Hawi, HI

We're half way through the Twelve Days of Christmas! Having grown up with a grandmother who was Ukrainian Orthodox, I know that the Christmas season actually begins with Christmas Day and leads up to the Feast of the Epiphany. One of the great things about living in Hawaii, especially in areas with a lot of that old Hawaii flavor such as my home community of Hawi - Kapaau in North Kohala on the Big Island, is the fabulous mix of ethnicities keeping alive their cultural traditions within the American and Hawaiian contexts.

On the radio from Thanksgiving to Christmas Day, we hear Christmas carols sung by Hawaiian artists in versions that include beautiful translations of lyrics into the Hawaiian language often with ukulele and slack key guitar accompaniment. But my favorite local version is more pidgen than Hawaiian, and our local credit union decorated for the holidays by illustrating the verses of Twelve Days of Christmas, local style.

Yes, that's 11 missionaries, 10 cans of beer, 9 pounds of poi....and one mynah bird in one papaya tree!

Tonight being New Year's Eve, the neighborhood families are getting ready for their backyard parties with competitive fireworks, a tradition in many parts of Asia. Many of these families honor their Hawaiian heritage by cooking dinner in an imu, the pit you may have seen at a hotel luau. No need to feel restricted to the usual kalua pig, here's a sampling of what came out of the potluck imu we were invited to contribute to last year: duck, fish, lamb, whole pumpkins, taro - and some traditional lau lau. We picked green beans, eggplant and tomatoes from the garden for a fabulous New Year's Day meal.

Hau'oli Makahiki Hou - Happy New Year! Wishing everyone a healthy, happy and prosperous 2010!

Beth Thoma Robinson R(S)

Direct: 808.443.4588 Email: beth@hawaiilife.com

PS--see what my broker at Hawaii Life thought were the 10 best things about 2009

This might be the biggest holiday of the year for residents of Kohala. Each year on June 11th, Big Island residents and visitors converge on the birthplace of Kamehameha the Great to watch the placing of hundreds of lei on the statue in Kapa'au and the parade between Hawi and the statue that features pa'u riders in their traditional costumes.

Arrive early as the road will close by 8 am. From 10 am - 4pm following the parade, enjoy food, entertainment, educational demonstrations such saddle making and ancient Hawaiian games, and crafts at Kamehameha Park.

North Kohala is a rural community with a total of around 6,000 residents per the last official census.

Homes in Kohala range from charming "cane shacks" relocated and renovated after the sugar plantations shut down in the 1970s, to estate homes on 10 acres in oceanfront gated communites such as Puakea Bay Ranch. Sustainable agriculture is an interest of many newcomers to the community, and local Takata Store is filled with locally grown fruit and vegetables, along with grass-fed local beef.

Call or email for a list of properties that meet your Hawaii dream home criteria! Or search for yourself on Hawaii Life's Big Island website.

A hui hou!

Beth Thoma Robinson R(S)

Hawaii Life Real Estate Services

Direct: 808.443.4588 Email: beth@hawaiilife.com

Earth Day has grown into Earth month here on the Big Island. When you live on an island thousands of miles away from the nearest continent, the impact of human decisions on the environment is perhaps more obvious than someplace where land is plentiful.

In the district of North Kohala on the thumb tip of Hawaii Island, we feel perhaps even more isolated and more conscious of the impacts. Perhaps that is why the annual Trash Bash has grown over the past three years into a major community and tourist event.

On Saturday last week, members of the Merchants Association (essentially all the businesses is Hawi and Kapaau) had special prices and events to draw residents and visitors to town, where they also could view the entries into the Trash Bash Art Show and pick up information from Sustainable Kohala or the Zero Waste team.

This is a Tiki made from old fan belts

.And this is a collage created from plastic toys and bottle caps collected in morning walks on the beach.

Our office was open all day, with representatives of the local credit union available to talk to first time homebuyers about special programs, and since we are Hawaii PALM Properties, we also had Aikane Nursery selling non-invasive species plants in our parking lot.

On Sunday, it seemed like the entire population of Hawi and Kapaau came to the Kohala Coffee Mill to vote for their favorite entries in the Trash Bash Fashion Show. There are categories for children, teens and adults, and as the announcer described each outfit, she also gave us some facts about the impact of the materials used on the environment, and how we can reduce, reuse, recycle or upcycle!

Happy Earth Day and see you here next year!

Beth

Beth Thoma Robinson R(S)

Specializing in the Kohala Coast and vog-free North Kohala- We Know This Market by Heart!

EMAIL OR CALL for a list of best buys at the resorts: beth@hawaiipalmproperties.com Cell: 808-443-4588 FOLLOW ME on TWitter: www.twitter.com/alohabeth

We've been blessed to have a volunteer create and maintain an email list for the past few years so that notices of community events, volunteer opportunities, educational offerings, legislative updates and other news of interest to residents of North Kohala (Hawi area). Now they've passed the baton and the new version of the Kohala News has a website and a link so that you too can subscribe to the e-newsletter.

We also are fortunate to have a monthly newspaper with in-depth coverage of community events and issues, as well as features on Kohala history and personalities. The Kohala Mountain News doesn't have a website, but you can subscribe to the paper edition.

Contact kohalamountainnewsediotr@gmail.com or call 808-889-6909 for current rates.

A hui hou,

Beth

Beth Thoma Robinson R(S)

Specializing in the Kohala Coast and vog-free North Kohala- We Know This Market by Heart!

EMAIL OR CALL for a list of best buys at the resorts: beth@hawaiipalmproperties.com Cell: 808-443-4588 FOLLOW ME on TWitter: www.twitter.com/alohabeth

Do you know what a locavore is?

Ever try making your meals only with products grown or

raised within 100 miles of your home? The Big Island may be the most ideal place on the planet for a locavore to live.

Here in North Kohala, I do most of my shopping at Takata Store, which is conveniently located between my real estate office in Hawi, and my residence in Kapa'au.

Last night on my way home from work, I stopped in to Takata Store where I purchased locally grown salad greens and cilantro, flour tortillas made in Hilo, and a Big Island fresh salsa (guess what we were having for dinner!).

The parking lot was full and I had parked my car on the northern edge of the lot. Imagine my surprise when I spied "pork on the hoof" boldly rooting for something good to eat on the grassy area adjacent to a very active parking lot! Wild pigs can be a menace to our gardens, but they do find their way into backyard imu (luau pits). ONO!!

A hui hou,

Beth

Beth Thoma Robinson R(S)

beth@hawaiipalmproperties.com

Cell: 808-443-4588 Specializing in the Kohala Coast and vog-free North Kohala-

"We Know This Market by Heart!"

Hawaii Palm Properties, Inc * Office in downtown Hawi near Bamboo restaurant

808.889.1295 phone * 808.889.1296 fax

www.hawaiipalmproperties.com

BLOG:: http://blogs.alohaliving.com/north-kohala-luxury-home-sales/