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Hawaii Kai, Hawaii

Population: 28,000
Located in Honolulu County

Hawaii Kai is one of Hawaii's well planned communities developed by Henry Kaiser. It is about 12 miles from Downtown Honolulu and it has easy access to the H1 Freeway and is in close proximity to Kahala and Kaimuki neighborhoods on one end and to Waimanalo and Kailua on the other end. Hawaii Kai community enjoys a good variety of beaches, golf courses, tennis courts, movie theaters and restaurants. Hanauma Bay Beach Park is one of its greatest attractions.

This community offers a nice mix of residential subdivisions: ocean front-mini estates in Portlock. Marina front townhomes in Gateway Penensula, Koko Marina and Kuapa Isle, resort-like condominiums in Mauna Lauani and The Esplanade. Elegant high-rise condominiums in Mt. Terrace and the Commodore. Golf course front-homes in Queens Gate. Ocean view homes on several ridges and affordable condominiums and single family homes. The majority of the single family homes are owned in Fee Simple (you own the land and the building) however, some of the condominiums and townhomes are in leasehold (you only lease the land from the Fee owner). The laws in Hawaii allow for a condemnation process to force the fee owner to sell the land at market value. Condominium owners in Hawaii Kai are in the process of exercising this option.

Hawaii Kai is built around a man-made marina that opens to Maunalua Bay, which is where tourists and locals partake in a variety of water sports including paddling outrigger canoes, jet skiing, kayaking and fishing. With the support of Koko Marina Center, with its collection of specialty shops and eateries, people from around the island partake in Hawaii Kai"s offerings. Before jumping in the ocean, visit the local ocean activity stores for the proper equipment. A Reef Adventure Inc., Aloha Dive Shop, Big Sky Parasail Inc., Fun Island Watersports, Local Motion, Sea Breeze Parasailing and Suyderhoud Water Ski & Wake Board Center Inc. are just a few to choose from. Make sure to grab a picnic lunch at Yummy Korean Bar-B-Q, Assaggio Hawaii Kai (Italian), Kozo Sushi (Japanese) or Joy Garden Chinese Seafood Restaurant.

Our Hawaii . . . .

Eight main islands make up over 99% of the state’s 6,540 square miles. They are Hawai’i (Big Island), Maui, O’ahu, Kaua’i, Moloka’i, Lana’i, Ni’ihau, and Kaho’olawe. The islands were settled by Polynesians who came from the Marquesas Islands and from Tahiti.

The Hawaiian islands were discovered in 1778 by Captain james Cook, a British naval officer and explorer. The islands became a Polynesian kingdom in 1795, when Kamehameha the Great, united most of the main islands by conquest. With the arrival of Christian missionaries from New England in 1820, and the increase of U.S. influence, the Hawaiian monarchy was eventually overthrown in 1893. In 1898, Hawai’i was annexed by the United States, becoming a territory in 1900 and a State in 1959.

The climate of Hawai’i is mainly tropical. It is for this reason that tourism is our prime industry. The great weather, ocean and sandy beaches, beautiful scenery, exotic multiethnic culture, and friendly people who share the “Aloha Spirit”, are only a few of the attractions that lure visitors to our State.

“Did you know?” . . . .

Hanauma Bay: Means “arm wrestling”, “curved bay”, where armies landed during interisland wars. Favorite swimming and fishing area for Kamehameha V. In 1967, it was set aside as a conservation area.

Kaloko: The name of the coastal area near Sandy Beach where Pele landed prior to her exploration of O’ahu.

Keahupua-O-Maunalua: The first name of Kuapa Pond (now known as Koko Marina) meaning “a large number of young fishes in Maunalua”.

Koko: Means “blood”. Koko Head, the Hawaiian name for the Hawai’i Kai area and the name of a small canoe landing.

Maunalua: Means “two mountains”.

Paiko: A whaler who jumped ship and settled near the Maunalua area.

Pele: Goddess of Fire who left O’ahu via Makapuu Point forever to dwell on the Big Island of Hawai’i.

Portlock: A British explorer who came to Maunalua Bay in 1786.

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