Exploring Puna: Discover Charming, Eclectic, Surprising Pahoa Town!

by Donald B. MacGowan

Charming Pahoa Town Maintains Its Eclectic Mix of Western and neo-Victorian Architecture Graphic, Puna Hawaii: Graphic from Photo by Donald B MacGowan

There are many wondrous, enigmatic and fascinating attractions on the Big Island of Hawaii, some better known than others, many out of the way and generally off the beaten track.  Tour Guide Hawaii has produced an encyclopedic collection of the most up-to-date information, presented as short GPS-cued videos, in an app downloadable to iPhone and iPod Touch that covers the entire Big Island, highlighting the popular and the uncrowded, the famous and the secluded, the adventurous and the relaxing.

Pahoa Town

Pahoa Shopping District, Puna Hawaii: Photo by Donald B MacGowan

YEEEEEHAW! Wild, untamed and even a bit unruly, Pahoa Town, with it’s false-front, western-style buildings and raised wooden sidewalks, looks more like it belongs in Wyoming than Hawai’i. But Wild West isn’t the only subculture evident here…tie-dye banners and the general “flower-power” ambiance some businesses and citizens lend Pahoa give it a decidedly “’60’s” feel.

The residents of Pahoa tend to be individualists, socially liberal, embracing of alternative culture; there are most certainly a lot more musicians, artists and poets in Puna than accountants, insurance agents and attorneys.

The muddy footprint may well be the defining image many tourists have of Pahoa, one of the Rainiest Towns in America: Photo by Donald B MacGowan

Pahoa started off as a rough and tumble sawmill town, then became the center of the sugar industry.  A crossroad on the old island railroads, trade and commerce flourished in Pahoa at the turn of the 20^th century. An agricultural center today, the papaya, commercial flower and visitor industries drive Pahoa’s economy.

Downtown Pahoa Main Street, Puna Hawaii: Photo by Donald B MacGowan

Downtown Pahoa still shows off her history, with lovely turn-of-the century western and neo-Victorian architecture, false-front stores and wooden sidewalks, but with its own distinctive, Hawaii-style, panache.

Puna Tree Tunnels Just Outside Pahoa Town, Hawaii: Photo by Donald B MacGowgan

Pahoa is the also gateway to the Puna District. Beautiful, mysterious, untraveled and undiscovered by the herds of tourists, Puna District has so far managed to avoid overcrowding. Not on the usual tour bus routes, it’s like a step back to a simpler, less harried time.

It has been said of Pahoa that if it weren’t for counter-cultural influences, it would have no cultural influences at all. This is a bit unfair, but the people of Pahoa are proud of their independent ways and lifestyle. The charm and allure of this way of living is evident when you consider that the region around Pahoa is the fastest growing portion of the island.

Pahoa is an interesting and charming, eclectic mix of Neo-Victorian and Western Architecture, Puna Hawaii: Photo by Donald B. MacGowan

To see the new iPhone/iPod Touch App, please visit http://www.tourguidehawaii.com/iphone.html. The best of Tour Guide Hawaii’s free content about traveling to, and exploring, the Big island, can be found here. For more information on traveling to Hawaii in general and on touring the Big Island in particular, please also visit www.tourguidehawaii.com and www.tourguidehawaii.blogspot.com.

Pahoa Town Community Bulletin Board, Puna Hawaii: Photo by Donald B MacGowan

At Tour Guide our goal is to insure you have the most fun, most interesting and enjoyable vacation here in Hawaii–that you are provided with all the information you need to decide where to go and what to see, and that you are not burdened with out-dated or incorrect information.

For independent reviews of our product, written by some of our legions of satisfied customers, please check this out.

The Sidewalks of Pahoa, Puna Hawaii: Photo by Donald B MacGowan

All media copyright 2009 by Donald B. MacGowan. All rights reserved.