July 2010 Newsletter – Hawaii/Big Island/Real Estate Updates July 30, 2010
Posted by Kelly in : Newsletter , add a commentThe July 2010 Newsletter is published.
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Alae Point Classic: Mid-Century Modern, Single Level Home with Spectacular In-Ground Pool July 13, 2010
Posted by Kelly in : Featured Listings , add a commentNewly Listed!
Alae Point Classic
Mid-Century Modern, Single Level Home with Spectacular In-Ground Pool in a Highly Desired Hilo Neighborhood
37 Makakai Pl., Hilo, HI 96720
Steps away from Honolii swimming & surfing beach park, this home is immaculately kept and ready for anyone who appreciates living the island lifestyle.
The single-level ranch design allows easy indoor/outdoor living that is accessible for everyone in the household. Some of the features that you’ll find are: an enormous lava-rock fireplace in the living room, ocean views and 9 ft. open-beamed ceilings. This very large home has 3 bedrooms & 2 1/2 baths, plus a formal living room, dining room, sun room and family room.
The exterior is landscaped with red ceiling wax palms, and a covered port-cochere is in the circular driveway.
The pristine swimming pool is surrounded by an entertaining deck, with an island bar. An outdoor bathroom and shower open directly to the pool deck to minimize wet footprints in the house. This area is so inviting that you may find it hard to go inside!
Alae Point is one of Hilo’s most desired residential locations. Located just north of Hilo, there is quick and easy access to Hilo Medical Center, downtown Hilo, and the University of Hawaii at Hilo.
Designed for island-style living, this home has it all!
One of the Busiest Commercial Corner Locations in Hilo! July 9, 2010
Posted by Kelly in : Featured Listings , add a commentNewly Listed!
One of the Busiest Commercial Corner Locations in Hilo!
Fee Simple Property with a Large Commercial Building Located at the Corner of Kamehameha Ave and Banyan Drive
1717 Kamehameha Ave., Hilo, HI 96720
One of the busiest commercial corner locations in Hilo! A fee simple property with a large commercial building located at the corner of Kamehameha Avenue & Banyan Drive – one of the most well-known intersections in Hilo! An over 15,000 sf building contains retail, office, customer restrooms & warehouse areas, with adjacent parking stalls. Near the Hilo airport, Port of Hilo and landmark Banyan Drive, this high traffic location is a rare find.
The triangular lot fronts Kamehameha Avenue and Banyan Drive, with driveway access from both roads. Currently leased to a retail hardware company, the existing industrial-type structure has been in various uses for over 50 years. If you are looking for a high visibility commercial location in Hilo, with off-street parking, this is it!
A parcel of State land at the rear separates this parcel from the Banyan Golf Course. Part of back parking area is State of Hawaii Lease Hold land, and is not included in the sale.
This site is designated Open (O) by the County Zoning Code. The existing structure and various industrial-types of uses have existed on this site prior to the adoption of the Zoning Code in 1967. The existing building and uses are therefore considered “non-conforming” as per Section 25-79 of the Zoning Code, are legal and have been ‘grandfathered in’ due to prior existence.
Land uses in the immediate vicinity include various commercial and industrial uses on lands zoned Neighborhood Commercial (CN) & Limited Industrial (ML). Utilities (county water, electric & telephone) are available to the property. The site is designated Urban by the State Land Use Commission. The property is located within the boundaries of the Special Management Area (SMA). The Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) designates this site as located within an area outside of the 500-year flood plain (Zone X). There is a 120 ft & a 50 ft road right of way (R/W) fronting Kamehameha. Buyers recommended to get their own appraisal.
Just Listed! Remodeled & Immaculately Well Kept 2-Story Home June 24, 2010
Posted by Kelly in : Featured Listings , add a commentJUST LISTED!
Immaculately well kept 2 story home located at beginning of Ainaloa Subdivision.
16-2039 Puhala Drive, Pahoa, HI 96778
Hear the gentle tapping of rain on the lanai roof. Feel the smooth coolness of the wood floors on your bare feet. Listen to the birds singing in the trees throughout the day. Enjoy the frogs chirping in the background when sharing a glass of wine on the lanai with friends. Imagine a rousing game of billiards with friends in the evening. Pulling into the driveway and feeling like you’re home… Ahhh… island living!
Recently remodeled, this outstanding home offers many features such as: wrap around decks on the front and two sides of the home, screened front deck, keyless entry for the front door, oak hardwood floors in the upstairs living area, new cabinets in the open kitchen area, with a silent stainless steel Bosch dishwasher and a wine cooler! Large master bedroom with his & hers walk-in closet, shower, washroom and linen space. A spiral staircase takes you to the downstairs area, which includes a large bedroom with its own bathroom, covered patio, separate entry and exercise/game room. Downstairs has a kitchenette, making it perfect for an extended family. Full 1600 sq ft attic with drop down ladder provides lots of storage space.
Sale includes adjacent parcel TMK 3/1-6-097-053, and property is nicely landscaped with mango, avocado, kukui nut and mac nut trees along with coconut palms. Sale includes pool table and weight training station.
June 2010 Newsletter – Hawaii/Big Island/Real Estate Updates June 22, 2010
Posted by Kelly in : Newsletter, Upcoming Events , add a commentThe June 2010 Newsletter is published.
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HERE ON THE BIG ISLAND – Bon Dance Season is Here June 18, 2010
Posted by Kelly in : HERE ON THE BIG ISLAND , add a commentHERE ON THE BIG ISLAND – Bon Dance Season is Here
by Kelly Moran
In the Buddhist tradition, during the summer months, Japanese residents welcome back the spirits of departed loved ones at lively and festive dance events called o-bon (most in Hawaii shorten the word to bon). There are numerous o-bon dances at venues around the island of Hawaii set for this summer season between June and August.
Photo: Hawai'i Magazine (www.hawaiimagazine.com)
In Japan, the summer o-bon festivals date back to more than 500 years. In Hawaii, Buddhist temples take turns hosting the festivals and these dances have become as much social affairs as religious observances.
Everyone is welcome at the Hawaiian festivals, regardless of religious background or ethnicity making the temple festivals well-attended.
What can I expect to see at an o-bon festival?
- Dances that participants can engage in (called bon-odori). These generally involve people circling and dancing around a high wooden scaffold called a yagura (wooden musicians’ tower). Flutes and gongs may accompany singers and taiko drums.
- A variety of foods for sale, including musubi (rice balls wrapped in dried seaweed), stir fried noodles, andagi (sweet fried dough), barbeque sticks, stew & rice, chirashi sushi, bentos, Spam musubis, shave ice cones and more.
- Some dressed in a yukata (summer cotton kimono) or a hapi coat.
- Plenty of colorful chockin hanging lights. O-bon translates to “lantern festival” and the lanterns are believed to light the way for ancestral spirits, who are then greeted with offerings of flowers, food and incense.
Here is the Big Island O-Bon Festival Schedule, (courtesy Hawai’i Magazine):
BIG ISLAND O-BON FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
Honomu Henjoji Mission, 28-1658 Government Main Road, Honomu, 7 p.m.
• June 19
Papaikou Hongwanji Mission, Onomea Scenic Route, Papaikou, 6 p.m.
• June 26
Honomu Hongwanji Mission, 28-1668 Government Main Road, Honomu, 6 p.m.
• July 2, 3
Puna Hongwanji Mission, 16-592 Old Volcano Road, Keaau, 6:30 p.m.
• July 3
Kohala Hongwanji Mission, 53-4300 Akoni Pule Highway, Kapaau, 6 p.m.
• July 9, 10
Honpa Hongwanji Hilo Betsuin, 398 Kilauea Ave., Hilo, 7 p.m.
• July 10
Daifukuji Soto Mission, 79-7241 Mamalahoa Hwy, Kealakekua, 7 p.m.
Kohala Jodo Mission, Hawi, 8 p.m.
Paauilo Hongwanji Mission, 43-1477 Hauola Road, Paauilo, 6 p.m.
• July 17
Honokaa Hongwanji Mission, 45-5016 Plumeria St., Honokaa, 6 p.m.
• July 24
Hilo Hongwanji Mission, 457 Manono St. Hilo, 7:30 p.m.
Kurtistown Jodo Mission, Iwasaki Camp Road, Kurtistown, 8 p.m.
Papaaloa Hongwanji Mission, Papaaloa, 6 p.m.
Kona Hongwanji Mission, 81-6630 Mamalahoa Hwy, Kealakekua, 7 p.m.
• July 31, Aug. 1
Taishoji Soto Mission, 275 Kinoole St., Hilo, 7 p.m.
• Aug. 7
Hilo Nichiren Mission, 24 Makalika St., Hilo, 7 p.m.
Hawi Jodo Mission, Hawi, 8 p.m.
Paauilo Kongoji Mission, 43-1461 Hauola Road, Paauilo, 7 p.m.
• Aug. 14
Hamakua Jodo Mission, Honokaa, 8 p.m.
Kona Koyasan Daishiji Mission, 76-5945 A Mamalahoa Hwy, Holualoa, 7 p.m.
Hilo Higashi Hongwanji, 216 Mohouli St., Hilo, 8 p.m.
• Aug. 21
Hakalau Jodo Mission, Hakalau, 8 p.m.
• Aug. 27
Honohina Hongwanji Mission, 32-896 Mamalahoa Hwy, Ninole, 6 p.m.
• Aug. 28
Kamuela Hongwanji Mission, Church Row, Kamuela, 6 p.m.
Puna Hongwanji Pahoa-Shibu, Pahoa, 7 p.m.
May 2010 Newsletter – Hawaii/Big Island/Real Estate Updates May 28, 2010
Posted by Kelly in : Newsletter, Upcoming Events , add a commentThe May 2010 Newsletter is published.
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HERE ON THE BIG ISLAND – Honoring the Ali’i in Kona April 29, 2010
Posted by Kelly in : Updates , add a commentHERE ON THE BIG ISLAND
By Kelly Moran
Honoring the Ali’i in Kona
Ever since the U.S. annexed Hawaii in 1898, the native royalty – ali’i – haven’t played much of a role in governance, though some did, early on: most notably Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole. Had Queen Liliuokalani not been overthrown, he was considered next in succession, and would probably have become King. As it happened, he served a year in jail for joining the putsch that failed to restore the monarchy. But in 1903 he was elected Hawaii’s first U.S. Congressional Delegate, and he’s honored now, every March 26, with a state holiday called “Prince Kuhio Day.”
Much of the Hawaii the world sees today can be traced to the work of Prince Kuhio. His determination and passion for the Islands and its people led him into a life of public service. He served as Hawaii’s second congressional delegate from 1903 until his death in 1922.
I mention this because he was the last member of the ali’i to own and live in the Big Island’s only royal residence: Hulihe’e Palace, on Ali’i Drive in Kailua-Kona.
Since it was essentially a vacation-house, Hulihe’e is pretty small for a palace: it’s a simple two-story building with a footprint of only 30 X 60 feet, and just three rooms plus a lanai on each floor. A parlor and a dining room flank the center entry hall, above which the sitting-room is flanked by two bedrooms. In Kona alone, there are literally thousands of houses that are bigger; but none has such an illustrious history.
Majestically surrounded by an expanse of lawn and trees, Hulihe`e Palace stands on the shores of Kailua-Kona on the Island of Hawai`i across from Mokuaikaua Church, a handsome coral and lava structure arduously built by the island's first Christians.
One of the very oldest surviving buildings in Hawaii, it was built in 1838 for the second governor of the Big Island. In 1844, the house passed to his daughter-in-law, Princess Ruth Ke’elikolani, who was half-sister to the last of the Kamehameha kings (IV and V). She willed the house to Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, who died young; and although Pauahi’s will created the Bishop Estate, the house itself was sold to King David Kalakaua.
The “Merrie Monarch” had it extensively remodeled in high Victorian style, with stucco on the outside, plastered interior walls with gold-leaf moldings, and crystal chandeliers. The rooms are kept, today, as they were commissioned by Kalakaua, and contain many pieces of furniture that he and other royal family members owned and used, along with displays of museum-quality artifacts from pre-contact Hawaii.
The historic two-story structure, now a museum, has been restored to the Kalakaua period and features ancient Hawai`ian artifacts and treasured heirlooms.
Prince Kuhio and his brother, David Kawananakoa, were the last royal owners, and it went into private hands upon Kuhio’s death in 1922. The palace would probably have been torn down to make room for a hotel; but it was acquired in 1925 by the Daughters of Hawaii, a not-for-profit group originally formed in 1903 by kama’aina (locally-born) haole women who wanted “to perpetuate the memory and spirit of old Hawai’i and of historic facts, and to preserve the nomenclature and correct pronunciation of the Hawaiian language.” (The organization also maintains Queen Emma’s Summer Palace, mauka of downtown Honolulu, in Nu’uanu Valley.)
The Daughters of Hawai`i was founded in 1903 by seven women who were daughters of American Protestant missionaries. They were born in Hawai`i, were citizens of the Hawai`ian Kingdom before annexation, and foresaw the inevitable loss of much of the Hawai`ian culture.
The walls are made of local lava stone and coral, a full three feet thick, but they were no match for an earthquake in October 2006, which caused both cosmetic and structural damage. The Daughters of Hawaii raised the money for repairs, and were finally able to re-open the Palace this year.
So, now you can visit Wednesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is only $5, which is quite a bargain for a chance to put yourself back in time, to get a sense of those bygone days when royalty were a living presence in Hawaii. You may also view the Calendar of Events here.
HERE ON THE BIG ISLAND – Pig Season, Again April 23, 2010
Posted by Kelly in : HERE ON THE BIG ISLAND , add a commentHERE ON THE BIG ISLAND
By Kelly Moran
Pig Season, Again
After a dry winter in which we got only about a third of our usual rainfall, Spring rains have come. It was an “El Niño” year, in which the surface water in the central Pacific ocean gets somewhat warmer than normal. This causes ocean currents in the Eastern Pacific to warm up, encouraging whole schools of California’s coastal fish and squid to head north into cooler water, which in turn lured seals and sea-lions up to Oregon.
Here in Hawaii, El Niño enables a zone of “high pressure” to stall over or near the islands, and thereby to keep otherwise wet trade winds at bay. Hamakua and North Kohala have had a severe drought – its effect on farmlands being also aggravated by the loss of agricultural irrigation ditches that were damaged in the earthquake of October 2006.
So, rain may be returning; but here in Hawaii we don’t get the conventional four seasons that characterize more northerly (or, across the equator, more southerly) latitudes. Winter months can bring snow to the tops of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, but days are not much shorter than they are in summer months, and rain can fall any time. The original Hawaiians divided the year into two seasons: wet (i.e. Winter) and hot (Summer), which is probably more accurate than our four-season convention, even though we may giggle at the certainty that our “hot” season, here, will probably also be “wet.”
Distinguishing the seasons can be done by looking at trees. A sure sign of Spring is the pastel crepe myrtle, which is in bloom in Hilo, right now.
Flowers of the crepe myrtle are born in panicles of crinkled flowers with a crepe-like texture.
There’s a very nice stand in front of the County Building (which is scheduled to re-open soon, after a multi-year renovation), and another in the little parking lot at the intersection of Waianuenue Ave. and Keawe St. As Summer approaches, we’ll see the “shower” trees along Kamehameha Avenue come into bloom; and of course, the farmers’ markets will start to carry those most popular of summer fruits: mango and lychee.
The Hilo Farmers Market is a must-see experience when you are on the Big Island. Over 200 local farmers and crafters sell their produce, crafts, gift items and tropical flowers in a festive outdoor atmosphere that recalls back to the old "plantation" days of early Hilo.
But I think there’s another marker for “Spring” here: the reappearance of pigs. Oh, they’re active all year long, of course; but they seem to emerge from the woods in greater numbers right about this time of year. They are increasingly common, as you drive uphill, and hunters are gearing up to take them down.
These pig images are not telephoto shots: you really can get this close to them!
Pigs first came here with the Polynesian voyagers, though only men were allowed to hunt and eat them. They resembled pigs still found in East Asia: relatively small and relatively hairless. Captain Cook and the first Western settlers brought European pigs with them, which were larger and had thick coats of black hair. Interbreeding, in the absence of any four-legged carnivores big enough to seize and kill them, enabled subsequent generations to grow quite large. The pigs we see today are about as big, and weigh as much, as people do.
What’s extraordinary, though, is how little these pigs seem to care about us. Drive uphill, beyond where most houses are, and you may very well see whole families of pigs alongside or crossing the road, and doing so quite slowly, with no fear at our approach. The adults are typically sows, shepherding their piglets, since boars (other than the father of the piglets) tend to keep to themselves. When you see pigs, they will generally be nosing in the ground for earthworms, grubs and roots, or sniffing around for new places to find food.
Their eyesight is weak; their senses of hearing and smell much stronger. But they do not seem to regard the sound or smell of an automobile or even of a human being as an automatic threat. Unless you are making a lot of noise, or approaching them at a fast clip, they may not notice you – or may even ignore you – until you are within a couple of yards of them.
And even if they do notice you, they will probably walk – not run – away, ducking into whatever bushes or ferns offer them cover. (The scent or the sound of a dog, however, will send them fleeing swiftly.)
I have an un-scientific theory about pig behavior, which I will share with you for what it’s worth. Pigs are, after all, highly evolved omnivores; so I believe that they have some way to pass along abstract concepts to their young, and if I could understand the way they communicate, I fancy that they would be saying something like this:
“We’re pretty big animals, and any predator that might want to catch us and eat us would have to take us by surprise. So if you notice that one of those human beings is nearby, you may not need to run, because it has surely already noticed you, and yet it has not done anything to threaten you. That said, however, if you hear a loud BANG, and one of us pigs suddenly drops dead, then you may well be in danger, and you should run away. Otherwise, just keep doing what you’re doing; you’re perfectly safe.”
HERE ON THE BIG ISLAND – Live from the Met… in Hilo April 20, 2010
Posted by Kelly in : Updates , 2commentsHERE ON THE BIG ISLAND
By Kelly Moran
Live from the Met . . . in Hilo
It’s almost 5,000 miles from the Prince Kuhio Plaza in Hilo to the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. But now you can get all the way to the Met by simply going to the mall – specifically, to the multiplex movie theater there.
Prince Kuhio Plaza, 111 East Puainako Street, Hilo, Hawaii 96720
Operas have been broadcast over the radio, live from the stage of the Met, for the past 79 years; they’re on Hawaii’s NPR affiliates: 91.1 in Hilo, 91.7 in Kona, every Saturday afternoon during the Met’s season, which is autumn-to-spring.
Operas have been filmed and shown in theaters, of course, but such filming was almost always done in movie studios, and was therefore a huge expense over and above producing the opera itself. And opera is just about the most expensive theatrical production there is.
But four years ago, the Met’s general manager, Peter Gelb, arranged to have one Saturday matinee a month televised. I know, I know: operas have been shown on TV before. But home-size sets with tiny speakers and (until recently) rather low screen resolutions, simply can not convey the scope and scale of seeing a fully-staged opera in a theater, much less at the 3,000-seat Metropolitan Opera House. (It’s not called “grand” opera for nothing.)
The Metropolitan Opera, New York
Gelb’s innovation was to broadcast the performances in high-definition video, and to have them shown exclusively in theaters. After all, most movies are no longer distributed on film in cans. They are digitally downloaded through satellite dishes on theater roofs, and are projected in high-definition. Taking advantage of these new technologies, the Met’s operas are seen on big screens with full stereo sound, in more than 40 countries around the world. (Go to www.metopera.org for more information.)
Metropolitan Opera in Live HD
Go to the Prince Kuhio Theaters, pay $22 ($20 if you’re a senior), and you are, in effect, seeing an opera at the Met, right along with the audience in New York. Yes, that price is about double what a movie costs; but it’s far, far cheaper than a good seat in a world-class opera house. Besides, at the multiplex, you won’t feel embarrassed if you don’t dress up; and you can eat your popcorn or candy, and drink your water or soda during the show, which, believe me, you can not do at the Met.
The broadcasts are subtitled in English; and it goes without saying that all the performances are first-rate: the Met is where the world’s top talent wants to be seen, and there is really no other way for us in Hawaii to see them there without spending a fortune on travel and tickets.
The shows generally are hosted by the renowned diva Renée Fleming (unless she’s singing that day).
"America's Beautiful Voice", soprano Renée Fleming has a devoted international following wherever she appears, whether on the operatic stage, in concert or recital, on television, radio or on disc.
She typically says a few words about the opera’s composer and its stage history, and interviews the leading singers, either before the show starts or during an intermission. The conductor and the opera’s theatrical and/or musical director will also talk about the dramaturgical choices they have made (even the oldest of chestnuts get new-concept staging, nowadays). Such inside-stuff may seem of interest only to longtime opera buffs, but how else will a new generation of audiences be introduced to opera: it’s an open window into how this most complex of entertainment forms gets made.
Many of the Met’s broadcasts are later shown on Public TV (PBS), and the increasing popularity of opera as television programming has made an interesting change in casting. No longer is it only someone’s voice that matters. TV viewers and movie-goers expect to see close-ups of the stars, and watch vigorous action-scenes. So, to be believable, heroes have to be handsome, leading ladies have to be gorgeous, and villains have to look sufficiently evil – at least in makeup.
The next hi-def Met broadcast, "Armida," starts at 1 p.m. on Saturday May 1st.
The next hi-def Met broadcast is “Armida,” by Gioachino Rossini, and it starts at 1 p.m. on Saturday May 1st. “Armida” is not a famous opera, but Fleming herself is the star, and Rossini’s music is always tuneful. It’s the last show of the season, but the next season starts in September, and will include the first two of Richard Wagner’s four operas in his “Ring Cycle” – arguably the most dramatic work in the operatic art-form. If you’ve never seen a professional opera performance, or haven’t gone in a long time, for whatever reason, take it from me: it’s worth twenty-two bucks to go to the Met.
