Paauilo offers remote living on the Hamakua Coast
Paauilo is an old plantation town on Hawaii’s Hamakua Coast, about 30 miles north of Hilo. With lowland farms and elevated ranches, the region’s dense rainforests and rich volcanic soil allow for remote living with world-class scenery. “Paauilo is a vintage town on the north end of the Hamakua Coast,” says Realtor Jen McGeehan with Coldwell Banker Island Properties, a resident of Paauilo for almost 15 years and author of Home on the Hamakua, the coast’s leading real estate blog. “It’s very much a ranching community with lots of acreage.” People come to Paauilo to get away from HOAs and uniform living. Its rural location offers expansive properties at a relatively attainable price, despite how stunning the region is. “It’s affordable for the Big Island,” McGeehan says. “You can get beautiful homes on beautiful properties with waterfalls, gulches and panoramic ocean views.”
Plantation-style homes and expansive rainforest properties overlooking
Paauilo’s tiny town center was originally a farm camp built to service the area’s plantations. “There’s lots of acreage up the hill, then across the road, there are small homes in the camps,” McGeehan says. “They are the original sugarcane plantation homes.” These small plantation-style homes are an architectural staple across each Hawaiian Island. There are multiple clusters of them in Paauilo with ocean views. Today, they are available to more than farm workers, and they can cost $310,000 to $530,000 for small to midsize options. The rainforest across the Hawaii Belt Road, Hawaii Route 19, is fit for off-grid living on expansive properties. "Above around 1,000 feet, you can’t get utilities, so people have satellites, solar panels and rain collection systems,” McGeehan says. These include options from plantation-style homes on 5-acre properties to contemporary glass midcentury modern homes with 40 acres of pristine rainforest and ocean views. Prices range from $950,000 to over $2 million.
Hiking in the volcanic rainforests of the Hamakua Coast
The slopes of Mauna Kea, one of the Big Island’s large, dormant volcanoes, form the Hamakua Coast. The jagged, rocky shoreline makes for dramatic views, but there aren’t many sandy beaches or surf breaks. The landscape is better known for hiking. Rich volcanic soil and heavy rainfall on this windward side of the island fortify the dense jungles and rainforests, where visitors can see scenic waterfalls and elevated ocean views. Kalopa State Recreation Area offers a few popular trails just over 5 miles west of Paauilo’s town center. Hikers can also explore Hamakua Forest Reserve, sitting northwest of town.
Honokaa is home away from home for stores and restaurants
Residents resupply at Paauilo Feed Store, and there are a couple of eateries in the residential camp to the south. There’s Coba, a cozy Mexican kitchen, and Donna’s Cookies, where people can stock up on gallon jugs of assorted cookies. Residents head 8 miles up Route 19 to Honokaa for groceries and more dining. “We call Honokaa our home away from home because it’s where we go for everything,” McGeehan says. “It has restaurants, a small hospital and stores.” Malama Market is a standard grocery store in Honokaa, and there are small shops like Honokaa Country Market and Honokaa Filipino Store. Additionally, Ahualoa Family Farms Store sells local macadamia nuts and other goods, and the Hamakua Harvest Farmers Market is held every Sunday.
Paauilo students learn about the community’s farming traditions
Paauilo Elementary & Intermediate School serves students from prekindergarten through eighth grade. It’s located in town and earns a C-plus grade from Niche. Farming is still a way of life in this former plantation community. The school's agricultural program educates students on the long tradition of planting and raising livestock on the land. Students finish 8 miles up the coast at Honokaa High & Intermediate School, which receives a B-minus.
Waimea is only 20 miles west
Hawaii Route 19, part of the Hawaii Belt Road, runs through Paauilo’s town center on its way around the Big Island’s coastline. The town of Honokaa is 8 miles up the coast. It’s home to Hale Hoola Hamakua, the nearest medical center. There’s a larger hospital in Waimea, the main town on the island’s north side, about 20 miles west. Hilo, the Big Island’s largest city, is 30 miles down the coast from Paauilo. Hilo has larger employers, hospitals and Hilo International Airport.
