Search for Puako real estate

Upcountry in Waimea, there’s a section of town where local vegetables and fruit are grown. Lettuces, cabbage, strawberries, tomatoes. That area is called the Lalamilo Farm Lots. In the times of the Hawaiian monarchy, the quiet ocean side residential area we now know as Puako, was also called Lalamilo. The two areas are a part of the same “ahupuaha,” or roughly pie shaped land division of the former crown government.

The earliest written documentation about Puako was written by a sailor in 1823. In 1934 a missionary arrived. The minister and the village of 60 people built the Hokuloa Church in 1852, and it still stands.

No one knows the origin of the Puako name, but there is one possibility to consider. “Puakou,” is the beautiful orange flower of the large and shady kou tree. Kou trees lined Puako Bay until the invasive kiawe trees were introduced edged them out. Several ancient “konani” game boards are found etched in the black lava on the beaches, and a field of some 3,000 petroglyphs is not far inland.

From the 1900 to 1914, there was a sugar plantation east of Puako. The mill at #78 Puako was built, and train tracks were laid along the beach to haul cane. The tracks are still visible in spots, but they are covered at high tide as the beach was 30 feet wider one hundred years ago. Mules pulled the sugar carts until a steam engine was put in service. Initially, the harvest was excellent, but the source of water was erratic, soil salinity could not be controlled, and the plantation folded.

Until the 1950s Puako was accessible only by boat and by the Kings Highway trail, which then could be followed all the way to Kona. In 1952, the county began selling lots along what was then a narrow dirt road. The new neighborhood was a kiawe jungle. The beaches were inaccessible until new residents cut and cleared their way to the sea. Few lots sold initially, and a second auction was held later. The initial lots sold for $300 to $1,000.

Today, beautiful oceanfront homes sell in the multimillions. Across the street, a modest home can be available around $700,000. There are two churches, a small general store, and a property management office. Banks, post office, schools and shopping are located about 25 minutes upcountry in Waimea.