Hawaii
Four-House Waterfront Compound Built Like a Private Resort on Hawaii’s Big Island
Listing of the Day
Location: Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
Price: $28 million
Perched above Keauhou Bay on the private and historic Ha’ikaua Peninsula on Hawaii’s Kona Coast, this compound offers four fully renovated and furnished homes, more than 600 feet of waterfront and 270-degree views of the Pacific Ocean.
“I’ve been doing this a long time and I’ve never seen anything like this—to have 600 linear feet of oceanfront and this much privacy,” said co-listing agent Rob Kildow, of Hualalai Realty.
“The way this is configured you have no beach in front of you, so you have nobody looking in your windows or walking by,” he said. Yet you have three access points down to the water, which is very swimmable because a nearby reef keeps the water calm.
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“If you’re looking for a resort lifestyle, 10 minutes down the road is a private golf community with dining and tennis,” Kildow said.
“This is a very special piece of property” due to its association with Hawaiian royalty, including important historical figures like King Kamehameha I and King Kalakaua, he said. In ancient times, Keauhou Bay was a significant cultural and political gathering place for Hawaiian Ali’i (chiefs) and their communities, and the site is where ceremonies, rituals and trade took place.
“The history goes way back,” Kildow said. Only Ali’i were allowed to set foot on Ha’ikaua Point.
Known as Ha’ikaua Point Estate, the 1.3-acre property comprises five contiguous properties acquired over a 10-year period, including the main residence on the point, two oceanfront bungalows and a building with an office, a media room and a four-car garage, according to the listing. A hidden road leads up to the private property.
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“The owners had a vision,” said co-listing agent Kurtis Becker, of Hawai’i Global Luxury Group. “The homes were there. They bought them and remodeled all of this and made them into a single village.”
“This was designed and built to be like your own private resort,” he said. All of the materials were locally sourced, and “there was no question about costs,” Kildow said. “The owner told me, ‘My wife didn’t have a budget and she exceeded it.’”
“This place is bulletproof and the ocean views are unbelievable,” he said.
The main house has open-plan living and dining areas downstairs, and the primary bedroom suite takes up all of the upstairs level, Becker said. Every bathroom has an indoor-outdoor shower.
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The estate is being sold fully furnished, including the owners’ art collection, according to the listing. The value of the art collection hasn’t been disclosed.
A portion of the proceeds from the sale will go toward the Jonathan Dale Miller Foundation, which the homeowner and his wife started in 1999 to honor their grandson’s final wish, Kildow said.
The landscaped grounds “have movement to them, with a wonderful flow,” he said. “There is really good energy here.”
“The options are limitless,” he said. “It could be a corporate retreat or a family deal. This has some real underlying meaning and texture and history to it.”
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Stats
Including the main house, the two bungalows, and the building with an office and a media room, the home has 8,913 square feet of interior space with eight bedrooms, 10 full bathrooms and one partial bathroom. The parcel measures 1.3 acres.
Amenities
Amenities include a free-form infinity swimming pool, 600-plus feet of private ocean shoreline with access to Keauhou and He’eia bays and the ocean, a large covered patio with multiple seating and dining areas, unobstructed 270-degree ocean, bay and sunset views, two bungalows, an office, a media room and a four-car garage.
MORE: [[
Neighborhood Notes
Kailua-Kona is the second-largest settlement on the island of Hawaii, after Hilo, and the largest on the island’s west side, according to published reports.
The Kona International Airport is 15 to 20 minutes from the home, Becker said. The Kona Coast is known for its calm, blue waters most of the year.
It also has some of the best sport fishing in the world, Kildow said.
Agents: Rob Kildow, director of residential sales and principal broker at Hualalai Realty, and Kurtis Becker, managing director at Hawai’i Global Luxury Group
View the original listing.
Hawaii
Hawaii native Savannah Gankiewicz crowned Miss USA after the previous winner resigned
Savannah Gankiewicz of Hawaii was crowned Miss USA 2023 on Wednesday, more than a week after the previous titleholder resigned citing her mental health.
Gankiewicz, a model who leads a female empowerment nonprofit, will hold the title until August — the remainder of the pagaent’s term, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.
“I am ready to make a positive impact with this organization that I hold dear to my heart,” said Gankiewicz, of Maui, during a ceremony at the Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach.
As the first runner-up, Gankiewicz was announced as the replacement for former Miss USA 2023 Noelia Voigt, who stepped aside May 6. In a statement, Voigt thanked her fans and wrote, “Never compromise your physical and mental well-being.”
Voigt, a former Miss Utah, was crowned in September 2023.
Miss Teen USA, UmaSofia Srivastava, also resigned her title within days of Voigt’s resignation in a shock to the Miss Universe Organization, which runs both pageants.
Srivastava, the former Miss New Jersey Teen USA, wrote in a statement that her personal values no longer fully align with the direction of the organization.”
Hawaii
These seniors are learning Hula to celebrate Hawaiian culture
SAN RAMON, Calif. — “Hula is the language of the heart, and therefore the heartbeat of the Hawaiian people,” says Desiree Elder, a Hula instructor with the Polynesian dance revue, Island Spice.
“Many people visit Hawaii,” Elder says, “and they think that Hula is just wiggling around. But Hula is so much more than that.”
Elder teaches Hula to all ages, but her most unique class is probably the 55-and-over instruction for mature adults taught at San Ramon-Alcosta Senior and Community Center.
“The soft, graceful movements are really fun to do,” says Fiona Waterhouse, one of Elders students. “And the beautiful music which evokes everything Hawaiian.”
“This is like a godsend class,” adds another student.
Elder says she particularly enjoys teaching seniors because they’re a very engaging group of people.
“They want to learn,” she says, “they’re not done with life, they want to learn, they want to exercise.”
Many of Elders students agree, Hula dancing gives them an opportunity to move and exercise their bodies and their minds. They often give each other tips on how to learn the dance moves, allowing them to socialize and build friendships as well.
“When we came to this class, we didn’t know each other,” says Haldis Maeda, a student of the 55+ beginners class. “I had to learn all the different movements and what they’re called. And it’s really nice, because you’re all learning together. So it’s kind of like you’re helping one another out.”
Beyond creating friendships, the class immerses students in Hawaiian culture.
“When you teach them about Hula, you just can’t teach them moves and language,” says Elder, “They also learn about basic Hula dance traditions, because there are a lot of traditions that go with dancing Hula. How to stand, how to put your costume on, so there are a lot of different aspects of the Hawaiian culture that get brought into classes.”
Elder says learning about Hawaiian culture and Hula is especially impactful during Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) heritage month.
“People from all over the world go to Hawaii and go there for vacation,” she says. “And then you forget about Hawaii. Hawaii has its own unique culture, you have a place that actually had a kingdom on United States land. It’s the only place that has a palace in the U.S. So it’s a very unique type of culture. And for people to recognize that during this month, AAPI heritage month, it’s very good because get a chance to be more inquisitive about it. Maybe they look into it, maybe take a Hula class, maybe buy a book about Hula, or about Hawaii in general.”
AAPI Heritage Month celebrates the accomplishments of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. Through hula, these seniors honor the traditions of the islands.
“Every time we come together and dance hula,” Elder says, “we celebrate the Hawaiian culture.”
To learn more, and to sign up for a hula class, visit here.
Hawaii
A look inside Hawaii's Merrie Monarch Festival, an energetic celebration of native art, dance, and music
- Merrie Monarch is an annual festival in Hilo, Hawaii.
- It celebrates Hawaiian traditions with craft fairs, parades, and hula competitions.
- This article is part of “Community in Focus,” a series highlighting Asian and Pacific Islander events.
As the sun set over the misty town of Hilo, Hawaii, on April 6, about 4,000 people stood up from their seats in the Edith Kanakaʻole stadium and joined hands.
They swayed in unison, their voices reverberating off the bleachers and walls to the tune of “Hawaii Aloha,” a song locals often sing to mark the end of a cultural celebration. This time, they were saying goodbye to Merrie Monarch, an annual weeklong festival for honoring native Hawaiian traditions such as hula and craft making.
When I was growing up in Hilo, attending Merrie Monarch was the highlight of my year. My grandmother would take me to hotels around Hilo, where my uncles would perform Hawaiian music and children would dance the hula, big smiles plastered on their faces. The hotels buzzed with excitement as artisans showcased their crafts, and the scent of traditional Hawaiian delicacies filled the air. At the Merrie Monarch Royal Parade, I was enchanted as horseback riders floated by wearing colorful leis and long pāʻū skirts.
The festival, which started on March 31 this year, is marked by a mass migration of Hawaiians to Hilo on the state’s Big Island, also called Hawaii.
These Hawaiians — largely hula dancers who have dedicated their lives to mastering the ancestral dance — overtake the small town of Hilo, bringing with them custom-made hula garments, intricate handmade goods, delectable eats, and goosebump-inducing song and dance.
“It truly is the finest time in Hawaii,” Dillon Ancheta, a Hawaiian-born journalist who has covered Merrie Monarch celebrations for the past five years, told Business Insider. “It feels like the entire state gets excited for Merrie Monarch, and the absolute best of our culture is on display.”
Take a look inside this year’s Merrie Monarch Festival.
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