78-1348 Bishop Road
Holualoa, HI 96725
(808) 324-1725
Hours of operation:
Pretty much any time it's daylight. Call first
so we can open the gate for you.
Kona Earth farm isn't the easiest to get to. The most difficult part
is getting yourself several thousand miles across the Pacific to the Kona
district on the Big Island of Hawaii. Once you've done that, the rest
is much easier.
If you happen to have a GPS, follow it to
(N19°33.654, W155°55.219).
If you left your GPS at home then you'll have to follow these complex sounding
but really not so difficult directions. They're only complex sounding
because none of the roads have very well marked names.
Start by finding your way south of Kailua-Kona. There's only
one main road that goes around the island. Unfortunately, it
doesn't have a consistent name. Hawaii Belt Road or 180 is how it shows
up on most maps. If you're in town and you head south, eventually
you'll be on this main road. Once you pass the last stop light at
Kamehameha III then the road makes it's way up a long, steep hill. This
is just about the only spot on the island where traffic regularly goes faster
than 55 MPH. At the top of the hill the traffic slows down again as the
road narrows from two lanes into one lane each direction.
Turn Left:Turn left at the Keauhou Holualoa sign.
This picture is driving south. Unfortunately the mile markers aren't consistent through here so
you'll just have to remember that the turn is at the top of the hill. Luckily the
sign is easily visible.
Turn Right:Turn right towards Keauhou. Now you're on
Mamalahoa Highway which is the old highway. We use this road when taking
our coffee to the mill. Before trucks this road was used by donkeys
loaded with bags of coffee. Before that it was used by the native
Hawaiians. The Mamalahoa Highway is thought to be named for the "Law of
the Splintered Paddle" whereby Kamehameha the Great guaranteed all his subjects
safe and free access to the highways of his kingdom. The story is that
Kamehameha was whacked in the head with a canoe paddle by a commoner wary of
strangers. The incident made Kamehameha decide that the people needed a
safe road. Be careful though, the Law of the Splintered Paddle doesn't
stop cars from occasionally driving over the edge of this narrow road.
Turn Left: In just under one mile, turn left onto Old Poi
Factory Road. The official name of the road is Bishop Road
but the sign out front says Old Poi Factory Road. Maybe the sign was
placed by someone that had been hit in the head with a paddle. Whatever
the case, keep your eyes open for the turn, it's easy to miss. When you
see the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses get ready, your turn is just
around the corner. Don't worry, when you miss it and have to turn around,
the turn is easier to see from the other direction.
No more turns: Head mauka (up hill) for
about 1.6 miles. Drive slowly, this one lane road is narrow and you may
need to pull over for traffic coming the other way. The road will
try to trick you into making a wrong turn. Don't fall for it, just stay
on the main road and head up hill. If you make a wrong turn you'll quickly
realize that you're on someone's driveway or heading the wrong way so simply
turn around and head up hill again.
Here are some landmarks you can look for on the way:
Stay right at the chickens.
Stay left at Heavenly Hawaiian farm.
When you pass the "No Spray" sign, stay left.
Just around the corner you'll probably see lots of dogs in the road.
Stay right at the tree house. It's not really a tree house but it sort of looks like one.
Stay left at the turn with no discernable landmarks.
You're almost there now.
Turn right at 78-1348 Bishop Road. Look for our large
black mailbox and Kona Earth sign.
We'll probably hear you as you come up the driveway. Simply park
wherever you can find a space. The barking dog is named Kia, she's
quite friendly after she'd had a chance to sniff and make sure you're
not a burglar.
Kona Earth farm isn't the easiest to get to. The most difficult part
is getting yourself several thousand miles across the Pacific to the Kona
district on the Big Island of Hawaii. Once you've done that, the rest
is much easier.
Turn Left: Turn left at the Keauhou Holualoa sign.
This picture is driving south. Unfortunately the mile markers aren't consistent through here so
you'll just have to remember that the turn is at the top of the hill. Luckily the
sign is easily visible.
Turn Right: Turn right towards Keauhou. Now you're on
Mamalahoa Highway which is the old highway. We use this road when taking
our coffee to the mill. Before trucks this road was used by donkeys
loaded with bags of coffee. Before that it was used by the native
Hawaiians. The Mamalahoa Highway is thought to be named for the "Law of
the Splintered Paddle" whereby Kamehameha the Great guaranteed all his subjects
safe and free access to the highways of his kingdom. The story is that
Kamehameha was whacked in the head with a canoe paddle by a commoner wary of
strangers. The incident made Kamehameha decide that the people needed a
safe road. Be careful though, the Law of the Splintered Paddle doesn't
stop cars from occasionally driving over the edge of this narrow road.
Turn Left: In just under one mile, turn left onto Old Poi
Factory Road. The official name of the road is Bishop Road
but the sign out front says Old Poi Factory Road. Maybe the sign was
placed by someone that had been hit in the head with a paddle. Whatever
the case, keep your eyes open for the turn, it's easy to miss. When you
see the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses get ready, your turn is just
around the corner. Don't worry, when you miss it and have to turn around,
the turn is easier to see from the other direction.
We'll probably hear you as you come up the driveway. Simply park
wherever you can find a space. The barking dog is named Kia, she's
quite friendly after she'd had a chance to sniff and make sure you're
not a burglar.