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HONOKA′A

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Tiny Honoka′a has done a good job picking itself up from the collapse of the local sugar industry in the 1990s. Gleaming with fresh paint, its false-front, Western-style plantation architecture, a legacy of the sugar boom in the 1920s and 1930s, is Hawai′i’S best surviving example of a rural plantation town. Having remade itself into a low-key tourist destination, Honoka′a’S raised sidewalks now hold a browser’S delight of funky shops run by friendly locals who hardly need an excuse to drop everything and talk story.

Meanwhile, in the fertile countryside that’S around town, small-farm agriculture is surging; organic Hamakua produce is often the star of farmer’S markets and gourmet menus island-wide. Visiting these farms is another interesting window on local life (Click here).

While here, make sure to visit the small Katsu Goto Memorial, on Mamane St next to the library, which honors one of Hawaii’S first union activists. A Japanese cane-field worker, Goto was hanged by Honoka′a sugar bosses in 1889 for his attempts to improve labor conditions on Hamakua plantations.

Information

Honoka′a has all the basics: banks with ATMs, a grocery store, a coin laundry and a post office (800-275-8777; cnr Lehua & Mamane Sts; 9am-4pm Mon-Fri, 8:15-9:45am Sat). The town’S website (www.honokaahawaii.com) is packed with wonderful photos.

Festivals & Events

Hamakua Music Festival (775-3378; http://hamakuamusicfestival.com; Honoka’a People’S Theater, Mamane St; admission $30-40) Late November to early December. A premier music event combining Hawaiian, jazz and classical music and gathering such world-class talents as Cedar Walton and James Moody. The festival also awards scholarships to music students and funds music teachers in public schools.

Honoka’a Western Week (933-9772; Mamane St; admission free) Late May. An annual event that awakens the usually sleepy Mamane St with a BBQ, a parade, a country dance, a rodeo and entertainers such as local icon Melveen Leed.

Sleeping

The Honoka′a area has some great sleeps and makes a good base for Waipi′o Valley adventures.

Hotel Honoka′a Club (775-0678, 800-808-0678; www.hotelhonokaa.com; Mamane St; dm & r with shared bathroom $15-35, r $50-70, ste $85) The only game right in town, these plantation workers’ rooms are old-school Hawai′i. Expect clean, decent accommodations with lived-in charm – plain decor, thin walls, scuffed furniture, so-so beds – and an atmosphere of warm aloha created by the friendly owner, Annelle. The quieter 2nd-floor ocean-view rooms are definitely the best; 1st-floor no-view rooms get the most noise; and the downstairs dorm and shared-bath rooms can be skipped. Breakfast is simple, chatty and homespun, like the place.

Mountain Meadow Ranch (775-9376; www.mountainmeadowranch.com; 46-3895 Kapuna Rd, Ahualoa; ste incl breakfast $115, cottages $150; ) For a private getaway, this 7-acre ranch is almost idyllic. The gracious owners, who train quarter horses, have turned the lower level of their redwood home into a spacious B&B suite, with living room, dry-heat sauna, skylights, refrigerator and microwave. The freestanding, family-friendly two-bedroom cottage (three-night minimum) has full kitchen, wood stove and laundry. Mountain Meadow is 3 miles southwest of Honoka′a.

Waipi′o Wayside B&B (775-0275, 800-833-8849; www.waipiowayside.com; Hwy 240; r incl breakfast $100-170; ) This attractively furnished 1932 plantation house is a cozy B&B that works equally well for couples and families. The five rooms differ markedly, but each enjoys intriquing touches, like iron bed frames, a wooden Chinese barber chair, shower skylight and hardwood floors. The relaxed common room has a library and large-screen TV (with DVDs), and there’S a lounge-worthy, secluded lanai. The delicious highlight, though, is the full, homemade organic breakfast. It’S between the 3- and 4-mile markers on Hwy 240.

Waianuhea B&B (775-1118, 888-775-2577; www.waianuhea.com;