WHERE - Haiku Maui - the north shoreWHAT -  A new street!There's a new roadsign up on the Hana Highway at about the 15 mile marker. I notice it as I drive by each day.  Remember the new paved roadsat Peahi Farms?  Well they even got a street name already, and it's called Kai Huki Street. This is just the beginning of a great new agricultural subdivision at Opana Point, on the north shore of Maui.  New owners will enjoy a rural lifestyle by being part of the larger "farm" which will consist mostly of pastures.  These will be great properties for horse owners as there will be plenty of riding opportunities in the area.My previous blogs about Peahi Farms:Paved roads for Peahi Farms - miles of asphalt go down to improve access to the oceanfront lots.Peahi Farms Brokers Open - with some pict... 12/13/2007

The Skystream newsletter has a link to an interesting story today.... former president George Bush has installed a 33 foot tall windmill to generate electricity at his oceanfront summer home in Walker's Point, Maine.  This should help others to realize that wind power is a great thing.A Skystream 3.7 model can produce an estimated 400 kilowatts a month at a wind speed of 12 mph. An average household uses about 600 kilowatts a month.  The wind turbine connects to the utility grid, and when it does not produce enough electricity, a home will start drawing electricity from its power company.  If the turbine produces excess energy, the excess will feed into the grid and the homeowner will receive credits from the power company. You can learn more about wind power at the Southwest Windpower ... 12/05/2007

When you're driving around Maui, in Haiku, you'll sooner or later find yourself driving the twisting mountain spine of Kaupakalua Road, the main artery between the upcountry town of Makawao, and the Hana Highway starting point of the historic Millenium Trail.  Going up or down, there aren't many pit stops along the way, and it's really great to come across Hanzawa's, an old fashioned country store.Hanzawa's Store serves a large community of people in the countryside, from Haiku to Makawao.  It's the only gas station and store for miles around.  Is it any wonder they do a thriving business, selling gas, hot dogs and cold drinks, beer, milk and ice cream, groceries and local produce?  It's a country store with everything you need, including household goods and blue jeans.  You can even ge... 12/01/2007

  Meanwhile, back at Peahi Farms on Maui's north shore, things are progressing nicely.  As you can see, they are already mowing the grass in this 170 acre subdivision, and baling it up just like on the mainland.  This is the first time on Maui I have ever seen round hay bales!   A Brokers Open was held on November 29th 2007 for agents to come and admire the newly paved roads, and see the vacant lots again.  Food and drinks were served, and the evening was very pleasant, with a nice sunset.  One of the developers, Garth Everhart was on hand to speak with anyone who had questions.  A fair amount of agents showed up and some even walked over to the ocean cliffs for a peek at the properties for sale and the magnificent ocean views. Around the central "farm" are 15 lots ranging from 2.69 acr... 12/01/2007

This cute little roadside fruit stand on the Hana Highway in Huelo is staffed with WWOOFers.  They have come to Hawaii to learn about growing fruits, preparing and serving them to visitors who are driving along the scenic Hana Highway.  Our young farmer friend is happy to have these traveling helpers who are able to take care of themselves while they stay on his property, and trade their labors for a place to call home for a few months.What's a WWOOFer?Some of our Huelo Maui friends have been bragging about their WWOOFers.  We are dying to try a WWOOFer ourselves.  It's a network of mostly young people who want to travel and experience a down to earth "working vacation".  History of WOOFThe WWOOF program started in the United Kingdom in 1971, by Sue Coppard, a London secretary, under th... 11/24/2007

I love to do my part and recycle things, and find it easy to do.  I can never understand why some people just throw all that "good stuff" away.  Where is AWAY?  Here on an island, AWAY is not that far away, and space is limited.  In the 27 years since we've been living here, we have seen major changes in the landfill situation.  There used to be at least 3 county landfills back then, and now there is only 1 for the whole island!  It's incredible how much garbage goes in there each day.  In fact it's scary.  What will we do when there's no more place to keep putting all this unwanted stuff?  We are such a consumer driven society that we need a whole change of lifestyle in order to stop this runaway train. Recycling is still pretty new here in Hawaii, compared to the rest of the world, l... 11/15/2007

Peahi Farms on Maui gets an upgrade.  Paving crews have been busy making miles of smooth black roads into this new planned community subdivision at Opana Point on Maui's north shore.  During the months of October and November the blacktop has gone down and the entrance to the Hana Highway is almost complete.  Road work is a major improvement for this north shore Agricultural oceanfront subdivision.  Sales will surely be moving smoothly now with easy access to the string of cliff front vacant parcels.Buyers of this prime oceanfront location should be aware of any issues that pertain to Special Management Areas(SMA's), and Shoreline Areas in Hawaii.  Contact your favorite Maui real estate agent for more information and updates.This ambitious project has been a long time in the making, and... 11/09/2007

SOLD - HAIKU VACANT LAND Sale price:  $475,000.00 FS Sale date: October 30, 2007 Size: 2.36 acres Address: 580 Awalau Road, Haiku HI This was a pretty quick sale, due to smart pricing.  Recent SOLD comps in Haiku were $475,000 for other 2 acre lots with no water meter.  This Haiku property entered the market at $479,000.00 and was in escrow within a few weeks.  The buyer purchased this beautiful vacant lot with all CASH.  The vacant lot has some incredible ocean views, and a nice building site overlooking the view.  These tall and elegant palms on the property had been planted over 35 years ago.   Awalau Road is located "behind" Hanzawa's Store, off Kaupakalua Road.  It goes back for a number of miles, with an assortment of homes and farms along the way.  Many of these properties don't... 11/07/2007

HONOPOU VALLEY - MAUIYou may not know of this hidden valley down Honopou Road on Maui's north shore.  Some of the land has belonged to Hawaiian families for generations and goes back to the "great mahele".  There is a lot of history here, with ancient rock walls surrounding taro paddies that are watered from Honopou Stream.  This is where a large population of Hawaiians called home, back before the the sea-faring Europeans landed here with their diseases and land-owning practices.  Not many native Hawaiians still choose to live a lifestyle that includes taro and sweet potato farming, raising crops and animals in order to subsist.  Over time they have moved on to greener pastures and the lure of life in town, with all the conveniences.If Hawaiian history interests you, please see the Haw... 11/03/2007

  HAIKU is not just a style of descriptive poetry, it's a country town on Maui, at the corner of Haiku Road and Kokomo Road. Here at the Post office for zip code 96708, you can get personal service, and they'll remember your name.  There is a town center (which I will describe in this blog), and a diverse outlying area as well.  In the plantation days, this was the center of a thriving pineapple industry, with 2 large pineapple canneries.  As time went by, the main processing plant moved to Kahului, leaving behind the old canneries to gather dust.  After years of abandonment, as new people started coming back to Haiku, the buildings were refurbished and tenants moved in, and the space was put to good use as the commercial center of Haiku once again.  In the last few decades they have r... 10/18/2007

 I love it when the STARFRUIT are ripe.  These are one of my favorite tropical fruits because they are so delicious to eat just the way they are, or prepared in dishes.  Their unique shape is really appealing when cut in cross sections to make little yellow stars.  Kids love them because they look so cute.  Toss them into a salad for a sweet zing.  Chop them up with onions, hot pepper and cilantro or mint for a fresh salsa that will get you rave reviews.  Throw some in with the sweet and sour meatballs instead of pineapple.  Garnish a tropical drink!They are easy to grow here in Haiku Maui.  We have 2 trees at home that go off at slightly different times, so we have fresh fruits for a couple of months in the fall.  Whatever we can't eat or give away, we feed to the horse and donkey.  I ... 10/14/2007

I mentioned the other day about Haiku Realtor Caravan.  Let me explain what that is exactly.  Fidelity National Title sponsors our Upcountry Caravans every Thursday so the Maui real estate agents and affiliates can get together and preview all the latest listings in the past month.   On the 2nd Thursday it's always the area of the north shore, Haiku and Paia-Spreckelsville-Kuau.  There are usually anywhere from 8-18 listings, some land but mostly homes... starter homes and fabulous country estates.  This month of October we had 14 properties to see, and it takes a few hours to get to all of them, because Haiku covers a lot of ground.  Of course some agents like to provide refreshments, which is always a good way to attract more eyeballs.  Some weeks there is so much food it's obscene, w... 10/13/2007

Spikeless Palm Tree Trimming on Maui  Today on Realtor Caravan in Haiku, I met a nice young man who has a tree trimming service for palm trees.  What's unique about his service is they don't use foot spikes to climb the coconut trees, they use specialized tree platforms with rubber straps to wrap around the trunk.  The spike wounds on palm trees never heal up, unlike woody trees.  Apparently, the spike holes become bigger holes which can expose the core to harmful bacteria and disease. David Elberg is the owner and operator of Pure Life Palm Trimmers, and his mission is to support Maui's local economy and ecology through the consistent, careful, and deliberate maintenance of its many beautiful palms.  He specializes in coconut palms, but also trims other palms such as fan, date, royal, ... 10/11/2007

There are some great values in the market right now. I like this MLS#326927 at 2011 Kokomo road. Great buy at $715,000 four bedroom 1.5 bathrooms, 4.7 acres of Haiku Living. Right off of Kokomo road. Man what a great market. two years ago this would have been 1,100,000 easy. I love my job. I love finding deals for the right buyer.Jeffery B GriffinRealtor® (B) ABR, GRI,  e-Pro eCertified®808-280-3442 cell888-248-4015 toll free/information/message/faxhttp://www.LuckyComeHawaii.commailto:Jeff@LuckyComeHawaii.comCentury 21 All Islands7 E. Kaahumanu Ave.Kahului, HI 96732"Lucky We Live Hawaii"   10/11/2007

Aloha - The Hunter - www.mauihunter.com Pe'ahi Farms on Maui has just closed it's very first sale, marking a turning point in this spectacular new project in Haiku.  Lot 3, a prime oceanfront 3.25 acres, closed on October 5th for $2,100,000. The developers Holt and Everhart claim to specialize in the creation of socially responsible villages and mixed use developments.  Their vision for Pe'ahi Farms is to tackle the fine line between development and preservation of diverse agri-business, in a traditional agricultural setting.  They hope to achieve a preservation of open space, while increasing the opportunities for enterprising Maui agri-business. Pe'ahi Farms is a 240 acre site at Opana Point, on the windward coast of Maui.  About 180 acres of the parcel will be dedicated to farm use,... 10/09/2007

As a proponent of WIND POWER, I want to help spread the word that's it's a wonderful way to go.I got this email from Southwest Windpower the other day, so I will cut and paste the links, as it's very useful info.  You can sign up for their newsletter to be really educated.  Skystream 3.7(TM) - Southwest Windpowerhttp://www.skystreamenergy.com/If you are considering installing a small wind system on your property, be sure to consider whether you have enough wind, and best location to place a small wind system. Siting Guide (PDF): http://windenergy.com/documents/guides/0372_Siting_guide.pdfWind Maps: http://skystreamenergy.com/skystream/will-skystream-work/local-resources.aspxLearn more about Maui's wind power - Kaheawa Wind Farm. HAIKU MAUI HI Here on the north shore of Maui we have plen... 10/08/2007

 Twin Falls is a different kind of tourist attraction on Maui.  Located on the Hana Highway, at the 2 mile marker, this swimming spot is a popular stop on the famous drive to Hana. Locals and tourists alike come here to cool off on a hot day. There are no signs to let you know you're there, but when you come to the 2 mile marker on Highway 360 keep your eyes open for a parking lot on the right, with a little fruit stand. You can't miss it as there are usually 20 or 30 cars or more parked here on a nice sunny day. The trail starts here, and continues up through pastures and the rainforest to a number of different freshwater pools with waterfalls. The top pool is about a half hour hike. Check out the excellent fruit stand offering local refreshments, produce and crafts. The fresh squeezed... 10/05/2007

  HAIKU MAUI HAWAII - 96708    The Pauwela Cannery in Haiku is located on West Kuiaha Road, about a mile up from the Hana Highway.  It used to be an old pineapple cannery back in the day, when the railroad came up from Kahului.  Nowadays the cannery is populated with many smaller shops of the light industrial type.  There are surfboard nanufacturers, and new wave artists.  Last time I looked, there was: Ace Hardware; Fabricated Marble of Hawaii; Creative Cabinets; DaKine Hawaii; Hawaiian Fish Prints; Timpone Hawaii; Vanover Cabinets; and the Pauwela Cafe, among many other busy shops.  There's plenty of parking if you're in the neighborhood, so stay for a while.  If Hawaiiana is your thing, I know a really special old noodle shop that would be perfect for the right buyer.       The Haik... 10/03/2007

You know what bugs me?  So many subdivisions don't allow clotheslines according to their CC&R's.  When did clotheslines go out of fashion, and why?  What's up with that? I remember reading somewhere that if everyone in this country just hung up their laundry to dry, we wouldn't need nuclear power plants, as the amount of energy consumed by electric dryers equalled the output of our nuclear power plants.  I'm sure it's not that simple, but we obviously could cut back a LOT by hanging up the clothes.  Save power, save money, save the planet. Sure that's easy for me to say, living in Hawaii where it never freezes.  But come on, since there is a general trend for people to move to the sunnier parts of the country, why not take advantage of all that solar power.  Why do these developers keep... 10/02/2007

I think it's appropriate that it's raining here in Haiku today, as I start this BLOG on ActiveRain.Although there is a water shortage on other parts of this island, we are not in any way concerned about our own water usage, as we have our own supply of water.  We live off the grid and employ a system called "water catchment", which simply means we catch the rain which falls, and store it in tanks.  On our Huelo farm we actually have 3 tanks for holding water: a 12,000 gallon Scafco metal tank; an 8,000 gallon cement tank; and a 500 gallon plastic tank buried underground.  Let it rain!The County of Maui is requesting that consumers try to cut back on their water consumption, or mandatory restrictions will be enforced.  The drier parts of Maui rely heavily on irrigation to make their land... 10/01/2007