South Kohala
On the northwest end of the island, the region runs mauka to makai, from the Kohala mountains above Waimea down to the Kohala Coast. From pastures and ranch homes at 2,700 feet to dry oceanfront resort properties, all about a half hour apart - which is the widest range of climate and lifestyle in the shortest drive anywhere on the island.
South Kohala Resorts
Laurence Rockefeller opened the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel on Kauna‘oa Bay in 1965, and the coast grew outward from it to include Mauna Lani and Waikoloa Beach Resorts to the south. Ancient Hawaiian fishponds, shoreline trails and petroglyph fields still sit inside the resort grounds, alongside white sand, championship golf and the driest weather on the island.
North Kohala
At the northern tip of the island sits the oldest volcano and the birthplace of Kamehameha I. Gated ocean-view subdivisions sit at the southern end of the district, former sugar towns run through the middle, and the road ends at the breathtaking Pololu Valley lookout.
Hamakua Coast
Roughly fifty miles of windward coastline running from Waipi‘o toward Hilo. Sugar country until the mid-1990s and now small farms and plantation towns, with the rainfall that makes things grow and the most affordable acreage on this side of the island.
Kona
Located on the island’s commercial west side, anchored by Kailua-Kona and the airport at Keahole. Private oceanfront club communities run north along the coast, the world-renown coffee belt sits in the hills above town, and Keauhou (often referred to as the "Playground of the Kings") closes the district to the south. Kona is known for its annual billfishing tournament and IRONMAN competitions.
Hilo
Hilo is the heart of East Hawaii, a historic waterfront town surrounded by lush rainforests, waterfalls and the slopes of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. From established neighborhoods near Hilo Bay to cooler elevations above town and the growing community of Keaau to the south, the greater Hilo area offers a diverse mix of homes, landscapes and lifestyles. Rich in Hawaiian and plantation-era history and known for hosting the Merry Monarch Festival and home to the island's county seat.