King David Kalakaua’s reign is remembered by his patronage and promotion of Hawaiian music and dance.  He did this direct defiance of the newly arrived Christian missionaries, scandalized by the sometimes erotic dances and scantily clad dancers.  This earned Kalakaua his nickname The Merrie Monarch.

Unfortunately, upon King Kalakaua’s death, the church succeeded in driving the hula and other disagreeable native cultural practices underground.  Hula next reemerged to lure tourists to the islands in the sanitized grass skirt resort version hula dance, and supple hipped dashboard dolls.

When the sugar industry left the Big Island at the same time a tidal wave wiped out most of downtown Hilo, the local economy was devastated.  Local hula masters George Na’Ope and Gene Wilhelm proposed to the Hawaii County Council that a festival would attract tourists.  In 1964 The Merrie Monarch festival was born.

In 1978 The Merrie Monarch, the state’s largest cultural event celebrating Hawaiian ways, added dance competition to the festival.  In 1976 a men’s division was added.  In 1980 television cameras arrived.  Today The Merrie Monarch is far more than a competitive festival to native Hawaiians. It showcases the hula, a global link to the heart of the Hawaiian people.

Click through to view a selection of Merrie Monarch video clips and more information at the official Merrie Monarch website.

I took some liberty with the home sales data.  I included Kohala Waterfront, Kohala by the Sea and Kohala Ranch which are technically in North Kohala.  But these neighborhood buyers and the homes themselves more resemble South Kohala buyers and homes than they do North Kohala homes and buyers.  In North Kohala the homes are primarily owner occupied.  In South Kohala there are many more second home owners.  South Kohala is also hot and dry like the three aforementioned neighborhoods: perfect for snowbirds.  North Kohala’s weather and landscape is like the Hamakua coast.

Quarterly sales numbers for South Kohala homes are up and down, and we can see that home sales prices have continued to trend ever so slowly down, in fits and starts.  Rumor has it interest rates may be raising.  If that happens unemployment will have to continue improving to stop the current price trend.  I wonder if more baby boomers receiving inheritances will soon change the trend?

The financial crash was in 2008.  Here on Hawaii Island the real estate market was born anew in 2009.  I gathered the quarterly sales data back to January 2009 and charted the progress of unit sales and average sale prices through December 2011.

The “average sale price” line says the South Kohala condo real estate market has stabilized, and the future looks promising.    Notice the 2011 falling “unit sales” bars.  That corresponds with my observation that inventory is shrinking.  Assuming no more dramatic events in the domestic and global economies, I would like to hope that we are indeed at the bottom of the market here in South Kohala, Hawaii Island.  Only time will tell.

Koi fish have been selectively bred using the common brown Asian carp and the German carp species. It is believed selective breeding for color mutations began in China thousands of years ago.  It is generally believed Koi were bred for  specific colors circa 1800 in Japan.

Koi display a rainbow of colors: white, yellow, orange, red, blue hues, greens and coal black. In Japan a white fish with orange red patches that display as stepping stones are popular.  In the United States, favorite types are fish have scales that appear as hammered gold or silver. Long fin or butterfly Koi are popular, as are the Gin Rin Koi with scales that sparkle.

Koi range in size from three to twenty-four inches. Japanese “Jumbos” can exceed three feet. Starter fish may be purchased for a few dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Happy Koi typically live thirty years. The record in Japan is two hundred and twenty-three years.

Ka Milo, open house, Mauna Lani, Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

The lions express joy and happiness. The dance is a featured attraction of Chinese New Year’s festivities and other celebrations, including the consecration of temples, business openings, spring planting, harvest, official and religious celebrations.

Dancers move with music played by a drum, gong and cymbal.  The loud music, firecrackers and lion dance are used to scare away evil spirits so good luck will follow. On lookers can ensure good luck by “feeding” the lion lucky red envelopes filled with money.  $8.88 is an auspicious amount as is $0.88 or $88.88.

Here is a video of the Lion Dance, performed by the Big Island Shaolin Lion Dancers in celebration of Chinese New Year 2012 in Hilo, Hawaii.  Lots of firecrackers!

The Shishi Mai is a live presentation of the Okinawan version of the guardian lions.  Like a Chinese Lion dance, Shishi Mai generates good luck for the new year.  Unlike the lion dance, on lookers do not “feed” the lion-dog money for additional good luck.

Here is the Shishi Mai or Lion-Dog dance, performed by the Big Island Shaolin Lion Dancers in celebration of Chinese New Year 2012 in Hilo, Hawaii.  The music will have your toes tapping!

While on a recent visit to Honolulu, I was happy to come across the Waikiki dragon canoe! The canoe is used during Chinese New Year celebrations. Chinese New Year is a major holiday for Chinese families. It’s all about bringing good luck. Big family gatherings, festive decorations, gift giving, and sharing symbolic foods ensure good luck in the new year. The start of Chinese New Year is dictated by the lunar calendar. It is a different day each year, usually falling between late January and February. In 2012 the new year began January 23rd. In Hawaii, Chinese New Year events run through most of January and February.

2012 is the year of the dragon, and it is considered the luckiest of Chinese Zodiac years. Many couples will make an extra effort to give birth before February 9, 2013, when year of the snake begins. Those with dragon birthdays are thought to enjoy a better chance of being the strongest, smartest, and luckiest according to experts. A lucky zodiac means more hope for the baby’s success. Being aligned with the Chinese zodiac is a cultural priority. The year of the dragon is supposed to be particularly fortunate for newborns, wedding days and commerce.

Some of the many Chinese New Year traditions and symbols that bring good luck include:

• Cleaning house and new clothes. Cleaning removes any back luck and allows the house to accept good luck. Wearing red is popular as the color is associated with warding off bad spirits.
• Decorating the house. The word fu is used on decorations. It means luck and happiness. Fresh flowers symbolize spring and a new beginning.
• Eating with your family. Eight or nine dishes are served because they are lucky numbers. The Cantonese words eight and prosperity rhyme. The word for nine means long lasting.
• Giving good luck gifts. Children and unmarried young adults receive little red envelopes with money which symbolizes wealth and prosperity.
• Making lanterns. They symbolize the brightness of spring, hanging on walls or on poles to be carried in lantern parades.
• Honoring the animal. Every year is associated with one of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals. Find the dragon on decorations, and in Hawaii, elaborately carved canoes.

Be present to absorb all this good luck energy! Attend a Chinese New Year Parade in your area. There can be floats, fireworks, performances, marching bands, and there’s always a dramatic dragon or lion dance. Dancers are under an impressively decorated, long and silky dragon or lion costume. The dragon or lion visits homes and businesses to scare away bad luck. Those visited “feed” red envelopes to the  animal to promote good luck.

Most weekday mornings I can be found at my desk in the beautiful Mauna Kea Resort working away.  When hotel guests stop by to say hello and talk real estate, they are typically surprised to find two bedroom condos, some on the fairway, all with ocean views, well under $1M.  Today the asking prices for those Kumulani condos start at $550,000.  Located within Mauna Kea Resort, Kumulani is an amazing value for tennis, golf and beach buffs.

Another neighborhood with ocean views available at respectable prices is Sunset Ridge in Waikoloa Village. Being outside the resort and further away from the beach is the downside, but the upside is recently built, single family, three bedroom homes with ocean views, and homeowner association dues of just $500 per year.  Today these homes are priced at $425-650K.

Waikoloa Village is not to be confused with Waikoloa Beach Resort.  The resort is located about ten minutes down the hill from the Village entrance.  Waikoloa Beach Resort has a wide selection of lovely condominiums, but no single family homes.  Today the Waikoloa Beach Resort condos are priced $275K to $2.75M.

Included in the annual Waikoloa Village homeowner association dues are discounted green fees on the neighborhood golf course, use of tennis courts, and swimming pool.  At the association website read the Village newsletter and official association documents; learn about the Golf Club, the long list of Village social and charitable organizations, and the businesses that serve the Village.

Yes, some Sunset Ridge homes were built in the 1990s, and their asking prices are lower.  If an ocean view is what you are looking for, be sure to first consider the homes built in 2007 and 2011.  “Contact me” and ask for a specific list of the newer built Sunset Ridge homes.

January through October 2011 Kohala Coast condo sales are up 36.6% and prices are down 7.7% over January through October 2010.

Third quarter 2011 Kohala Coast condo sales are up 25.5% and prices are down 9.1% over third quarter 2010.*

October 2011 Kohala Coast condo  sales are down 36.4% and prices are down 29.8% over October 2010.

January through October 2011 Kona condo sales are up 9.4% and prices are down 21.8% over January through October 2010.

Third quarter 2011 Kona condo sales are up 5.5% and prices are down 9.1% over third quarter 2010.*

October 2011 Kona condo  sales are up 11.8% and prices are down 8.5% over January through October 2010.

Of the six groups above, only one deviates from the continuing trend of sales up and prices down: October 2011 Kohala Coast unit sales.  I would disregard that oddity until fourth quarter numbers are in.

For recent West Hawaii economic forecast information, see West Hawaii Today reporter Erin Miller’s summary of local economist Paul Brewbaker’s October 28 talk.

*(Third quarter numbers for both Kona and Kohala Coast condos were stated incorrectly in the mailing sent 11/21/11.  The numbers here are correct.)