On Friday, May 31, Hokule'a and Hikianalia departed for Tahiti to begin its historic World Wide Voyage. This Odyssey will cover more than 50,000 miles and will take both vessels outside of the Pacific Ocean for the first time. Known as the Malama Honua Worldwide Voyage, the voyage will "highlight diverse cultural and natural treasures and the importance of working together to protect them."
"For real estate value, choose Jack Baker (RA, e-Pro)"
Jack Baker is a San Francisco Bay Area native who spent fifteen years in golf operations management in San Francisco and Kauai, first with Arnold Palmer Golf Management on the mainland, then as Director of Golf at the Princeville Golf Club, which brought him to Kauai in 2000. He had visited Kauai five times on vacation, and moving here turned out to be the best decision Jack ever made!
Jack's specialties are golf course properties, luxury homes, and assisting first-time homebuyers. His typical workday involves meeting with clients and discussing their needs and desires in purchasing a property in paradise.
Jack is an avid golfer who loves sharing the outdoors with his three sons. He thinks the tropical setting and abundance of greenery of Kauai's north shore make for a soothing, healthy, and safe environment for raising a family and keeping anxiety and stress levels to a minimum. Jack enjoys all outdoor activities, including playing golf, and exploring wine selections from around the world.
Arnold Palmer "Instructor of the Year"
Voted "Best Online Golf Instruction website - www.Nethandicap.com"
Strap your running shoes on and come join the fun on June 7th! The Ha'ena run is an 8 Mile run / walk starting at the end of the road Ke'e beach in Ha'ena and ending in Hanalei. Water stations are provided along the way. All participants are treated to a pancake breakfast and a T-shirt at the finish line, have fun!!
The Iconic Coco Palms Resort, which has been closed since it was damaged in hurricane Iniki in 1992, is being restored into a 390-room hotel and will be managed by Hyatt Hotels Corp. Upon it’s reopening, the room rates are said to reflect the average daily rate on Kaua‘i at about $225. This has been a long time coming with this being the last resort still untouched after Iniki hit. Over the years this property has been in escrow many times but never with a large name attached so time will tell if this is actually the one! Developer has said this property to open in 2017.
National retailers Pier 1 and Sports Authority are scheduled to open in Lihue this month. Pier 1 will opens May 18th in the space formerly occupied by Borders, Books and Music. Sports Authority opens May 24th in Kukui Grove in the space formerly occupied by Sears. The grand opening of Sports Authority will also feature Hawaii’s Jesse Sapolu, a former Superbowl-winning offensive lineman for the San Francisco 49ers.
Home prices continue to rise in the State of Hawaii and on Kauai. The median price of a single family residence on Kauai is now $522,500 up almost 6% from a year ago. Leading the price increases are the resort areas of the South and North Shores with Koloa and Hanalei seeing increases of 28% and 16% respectively.
The race this past weekend was a fantastic event. Team Kai Wa'a 1 took first in OC-1 for men (Bartlett and Chun) and Kamanu Wahines for the women (Shank and Mathisen). For the SUP race Eugene Ancheta came in first. For surfski Surf Ski Kauai came in first (Thomas and Johnson). And Finally, Team SOS#@911 (Chow and Hamilton, Brunner and Akaka) came in forst for OC-2. Congrats to all the winners and participants!
This weekend Kaua‘i will host the 12th Annual Kaua‘i World Challenge, a 36 mile costal relay race. The best ocean canoe paddlers in the world converge on the Garden Island for this truly unique and beautiful event. The race begins at 8:00 a.m. at Kapa’a Beach Park and has changeovers at some of our most famous beaches. The first transition is at Hanamaulu Beach Park. Second transition is Kalapaki Bay. Third transition is Poipu Beach Park and the finish is at Salt Pond. Spectators can view the athletes at any of these beaches. Good luck to all the competitors, have a safe and fun race! We will be posting the results next week.
Watch Ocean Paddler TV's coverage of the 2012 Race Here:
Kauai home and Condo median sales prices have risen in 2012 and 2013 after being consistently down since 2007. Momentum seems to have clearly shifted to prices rising. Kauai also showed the largest growth in new residents in the State. The demand for Kauai is strong with no signs of slowing down.
On April 12-13 one of the longest running surfboard contests in the world was held in Hanalei, the 35th Pinetrees Longboard Classic. The event continued the tradition of bringing together contestants young and old for a fun event that is enjoyed by all. With the help of some decent surf and good weather, we saw some great displays of local longboard talent. The winners circle included Luca Aza (Menehune), Honoloa Blumfield (Girls 10-17), Daize Goodman (Women 18+), Ryan Hakman (Mens Open 18-45), Eugene Tenchelta (Mens 46-59), Papa Sau (Mens 60+), Dustin Barker (Vintage), and Koral and Steven McCarthy (Ohana). Congratulations to all the winners and contestants, see you next year!