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Published: February 12th 2009
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This morning we boarded our motorcoach and set out to discover The Vibrant History of Kona.
First is The Kona Historical Society's Living History Farm where we meet 2 ladies dressed in long calico dresses - the style of the 1820's. We hear about the early introduction of coffee to Kona by an American missionary in 1828.
Kalukalu was the orignal Hawai'ian name when Englishman, Henry Nickolas Greenwell (HNG) purchased a section of land (1850) in the district of South Kona. Native forest and farmland stretched from the coast to the foothills of Mauna Loa. Hawai'ians planted food crops in the shade of the kukui and 'obi'a trees. Grass houses were a common sight and everyone spoke the Hawai'ian language. Young HNG found Hawai'i's fertile soil and mild climate much to his liking. Previous to 1850, no foreigner could buy land in the Hawai'ian kingdom.
Greenwell never stopped trying ways to use and improve his land. During the 19th century, Kalukalu became the headquarters of Kona's largest cattle and sheep ranch. Greenwell, his wife Elizabeth, and their ten children found themselves at the center of a growing multicultural community.
In approximatley 1873, HNG built his stone store, establishing
Kalukalu as an important commercial outpost in an isolated but growing district. It served as a general merchandise store, post office, and meeting place. Nearby residents, ranch employees, and hungry travelers of all races came to purchase food, farm equipment, household items, clothes, and candy for their children.
Coffee quickly then became the crop upon which plantations were established by early European and American planters. Later, Japanese and many other, immigrants homesteaded the plantations and these family farms filled the Kona rural landscape. After decades of hardships and struggles of the early pioneers and their children, Kona coffee is hand harvested and now ranks as one of the world's premier coffees.
Today, herds of Greenwell Cattle still graze on the mountain slopes. Kona oranges are as delicious as ever, Kona Coffee is a successful crop, and the H.N.Greenwell store still stands as a reminder of how life was in 19th Century Kona.
Next, we were sent to the general store (with shopping list) and were given a wonderful demonstration of how a shopper might fullifil her list. This showed us quite graphically what life was like at that time. The setting of, and articles in the
store reminded me very much of my childhood and my mother's stories of what the "Kent Store" in Montara, CA was like for her and her mother (my grandmother).
We strolled through producing coffee orchards with diversified plantings of macadamia nuts, avocado, papaya, citrus and vegetable gardens. The demonstration of how the coffee is hand harvested was quite interesting. The coffee processing and drying mill facsinated us. The Japanese plantation worker's home was also an excellent story and demonstration.
Back to our motorcoach and on to Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historic Park. This Park preserves aspects of traditional Hawai'ian life. Susan and the Park ranger, while we went on a walking tour, presented to us information about the Royal Grounds, the Great Wall, the Place of Refuge, and the Hale o Keawe.
We returned to the Royal Kona Resort and rested as much as we could before going to dinner at a Thai Restaurant. The food was good and some enjoyed the tapioca desert. Walking back to the Royal Kona was pleasant in the warm breezy air. Ahh! Another day in paradise.
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