heading south through the coffee fields
of Kona and the windswept landscape of Ka’u, to see the
volcano. Worthwhile side-trips are to North Kohala, still
reminiscent of its “old Hawaii” days, or to rural Waipio
Valley. It takes a four-wheel-drive vehicle to cross the
island over the Saddle Road, but renting one (and being very
careful!) you could visit the astronomy center at 9,000
feet, and even attain the 13,900-foot summit of Mauna Kea,
which is often snow-capped in the winter.
The Big Island is therefore practically a continent in
miniature, with all but two of the world’s climate zones –
sorry, no glaciers or sandy deserts, but everything else
from tropical jungle to alpine heights.
That quote from Euell Gibbons, by the way, is from his
1967 book Beachcomber’s Handbook, which has marvelous
recipes for local fruit, vegetables and fish, about which
I’ll write more in the weeks to come. |
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Mortgage Rates
U.S. averages as of September 27, 2007:
30 yr. fixed: 6.42%
15 yr. fixed: 6.09%
1 yr. adj: 5.60%
View current rates
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Featured
Listing
Sunrise Ridge - one of Hilo's most desired
neighborhoods with underground utilities, Hilo Bay
views, close proximity to schools, UH-Hilo,
Astronomy Centers and Hilo Medical Center. Unique
floor plan and gorgeous Hilo Bay and Mauna Kea
Mountain views. Spacious master bedroom suite with
walk-in closet and spa tub bathroom. Koa staircase
and lots of ceramic tile. Spacious kitchen with
plenty of storage. Large fenced backyard is perfect
for kids or pets.
Virtual Tour, Flyer, More Info:
Click Here
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Alaska Airlines Expands into Hawaii
Alaska Airlines introduced its first nonstop daily
service between Seattle and Honolulu on Friday,
October 12th.
The flight is part of a wider expansion by the airline
into Hawaii, with routes from Seattle to Lihue and
Kauai due to commence on October 28th.
In addition, a nonstop service from Anchorage to
Honolulu will be launched on December 9th.
Gregg Saretsky, Alaska Airlines' Executive
Vice-President of Flight and Marketing, said, "Our
customers and employees have been waiting for this
day -- when Alaska says 'Aloha' to Hawaii -- for
years.
"Customers now will be able to enjoy Alaska's unique
brand of service and earn Mileage Plan miles whether
they're booking a flight or a complete vacation
package to the beautiful islands of Hawaii."
All the new flights will be operated with Boeing
737-880 aircraft and passengers will be able to
purchase Hawaiian-themed meals onboard.
Information per
Cheapflights.com 10/15/07
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 Lili'uokalani
Gardens . . .
. . . perhaps the
most beautiful park in the Hilo area.
Courtesy of our favorite Big Island Information and
Activity portal,
Instant
Hawaii,
join us for their latest review of this perfectly maintained
park with over 30 acres of fish ponds, quaint bridges, curving
walkways and traditional Japanese landscaping, making this
garden a perfect picnic spot or a great place to relax after a
hard work day.
You'll find the gardens on the bay of the Waiakea
Peninsula, between downtown Hilo and the Airport, at the end
of Banyan Road.
This beautiful and peaceful park in Hilo is dedicated
to Queen Lydia Lili'uokalani -- the greatly beloved and final
Monarch of the Hawaiian islands. Queen Lili'uokalani ruled
Hawai'i from January 17, 1891 until her illegal deposition on
January 17, 1893 by American business, political, and military
interests.
The 30 acre park grounds were donated by Queen Lili'uokalani
for the purpose of creating this fantastic ornamental Japanese
park which was built to honor the many hardworking Japanese
immigrants who came to the Big Island to work the Waiakea
Sugar Plantation. With over 30 acres, this Yedo-style park is
the largest true ornamental Japanese park outside of Japan,
and is popular for tourists and locals alike.
What you will experience while you wander the parks
landscaping totally depends on which direction you entered the
garden from. Since the garden is free and open year round, it
has no fence or 'real' entrance and can be approached by all
directions.
CONTINUED >>>>
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 Pricing
as much
Art as Science
Pricing
property can be more art than science in some of today's
markets. New home builders probably have the easiest time of it
-- at least without shocking the buyers -- because everything is
new. There are no bare areas in the carpet, fingerprints on the
appliances, nicotine stained ceiling tiles in the rec room --
and definitely no cat and dog odors that are promised to be
dealt with by installing new carpet after the buyer moves in.
With resale homes, the first weapon to use in the
battle to sell the home is to price it correctly. The challenge
for sellers is that they want as much as the last sale, however,
in today's market that's not as guaranteed as it was a year ago.
The seller can still walk away with hundreds of thousands of
dollars in gain, but maybe not the absolute highest amount of
gain ever in the community.
Thus, pricing is the key. There are only a few ways to
price a home for sale and sellers who don't want to wait around
on the sale of their home need to adapt to the accepted modes of
pricing and get over the fact that their house may not be worth
as much as it was 12 months ago.
The first model is probably the most popular -- the
comparable. By pulling up only the sales of your particular
model, your Realtor can determine a trend price for your home.
The challenge in a slowing market is that your particular model
may only have three sales in the last year. Such a low number of
houses selling does not really create a trend line, especially
if the last sale was 6 months previous. Thus, you turn to
CONTINUED >>>
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Upcoming
Island Calendar of Events
HOOPONO PONO KE ALA: HAWAIIAN
SPIRITUALITY RETREAT
Date: November 1-7
Time: 9:00 am
Place: Kalani Oceanside
Retreat, Puna District
Come immerse yourself in the spirit of Aloha for seven days.
This workshop features hoopono pono ke ala (making right more
right the path), the backbone of Hawaiian spirituality, as
taught by Aunty Mahealani Kuamoo-Henry. Hawaiian culture, taught
by native Hawaiian kumu (teachers) will fill out the days in
this beautiful coastal retreat. There will also be time to relax
and take an excursion to visit the goddess Pele at the island's
active volcano, Kilauea.
Call: Rebecca Avery (808) 959-2258 or
visit their site.
"NO FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND":
A True Story from Kalaupap, Molokai
Date: Saturday, November 10, 2007
Time: 7-8:30 p.m.
Place: Motonaga Garage Gallery at Akiko’s B&B.
Be part of a very
moving evening with co-authors Henry Nalaielua & Sally Jo
Bowman. At age 11, Henry was taken away from his home in Ninoole
on the Big Island. He was diagnosed with Hanson’s disease and
taken first to a hospital in Kalihi on O‘ahu and then to
Kalaupapa, where he has lived for the past 70 plus years. The
history, the heartbreak and the conditions of growing up in
Kalaupapa will deepen our compassion for a little known part of
Hawaii‘s history.
(For a little background on why almost 8,000 people were torn
apart from their families and sent into isolation, most for the
rest of their lives,
visit the Kalaupapa National Historical Park website).
Park at the Hakalau Baseball park and walk 3 minutes into the
village.
$10, $8 children under 12.
For reservations call Miss Akiko @ 963-6422 or email:
msakiko@hawaii.rr.com
For additional Island events, see the
Big Island Calendar of Eco-Cultural Events.
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Breaking News!
Kelly's Blog
is now available.
Read online, RSS feed, or receive easy email notifications of
new posts. Just use the handy Subscribe Here links in the
blog's right hand column.
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Wondering
What
Your Home is Worth?
Let us show you
Area Spotlight
Each
month we'd like to spotlight a local area, and this month we present
. .
A Spotlight on
The Upper Puna District
Last month we
spotlighted Lower Puna, and this month we'd like to focus on Upper
Puna.
Weather at the lower end of this Upper Puna district is
temperate, and the area has an abundance of small farms. Many flower
growers base their operations here. One acre, two acre and three
acre parcels are the norm. A variety of road conditions are
available, and the dream home that you sketched out on a napkin is
probably do-able here.
Above Mountain View to Volcano Village attracts people
that are not afraid of the wet, want a mossy yard, and would love an
excuse to build a fireplace in Hawaii. Many folks up here have a
forest in their backyard. Volcano Village has kind of a hobbit-like
aesthetic. Front yards are lumps of lava covered in soft moss and
light forests. Many artists choose to make Volcano Village their
home, and because of that, they hold a lot of fun events and
gatherings.
Driving over the peak of Kilauea on the highway, the
clouds break and you quickly find yourself in a whole new world of
sunshine, high elevation and modern homes around the Volcano Golf
and Country Club Estates.
Upper Puna has experienced a sharp rise in real estate
prices recently, yet much of it is still affordable and dreamy to
first-time homebuyers.
Many folks
up here have gorgeous views of Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa or both!
The Upper Puna area includes Kea'au, Hawaiian Acres,
Kurtistown, Mountainview, Glenwood, Fern Acres, Eden Roc Estates,
Fern Forest Estates, Aloha Estates, Mauna Loa Estates and Volcano
Village, and Volcano Golf & Country Club Estates reach to higher
elevations. Let me show you what is available.
Contact Christine Mingo,
REALTOR®
Salesperson,
Accredited Buyer Representative
Hilo Brokers, Ltd.
(808) 960-8826, Toll Free: 800-769-4456
Agent Website:
www.ChristineMingo.com
Daily News and Advice
Read about the events shaping the Real Estate
market today, find current interest rates, or browse the
extensive library of advice and how-to articles written by some
of the top experts in Real Estate. Updated each weekday.
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