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Honokaa &
Hamakua
 
Akaka
Falls, located near the town of Honomu. |
In the old days, during the earlier part of the twentieth
century, it was quite a trip to cross the deep coastal
ravines before reaching the town of Honokaa, which was
the third largest city in the territory of Hawaii. From
Hilo, vacationers and soldiers on leave from Uncle Sam's
army would travel up the Hamakua and Hilo coast to Honokaa
where night life was king. A dance hall was even built
above the Botelho building, the first car dealership
in the town. That building now hosts a curio and antique
shop but one can easily imagine what an average Friday
night looked like at the Bohelho in the 1940’s.
As Hawaii's old theaters are once again becoming popular,
the citizens of Honokaa enjoy their own historic People's
Theater. The doors of the theater are opened for feature
films every Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening. If
you decide going to a movie is not what you wanted to
do on your Hawaiian vacation go for the feeling of nostalgia
which is definetely present once you’ve found your
seat inside the huge old movie hall.
A
Taro field in Waipio Valley. |
Outside of Honokaa town heading north to Waipio Valley
the landscape changes dramatically. A series of deeply
cut valleys edge the coastline all the way to Pololu
Valley, the tip of the North Kohala region. No roads
exist here only rough trails leading up and down the
valley rifts which should not be traveled by inexperienced
hikers. The hike to Pololu Valley from Waipio takes
even the most experienced hiker several days to complete.
Legend has it that it was in Waipio Valley, "the
land of the falling water", that the great King
Kamehameha, as a young boy, received his leadership
training and first learned to surf. Today, family ohanas,
"houses", still dot the landscape which is
separated by a river that leads into the open sea. Local
farmers and their families continue to make their way
of life from farming taro and fishing off the sandy
shores of this peaceful and remote valley floor.
Outside of Waipio Valley and Honokaa town are other
early and small settlements of the Hamakua region such
as Paauilo, Kukuihaele and Laupahoehoe. These towns
are all filled with a rich and local culture that happily
survives in this region of the Big Island.
 
Laupahoehoe Train Museum. |
Sweetheart bracelets. |
Peepee Falls. |
Ninole Post Office. |
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