Luxury Off Grid Living on the Kohala Coast

“Luxury off grid” — does that sound like an oxymoron? If you google “off grid living” you will find a lot of references to homesteading and tiny homes, and even questions about whether it is legal! Searching for “luxury off-the-grid” isnʻt much better, although I found a Forbes article written in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy when apparently high net worth East Coast residents were looking for more disaster-proof residential options.

Here on Hawaii Island, self-sufficiency is sometimes a necessity and always a plus. I have written before about luxury off grid options along Kohala Mountain Road between Waimea (Kamuela) and Hawi. I recently listed additional luxury off-the-grid real estate opportunities, a vacant land parcel and a home, along the coastal road Akoni Pule Highway. That merits an update to the topic.

Unobstructed ocean views from Kohala Coast parcel free from public utilities (MLS 622709)

Private Water Systems on the Big Islandʻs Kohala Coast

Photovoltaic systems have become commonplace and even in the resorts newer subdivisions like Ainamalu at Waikoloa Beach Resort offer net-metering, which means you are on-the-grid but not dependent-on-the-grid. Yet it seems the idea of living without a publicly owned and delivered source of water is still a new idea for many.

Consider that the most expensive real estate on Hawaiʻi Island, in the resorts along the Kona and Kohala coasts, all relies on privately owned water wells and sewage systems. The property you look at in south Kona or the Puna district likely will rely on a catchment system. And along Hawaiʻi Islandʻs Kohala Coast, from north of Kawaihae subdivisions dependent on Kohala Ranch Water Company until you reach the Puakea subdivisions which have County water, your options will be a private well or a private water delivery service.

Water is delivered to these tanks servicing a luxury off-grid home for sale at Kaiholena (MLS 622675)

Kaiholena – Small Luxury Off Grid Subdivision on the road to Hawi

Kaiholena is the small luxury off-the-grid subdivision behind the simple ranch gate on the mauka (towards the mountains) side of Akoni Pule Highway, as you drive the road along the coast after Kohala Ranch towards Hawi. There are a dozen properties, most of them roughly 20 acres in size, sharing a well that provides an allotment of brackish water to each lot. That water can be treated with reverse osmosis for potable household water, and used as is for irrigating a variety of salt-tolerant plants.

View of the ocean and Maui from the lanai of Kaiholena home for sale, price $1,070,000 (MLS 622675)

The owners of the home I have listed are only in residence for a few months out of the year, so they choose to have water delivered, as the reverse osmosis system does not do well without ongoing use. An off-the-grid home can work well for part-time residents, with minimal holding costs when owners are away.

Perhaps the best thing about Kaiholena is that all of the land between the highway and the ocean has been purchased for public open space, so nothing will ever be built in your view plane. And you can access the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail right across from your subdivision gate to hike and watch whales close up during the winter season.

If you are curious about Kaiholena or other luxury off-the-grid options, contact me directly.