Alive With The Past

For nearly 1,000 years, the beach and land at Paniau have been
home to ancient Polynesians and early Hawaiian villagers.

This storied enclave began as a small community nearly a millennium ago, settled as one of the earliest coastal villages in the Hawaiian Islands. Paniau’s prized location offers a mix of ocean access and verdant lands that has played host to ancient fishermen, honey farmers and cattle ranchers. The land at Paniau bears this heritage, with anchialine ponds, historic archeological features and historical stone walls found within the property.

Buildable land on the Kohala Coast Hawaii Island waterfront land for sale
Puakō, Kohala, Hawai'i Watercolor painting by Paul Emmert, c.1859, Honolulu Academy of Arts

When we walk along the road in Puakō, we tread in part along pathways almost a thousand years old. In ancient times, these paths were marked on the lava with bits of coral, and they were worn into the pili grass and the sandy soil by the feet of ancient Polynesian people who had come here for many of the same reasons we have.”

Puakō, An Affectionate History Researched compiled and written by the Puakō Historical Society
Paniau Heritage
Buildable land on the Kohala Coast Hawaii Island waterfront land for sale
Buildable land on the Kohala Coast Hawaii Island waterfront land for sale
Buildable land on the Kohala Coast Hawaii Island waterfront land for sale
 / 3
Of The Sea Abundant Waters

The very first Hawaiians to settle at Paniau were drawn to the location's abundant sealife, establishing fishing villages as early as 900 A.D. These supported large groups of families who harvested octopus and fish from the surrounding reefs and used the anchialine ponds to store their catch.

1
Petroglyphs Ancient Stories

The early Hawaiians shared their stories with these unique stone carvings, which can still be found in numbers in the lands around Paniau. They offer ancient and sacred glimpses into the past and carry on the history of this unique land.

2
Cane Fields Fertile Ground

The 1800's saw an abundance of sugar cane farming come to the Kohala coast and the fertile grounds around Puakō, growing the community and establishing some of the earliest plantations in Hawai'i.

3
Inspired Land
The Song
of Paniau

The beauty of Paniau and its surroundings inspired this song by renowned composer Helen Desha Beamer.

Buildable land on the Kohala Coast Hawaii Island waterfront land for sale
Helen Desha Beamer Composed for the beach home of Al & Annabelle Ruddle at Puakō, Hawai’i. © 1987 P.C. Beamer, Jr.
Hawaiian

Ua nani Paniau
I ka’u ’ike
Ka waiho kāhelahela
I ka la’i

Ahuwale ka moana Pākīpika
I kaulana i ka mālie
Nāna e hi’ipoi nei Hawai’i
Ku’u one hānau

Ka i’a e holoholo ana i ka nalu
Ha’i mai i ka hāpapa
Me ke kai pumehana hone i ke kino
He nanea mai ho’i kau

Aia ma mua pono
’Au mai ana i ke kai
Kēlā kuahiwi nani o Maui
Haleakalā he inoa

Ia ’oe e Kohala e pāhola nei
Mai uka a ke kai
’Āina ho’ohihi a ka wahine
’O ’oe nō e ka’oi

Na ke ahi lau makani i ho’opā mai
’Ike ana au i ka nani
Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea, Hualalai
Nā kia’i o ka home

Ka wai ’au’au o ka wahine
Aia i ka ’olu
’O ke kiawe, ’o ka milo, ’o ke kou, ’o ka hau
Me ka niu ha’a i ke one

Eia ka puana e lohe ’ia
Na Ko’olaniohakau
E mau ka maika’i me ke maluhia
Ua nani Paniau

English

Beautiful is Paniau
In my sight
A panoramic expanse
In the calm

In plain view is the Pacific Ocean
Renowned for its calm
Cradling this Hawai’i
Sands of my birth

The fish run through the waves
Breaking on the reef
Warm seas softly caress the body
How very relaxing

Directly in front
Jutting out into the sea
That beautiful mountain of Maui
Haleakalā, her name

You, Kohala, spread out here
From uplands to the sea
Enchanted land of the lady
You are the best

A gentle breeze caresses
I see the beauty (of)
Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa,
Hualalai Guardians of the home

A fresh water bathing spring for the lady
There in the cool shelter
Of the kiawe, the milo, the kou, the hau
And the dwarf coconut trees on the beach

Here is my song to be heard
For Ko’olaniohakau
May beauty and peace continue forever
Beautiful is Paniau

Facebook Instagram

©2024/2025 Nani Paniau Development Partners LP. This is not an offer to sell, nor a solicitation of an offer to buy, to residents of any state or province in which restrictions and other legal requirements have not been fulfilled. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. The information provided herein is solely for informational purposes and is subject to change without notice. No representation, warranty or guarantee is made as to any information contained herein. All features, services, amenities, descriptions and other information are subject to change at any time without notice. Compass Real Estate. License number RB-20189.

Equal Housing OpportunityLegal
Site by STACK FLX
Inquire
Beachfront Living on the Kohala Coast