Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
BOND HISTORIC DISTRICT
Surrounded by a large macadamia nut orchard, the 54-acre
Bond Historic District
('Iole; 889-5151;
www.iolehawaii.com
; 53-496 'Iole Rd; 8am-4pm Mon-Sat)
is a work in
progress that is definitely worth visiting already. The district contains three historic
properties all built by missionary Elias Bond (1813-62), a seminal figure in numer-
ous aspects of Kohala life, from education to roads to the sugar industry. While
fully furnished, the Bond Homestead (1889) has been uninhabited for 60 years and
is currently undergoing renovations after extensive earthquake damage. The Ko-
hala Girls School is in excellent condition and an atmospheric throwback to the
merger of New England missionary sensibilities with Hawaii. So too is the Kalahiki-
ola Congregational Church, a vital part of the Kohala community since 1855 (ser-
vices 9:30am Sunday). The entire district is part of 'Iole, a 2400 acre tract extend-
ing from the Pacific Ocean into the Kohala Mountains now owned and managed by
the New Moon Foundation (
www.newmoonfoundation.org
)
.
Tours ($10 per person) depart at 1:30pm Monday to Saturday, with more
planned beginning summer 2013. There's also an interesting series of six short
walking trails ranging from 0.5 mile to 2 miles. An information office near the car
park (up 'Iole Rd, between mile markers 23 and 24) provides trail guides. 'Iole con-
tains some beautiful tropical forest with magnificent banyan trees, so pack a picnic
(no food or drinks available on site) and make an afternoon of it. If you are interes-
ted in ziplining, Big Island Eco Adventures (
Click here
) departs from the informa-
tion office as well.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Kapaʻau
POP 1160
Kapaʻau is a former sugar town refashioned into an attractive tourist destination. Though
it's not as atmospheric as Hawi, it offers just as much and is so close that you might as
well consider the two towns joined at the hip.
Sights
Keokea Beach Park
BEACH
(off Akoni Pule Hwy; gate 7am-11pm)
While it has no beach to speak of, this park about
3.5 miles from Kapa'au has the best picnic spot around, an elevated pavilion with smash-
