01-05-2014, 02:03 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Alohaalex
guys you are right orchidland looks beautiful, very green with lot of mature trees, I saw a few listing and the prices are no bad at all, how far is this place from Kailua kona (minutes driving), what is the lava zone there? What is the good and the bad things about this area? I contacted the real state agency you guy recommended.
Mahalo
Orchidland is lava zone 3, which is with few exceptions the best you are going to do in Puna.
It is also a huge subdivision with big elevation differences and the roads are privately maintained. Basically, the roads going from the highway up the hill are paved and the side streets are not. Some side roads are pretty good. Some are horrible. Because of the size of the subdivision and quality of the roads you probably couldn't see the entire subdivision in a day. Like most big subdivisions in Puna there are pockets of meth head types living under tarps and there are also million dollar homes and everything in between. Your mileage will vary depending on where you are.
The new Saddle Road realignment has shaved 20 minutes or so off the one-way trip between Hilo and Kona. I have done it in 1 hour 20 minutes many times and that is without ever speeding. Unfortunately the trip between Pahoa/Keaau (inclusive of much of Puna) and Hilo is a matter of a completely different discussion. I have done the trip between Orchidland and Hilo in as few as 25 minutes and it has taken well over an hour. So to answer your question I would say best case scenario the one way trip between Orchidland and Kona is over 2 hours and it can take more than 3 hours.
But more importantly, what is your fascination with Kona? If you want to know what it looks like, go outside (wherever you are) when the moon if full and the sky is clear. Look at the lifeless barren moonscape. That's Kona. Most people on the lush East side of the island only go over there because 1) family or 2) Costco and rarely 3) Hapuna beach.