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Before visiting Hilo, Puna and Volcano in late January of this year, 2013, I posted a question here about setting up a small business in or around Hilo, and that link goes to it. I got some great replies, for which I'm very grateful!
tl;dr Questions about Orchid Isle Estates (aka "Glenwood Gardens").
Since coming back from the Hilo/Puna/Volcano I've been thinking a lot about where to buy land there, taking into consideration a lot of things: elevation, lava flow zone, micro-climate, soil, vog, terrain, flora and fauna, property size, price, proximity to neighbors and roads, distance to amenities/services, crime/drug problems in general proximity, subdivision dues and their covenants, conditions and restrictions. Not to mention what specifically the land there is for, and why and when and for whom I'll need it.
After much self-debate, I'm leaning away from Hilo, Volcano and the mid to lower Puna elevations, and more towards the uplands of Puna, specifically around 2,500 ft in Glenwood. Some reasons include but aren't limited to the fact that while an acre of land below HWY 11 can be had for a song, it doesn't mean in many cases that 1. I can grow stuff on it (I am a forest gardener) or 2. that I can build whatever I want on it due to strictly enforced CC&R's. Also, an acre of land on uneven terrain that has to be bulldozed just to be even, or walkable, doesn't appeal to me as much as the opposite. Lastly, an acre of land is a bit much for me. Glenwood seems to me a happy medium in terms of all the aforementioned considerations.
So getting to my questions about Orchid Isle Estates (aka "Glenwood Gardens"), why doesn't there seem to be much written about there on the internet? Is it just directly proportional to the low population there? Or am I missing something? Most every other subdivision in Puna has a presence online, whether it be in the form of an official page or discussion somewhere or pictures or Wikipedia. The reason I ask is because I visited Glenwood and very much liked it there: price of quarter acre lots, gravel roads and all the aforementioned considerations.
Do you guys know anything about Glenwood Gardens that you can share with me? It would be much appreciated!
Do you guys know anything about Glenwood Gardens that you can share with me? It would be much appreciated!
Well, I think that as a Forest Gardener you should fit right in, because according to the HPD there are a lot of very sucessful forest gardeners in that area...
Overall they seem to be a friendly bunch, because there's a little pocket park at about the 22 mile marker on Highway 11, where they like to congregate every day to talk story and share fertilizer recipes and samples of their harvest. I call them the HighGuild. What a coincidence, eh? There's public restrooms there, and it's directly across the road from the Hirana Store, which is handy for quick runs to get beer, and cigs, and Doritos, which help fuel the endless games of Cuthroat Croquet which take place on the little patch of grass that qualifies it as a park.
Matter of fact, that little park has become so popular that the HPD actually requested from the County that it be closed due to overcrowding. The county responded by pulling out the picnic tables that used to ring the croquet green, but the locals responded by dragging their own tables and chairs there, and it's just my opinion, of course, but I don't think they're as nice.
But be careful driving through there. Seems like there's a traffic accident right there about once a month, and last October there was a fatal accident right there. And a few years back a pedestrian was found dead by the side of the road there. Right there. They never did figure that one out.
Well, I think that as a Forest Gardener you should fit right in, because according to the HPD there are a lot of very sucessful forest gardeners in that area...
OpenD, ouch! The sarcasm is so thick you could choke on it. And I could almost smell the reefer while reading your post! Needless to say, I appreciate your insight there. You definitely don't pick this up on a one day drive through of the area, which is exactly what I did. I also seemed to miss the decorative lawn chairs at the park! Shucks.
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Originally Posted by OpenD
Anyways, it's hard to understand why real estate is so inexpensive in that area...
Yeah, I just can't quite put my finger on it...
HA!
Mahalo,
HIguild
ehem, "H.I.".
(now crawling back to the safety-utopia that is Leilani Estates, where I stayed while I was there.)
That also used to be one of the few spots for a good view of the Pu'u O'o eruption. Right there along the highway by Hirano store and then over by Pepeeko on the other side of Hilo. When Pu'u O'o was going off, there'd be lots of cars on the sides of the road along those two spots watching it.
Orchid Isle Estates aka Glenwood Estates. Hmm, are those the ones off of Glenwood road? Small tiny lots in the middle of some of the most dense waiwi I've ever seen? I think that was Orchid Isle Estates. It's hard to tell, there's a few little subs wandering around up on that hillside and some of them are OMG stay away from yet one of them was quite nice, although I can't remember which ones are which. We went holoholo up that way a couple years ago spocking out stuff coming up at the tax auction.
If that's the sub I'm thinking it is, there isn't a whole lot there to write about. It didn't look built up hardly at all and there wasn't much of it, either.
Orchid Isle Estates aka Glenwood Estates. Hmm, are those the ones off of Glenwood road?
I think the stuff off Glenwood road are farms, farmlets and homes, not a subdivision. Glenwood Gardens is off Lehuanani, one road on HWY 11 down from Glenwood road.
19.497664,-155.153543
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Originally Posted by hotzcatz
Small tiny lots in the middle of some of the most dense waiwi I've ever seen?
Glenwood Gardens has about 150 mostly quarter acre lots on about 50 acres of land, with a few continuous side by side lots for sale to boot. And yes, absolutely covered in waiwai, but also Ohia and ferns. Waiwai makes for an excellent pioneer in reforestation, as it simultaneously breaks up the soil while holding it in place with its' extensive root system. I checked the soil while I was up there, and it was legit - organic matter on top of enough soil to sink a shovel into.
I read that Orchid Isle Estates was set up in 1962, and apparently prior to that it was pasture where cows grazed on orchids, which equates to a good period of soil amendment while the cows were there, and then after them 50 years of fertility build up. Anyway, if you can get past the "drug" on-goings it's sort of a permaculturists' wet dream.
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Originally Posted by hotzcatz
I think that was Orchid Isle Estates. It's hard to tell, there's a few little subs wandering around up on that hillside and some of them are OMG stay away from yet one of them was quite nice, although I can't remember which ones are which. We went holoholo up that way a couple years ago spocking out stuff coming up at the tax auction.
The subdivision just down the road from there is Aloha Estates, where roads 1-6 are paved with numerous homes on either side, but beyond them up to road 19 are graded or gravel tracks with homes few and far between.
I think the stuff off Glenwood road are farms, farmlets and homes, not a subdivision. Glenwood Gardens is off Lehuanani, one road on HWY 11 down from Glenwood road.
It's easy to get confused, because different maps disagree somewhat on what different areas are called, or where a specific subdivision is. The University of Hawai'i Press map is labeled a little differently from the U.S. Census Subdivision and Places map, and that's different from Google Maps.
And it's telling to me that several Realtors have descriptions of "most" of the Puna subdivisions, without even mentioning Glenwood or its variants.
I tend to put the most faith in the U of H Press map. It locates the "place" called Glenwood on Highway 11, just past N. Glenwood Rd toward Lehuanani Rd., which are both mauka (inland) from the highway. I read that Glenwood was once a stop on the sugar cane railroad that ran down to the mill in Kea'au, but I've never seen any traces of it.
Orchid Isle Estates is the section of roads numbered 1 - 14 off Lehuanani on the N. Glenwood Rd side.
On the same map Aloha Estates is the next small section toward Hilo, with streets numbered from 1 - 19 connecting Mauna Loa Dr and Mauna Kea Dr. But notice that a couple are missing.
S. Glenwood Rd, makai (toward the ocean) from the Hawai'i runs through Fern Forest Vacation Estates (name cracks me up) and crosses Kokohala Rd (of the news articles ), ending up at Jungle King Rd, where the Native American Center is... which is listed as being in Volcano!
And there's also a Glenwood Orchid Acres listed on the map, on the Volcano side of S Glenwood Rd, on the makai side of the highway, but I think there's maybe just an old sign there, with no actual development.
And that's the challenge, trying to make sense out of so-called subdivisions that were mostly recorded back in the late 50s and early 60s (statehood was 1959) and not a whole lot done to a lot of them beyond bulldozing a rough road through, and maybe running power lines. Some of the roads I see on on Google Maps are simply not there. The further you get off the highway the sketchier it can all get.
But, the good news is that with your eyes open, and by taking some care, you might find something mauka the highway in Glenwood that suits you. That section does seems a lot less "wild" than the lower end of Fern Forest.
Ａｌoha again OpenD, gotta love your knack for detail!
The first thing I did when I arrived in Hilo was buy the U of H Press map. A real dandy, that one - served me well. I also picked up "A Pocket Guide to Hawai'i's Trees and Shrubs" by H. Douglas Pratt, and Franco's Hawaii Guide Map for tourists.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OpenD
I tend to put the most faith in the U of H Press map. It locates the "place" called Glenwood on Highway 11, just past N. Glenwood Rd toward Lehuanani Rd., which are both mauka (inland) from the highway. I read that Glenwood was once a stop on the sugar cane railroad that ran down to the mill in Kea'au, but I've never seen any traces of it.
Interesting. Yes, and on that same map Orchid Isle Estates is apparently what the realtors now refer to as Glenwood Garden Subdivision, or simply Glenwood Gardens. Perchance at some point there was an oral name change for there and it just stuck?
Quote:
Originally Posted by OpenD
Orchid Isle Estates is the section of roads numbered 1 - 14 off Lehuanani on the N. Glenwood Rd side.
While I was there I combed the entire subdivision, road by road, and if you look close enough on google maps you can see that a couple of the roads off Leheanani taper off into mere foot paths down towards the end on the N. Glenwood Rd side, just barly connecting to the auxiliary dirt road that flanks the subdivision. On these roads is where I found what interests me. Lush rainforest with not all the fertility up in the trees, plenty of ferns, birds, and country living, all - off grid, both track and wire, yet relatively close to HWY 11. Oh, and at a price Fern Forest and others couldn't shake a stick at.
Next time I'm around that way I'll be sure to keep my eyes peeled for pakalolo!
Waiwi is pretty pernicious and cutting it down only encourages it. If you wanted to do anything other than grow dense stands of waiwi, fencing off an area, whacking down the waiwi and finding a critter to eat the waiwi sprouting from the stump might eventually create a dent in the waiwi. Do goats eat waiwi? Cows? Or perhaps try a D9 but even that may not be able to get through the waiwi. Too green to burn probably, too.
Still, those lots aren't going to be expensive enough to really screw up your life if it should turn out to be not what you wanted.
I think the most obvious cost-effective and quick way to zap them is by painting the stumps with herbicide. Around the edge of a waiwi laden property you could lay them as a living "edible" hedge (hedgelaying), not only for aesthetic and functional purposes but also for their ecological role in helping wildlife and protecting against soil erosion. Also, guava wood makes for some fine firewood, charcoal, posts and or anything else you could imagine up for them.
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Originally Posted by hotzcatz
Still, those lots aren't going to be expensive enough to really screw up your life if it should turn out to be not what you wanted.
Good point. I deal in cash and barter only, so when I procure something I'm very careful about it. 3-5K for a quarter acre of fertile land on the Big Island seems neat-O to me.
But OpenD really opened my eyes to the pakalolo traders.
Good luck on the herbicide. No need to lay them down as a hedge, in that area the waiwi are already so dense you can't walk through them. At least towards the highway end of that sub. We didn't look too far back since we were planning an a rental property and didn't wanna get too far off the main road.
What wildlife? Feral pigs? Feral cats? There's birds, but they prefer the ohia and trees with shaggier bark instead of the waiwi. Turkeys and pheasants prefer brush land to waiwi. I always used them for bean poles and firewood. They'd work well in a Husta type stove.
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