A Hideaway In Paradise

Listings, , , ,

178 (600x399)I just released a new listing.  This one is not for your average homeowner.   It’s way at the back of Hawaiian Acres, remote and private.  It’s not that hard to get to, though, if you know how.  It is very close to Fern Acres.  You can take Plumeria, which is paved,  all the way to the end.  Then you  turn left onto a road that connects to  Hawaiian Acres.  The property is just short distance from Plumeria.  It is a two bedroom, one bath home, built to be off the grid.  Electricity was provided by a generator, and water from a catchment tank.  It has a detached garage, that is actually larger than the house, and on a concrete slab. The house and garage are set way back on the lot, not visible from the road, in a section of the lot enclosed by a chain link fence.  If I were buying this home, I would probably try to make the garage space habitable, and live there while I renovated the house.  The house is going to take a lot of work to be livable again, but it is priced accordingly.  The garage is actually in much better condition, and its very big.  It also has a very large carport, so you don’t need to park cars in the garage.  This house isn’t for the average person. Besides being kind of remote, it is going to take effort and determination to rehabilitate this home.

But, if you are that person, who has that determination, and are looking for a cheap ticket to Paradise, this may be the place for you.

You can see more details at http://www.clarkhawaii.com/property/44405718/16-1105-WAO-KELE-RD-Mountain-View-HI-96771

Maku’u Farmers’ Market

Puna

makuu farmers marketFarmers’ markets are a part of the Big Island experience.  One of the most successful markets is the Maku’u Farmers Market.  It is located between Keaau and Pahoa on Hwy 130, just past Ainaloa Boulevard on the left.  It’s hard to miss.  They are open on Sunday from 8 am to 2 pm, and when they are open the huge parking lot is filled with cars.  Maku’u Farmers Market averages over a thousand visitors every Sunday.  It’s amazing!

The market is run by Hawaiians on land leased from Hawaiian Home Lands.  The Maku’u Farmers Association, which runs the market has three goals.  They want to educate people about Hawaii, maintain the Hawaiian culture, and support the local farmers, and small businesses.  In line with these goals, they are collecting a dollar from every vehicle entering the parking lot.  That money will be used to build a community center nearby.   They are doing a great job.  The market is a mix of vendors, selling produce, plants, things to eat,  and a wide range of other products.  Besides being a place to buy stuff, it is also a social venue for the Puna area, a place to meet your neighbors and talk story.

I visited Maku’u Farmers Market last Sunday.  In additional to the normal vendors, I saw a couple fundraisers going on.  This one for Ke Kula o Nawahiokalaniopuu school was raising money to send the students on a cultural field trip to the island of Oahu.  The school is a Hawaiian language immersion charter school for grades K-12

Russell Ruderman and Friends

The market also features live music every Sunday.  This band, Russell Ruderman and Friends, was raising money for the The Food Basket, a Big Island food bank.

 

 

I found some handcrafted jewelry283

 

 

 

 

 

294I talked to “Banana” Marvin.  He is from Santa Barbara.  One of his comments really caught my attention.  Marvin said that his choice to move to Puna on the Big Island, and sell banana plants at Maku’u Farmers Market,  was not about finding a job, but finding a lifestyle that suited him.

 

292As I walked around, taking pictures, and talking to the different vendors, the story that really touched my heart was that of Ben and Tamar Gilson.  Tamar battled with cancer a few years ago.  Part of that process was learning to eat healthy.  Eating healthy led her to balsamic vinegars, and to creating her own balsamics.

 

Their tag line says it all, “One taste and you’ll say Wow!”

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As I write this, I realize that Maku’u Farmers Market is not just a marketplace.  It is part of the fabric and story of Puna and the Big Island.  It’s about people’s hopes and aspirations, about finding another way.  You have got to come see it, get a taste of the flavors of Puna.