Originally posted on ​https://www.hawaiimagazine.com/blog-series/best-best/5-best-farm-tours-hawaii-island

​Hawaiʻi Island is the youngest and largest Hawaiian island. Farmers have flocked to the island’s expansive, open fields to take a shot at raising 100% Kona coffee, vanilla beans and even baby seahorses. Here are the five best Hawaiʻi Island farm tours based on our 2020 Readers’ Choice Awards.

WEST HAWAII TODAY
 Nancy Cook Lauer West Hawaii Today ncook-lauer@westhawaiitoday.com

The county Planning Department has finally been able to process almost all the approximately 4,000 short term vacation rental applications it received following last year’s implementation of a mandatory registration system.

But it may be months before the newly approved rentals — or any short-term rentals other than hotels — will be allowed to operate, under emergency proclamations from Gov. David Ige and Mayor Harry Kim. Until travel restrictions are lifted, the rentals can be used only to house tenants who were already there when the restrictions went into effect or workers of essential businesses or operations, such as first responders.

Vacation rental occupancy statewide was just 5% in April, the first month after the March 26 mandatory 14-day quarantine for travelers, according to data provided by the Hawaii Tourism Authority. That compares to 8.9% occupancy at hotels, which were allowed to stay open, under the rules.
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Kauai, with a 10% occupancy rate, and Kona, with 6.4%, topped the state in occupancy rates. Hilo/Honokaa, the only other Big Island breakdown, was at the low end of the state with 4.9%. That’s well below the Big Island’s 64.7% occupancy in April, 2019.

​By Janis L. Magin  – Real Estate Editor, Pacific Business News
Feb 5, 2020, 5:32pm EST

Single-family home sales on Hawaii Island got off to a roaring start in January, with a 44% increase in sales and a 25% increase in the median price, compared to a year ago, while the median price of a condominium jumped 32%, according to statistics provided by Hawaii Information Service on behalf of Hawaii Island Realtors.

There were 213 single-family homes sold on Hawaii Island last month, an increase of 43.92% from 148 homes sold in January 2019. The median price of those homes was $450,000, which was 25.05% higher than the median price a year ago, which was $359,850.

The median price of a condo on Hawaii Island in January was $430,000, which was an increase of 32.31% from $325,000 in January 2019. The number of condo units sold last month, however, declined to 59 units, which was 7.81% fewer than the 64 units that sold in January 2019.
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Single-family home sales for all of 2019 rose 3.5%, while condo sales rose by 3.36%. Prices for both categories also rose last year — the median price of a single-family home rose 5.7% to $378,920 for all of 2019, while the median price of a condo rose 3.43% to $362,000 for the year.

Kilauea didn’t just stop spewing lava. It ceased emissions that have been constant since 1983.

Honolulu Civil Beat
By Jason Armstrong

KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii Island – Kona is enjoying life in high-definition.
From pristine sunrises breaking over Hualalai’s summit to green flashes beyond Kailua Bay, the Gold Coast’s intense beauty is now shining through air so rarified it’s not been seen in decades. 


“I think we’re experiencing some of the clearest visibility, some of the best air quality that any of us have ever seen,” said Wendy Laros, a 27-year West Hawaii resident and executive director of the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce.
She sees lots of benefits from the change.
“We definitely believe this will enhance the experience for our visitors and for those who live here,” Laros said, noting chamber staff are no longer fielding numerous calls daily from people asking about the effects of volcanic haze known as “vog.”
That’s because for the first time since Kilauea volcano started erupting in 1983, leeward areas are no longer being polluted with unrelenting vog plumes that prevailing trade winds funneled around the Big Island’s southern tip, then north along the Kona Coast and beyond, stretching as far as Oahu.

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Visit this great website, LoveBigIsland.com for great ideas on 'Things To Do' on the Big Island of Hawaii

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