DOWN-HOME HAWAII RANCHES, FARMS, SMALL TOWNS LED FOLKSINESS TO BIG ISLAND'S NORTH KOHALA REGION.

Byline: Story and photos by Eric Noland Travel Editor

WAIMEA, Hawaii - One of the salad courses promised vine-ripened Lokelani tomatoes - ``weather permitting'' - grown just down the road by innovative gardener Erin Lee. Other selections included local greens and - what's this? - fresh corn on the cob ... in April?

The menu also showcased beef and lamb raised on a nearby ranch, locally produced goat cheese and, of course, day-boat fish.

Small wonder Merriman's restaurant on Hawaii's Big Island has become such a culinary mecca for mainland foodies.

Owner and chef Peter Merriman is one of the pioneers of ``Hawaiian regional cuisine,'' but he could have opened his joint anywhere - in Honolulu or in one of Maui's resort enclaves. What makes Merriman's such a perfect fit here, miles from any significant tourist concentration, is its integration with the surrounding region.

On the North Kohala thumb, which juts into the Pacific Ocean in the island's northwest corner, the ranching tradition dates back nearly 200 years, major agriculture nearly 100. Sweeping rangeland was once bordered by sugarcane plantations.

None of this probably comports with a tourist's standard Hawaiian vision of beaches, palm trees, waterfalls and hula girls, but it is a heritage with deep roots, and it is currently enjoying a renaissance.

``By the late '80s, early '90s, most of what was grown on the islands was for export,'' Merriman said. ``But there was a decline of sugar, and pineapple contracted, and land was becoming available. It happened at the same time tourist demand was growing.

``A lot of the early waves of farmers began on the Big Island, and they started doing different crops. We work with quite a few of them. They tell us what they can do and we tell them what we need.''

The percolating demand has helped revive a region that had fallen on hard times after the sugar operations closed. Small towns that were once dilapidated are coming back to life, spurred by artists, merchants, small- scale growers and purveyors of food and drink. Yet it's been done with restorative lumber and fresh coats of paint, rather than bulldozers, such that the character of each tiny village has endured.

Peruse the vintage photos on the walls of Merriman's in the town of Waimea. Then hop onto Highway 270 for a ride along the North Kohala coast - an ideal day trip for tourists staying in Kona or one of the South Kohala resorts. As you roll into a town like Hawi or Kapaau, you might notice that these villages are strikingly similar to the scenes in those grainy, black-and-white photos snapped in the early 1900s.

``This was an 1898 hotel,'' said Jan Morgan, co-proprietor of the terrific Kohala Book Shop in Kapaau - reputed to be the largest used-book store in the Hawaiian Islands. ``It was in dreadful shape. But once it got renovated, the Sakamoto Building next door looked shabby, so they painted it and cleaned it up. And it was like a domino effect up and down the street, with buildings being renovated all around here.''

One of the most impressive such recoveries occurred just down the road in Hawi (pronounced HAH-vee), at the Bamboo Restaurant. The building was built between 1911 and 1915, and accordingly has an Old West facade. First a hotel, later a dry goods store serving plantation workers, it has been restored, painted bright green and tidied up - but not to the point of being antiseptic. It has scuffed wooden floors, wicker furniture and, of course, bamboo liberally displayed in the decor.

The lunch fare here is fabulous, probably better characterized as convergence than fusion - much like Hawaii's populace itself. There is herb-grilled fresh island fish with tropical fruit salsa, vegetarian quesadillas, Thai-style chicken potstickers, Kalua pork. Sandwiches are served on soft foccacia bread.

It was no surprise to learn that the Bamboo has its own herb garden, and stocks its larder with the fish, fruit and vegetables brought to its back door by local fishermen and farmers.

An adjoining gallery features the wares of area artisans. We were impressed with wood products that were both decorative and useful - utensils, cutting boards, jewelry boxes. On Friday and Saturday nights, the building becomes a local gathering spot, as John Keawe sings Hawaiian music while plucking his guitar.

Park the car and stroll without a plan in the towns of Hawi and Kapaau. The fun is in poking around in art galleries, antique stores and craft shops. On one of the wooden sidewalks, you'll likely find a bench for watching the passing parade, perhaps while slurping a shave ice - Hawaii's famed snow cone.

Directly across the street from the Bamboo, the scents alone drew us into the Kohala Coffee Mill. The java, served in gourmet concoctions, is made from 100 percent Big Island beans, which sell here for $24 a pound. The array of ice creams was a tour of the tropics, too: macadamia nut, Tahitian vanilla, Kona coffee, white pineapple sorbet and coconut cream (which was decadently rich and flavorful, a bit like a pina colada in a cone).

The Kohala Book Shop is a treasure in its own right. When an Oahu used-book shop went out of business a few years ago, Jan and husband Frank Morgan bought its entire stock, 25,000 volumes in all. ``Put them on a barge and brought them over here,'' said Jan.

Today's casual browser is the beneficiary. There is an astonishing selection of books on Hawaii and the South Pacific - addressing subjects as diverse as culture, history, language, music and the identity of plants and animals. If your Hawaiian visit has sparked a curiosity in birds, flowers, cooking or the missionaries, this is the place to delve more deeply into the subject. But the shop also has used, $1 paperbacks if you're just looking for something to read on the beach.

Highway 270 through Hawi and Kapaau wends its way to a dead end at the Pololu Valley Lookout, which affords a glimpse of the Big Island's rugged north coast. En route, you'll spot the bronze statue of Hawaii's greatest king, Kamehameha I, and perhaps linger at the Makapala Chapel, a tiny church set in a stand of trees, with faded paint and only four rows of pews.

You might also find, as we did, an ``honor stand'' - a table holding home-grown produce or other snacks. Visitors are trusted to leave the appropriate payment. We paid the requisite $2 and departed with a bag of roasted macadamia nuts that were an improvement on the commercial variety - these were much bigger and encrusted with far less salt. Just the thing to sustain us for the trip back.

To complete a loop drive through North Kohala, head down Highway 250 from Hawi toward Waimea. This is a delightfully scenic route along the western furrows of the Kohala Mountains. You'll climb to nearly 4,000 feet while passing verdant ranches with camera-shy cattle, as well as wind-worn groves of ironwood, eucalyptus and Norfolk pine trees.

One evening along here, we sat by a campfire, gazing down the mountain flank to a sunset view of neighboring Maui, as John Richards described a family ranching enterprise that dates to 1928.

Our visit was part of a tour, An Evening at Kahua Ranch, in which small groups of tourists are treated to a glimpse of the Big Island's ranching heritage through the eyes of people who are still actively engaged in it. We were taught roping technique and played horseshoes, listened to a country singer and line-danced. We feasted on barbecued chicken and teriyaki beef from the ranch, and washed it down with free-flowing Kona pale ale.

A cloudy sky prevented a peek at Saturn through the ranch's 8-inch Celestron telescope, but Richards regaled us throughout the evening with stories about the challenges of island ranching (the cattle are flown to the mainland on specially retrofitted 747 jets!).

Some of the Kahua Ranch beef and most of its lamb are sold locally. Yes, just down the hill at Merriman's - as we discovered when we sat down to dinner there the next night.

The Big Island's ranching tradition has some curious origins. In 1793, Capt. George Vancouver gave Kamehameha six cows and a bull, and the king promptly placed a kapu on them - meaning islanders were forbidden to kill or bother them. The herd grew so fast that it threatened to trample the island.

Then, in 1809, a 19-year-old clerk named John Palmer Parker jumped ship at Kawaihae Harbor, a few miles west of Waimea, and was granted permission to thin the herd with his musket. Parker, who subsequently married wisely - the king's granddaughter - set about establishing a sprawling ranch, which ultimately grew to 500,000 acres and at one time was America's largest cattle spread under single ownership.

Parker wisely hired vaqueros from Mexico and the American West. These cowboys identified themselves as Espanioles (or Spanish; Mexico had not yet gained its independence from Spain), but since the Hawaiian alphabet does not have an ``s,'' the word was transformed locally to paniolo. The romanticized culture of the Hawaiian cowboy endures to this day. Horseback rides are offered throughout the region, and the Parker Ranch annually hosts a Fourth of July rodeo.

At Parker Ranch Center in Waimea, meanwhile, is a statue of Ikua Purdy, a Parker Ranch paniolo who traveled clear to Cheyenne, Wyo., in 1908 to compete in the World Championship Rodeo. This diminutive Hawaiian turned heads from Texas to Montana when he placed first in the roping.

Then as now, this region has shattered more than a few stereotypes about life in the islands.

Eric Noland, [phone]

eric.noland(at)dailynews.com

IF YOU GO

GETTING THERE: Waimea and the North Kohala district are convenient to the resorts that string out along the Big Island's South Kohala coast, and also to Kona's airport and tourist enclaves. From any of these points, drive north on Route 19, also known as Queen Kaahumanu Highway. Route 19 makes a 90-degree turn and continues toward Waimea, which is eight miles to the east. But to explore North Kohala, veer left onto Highway 270 for a drive along the coast. From this junction, it's 19 miles to Hawi. The road continues for another eight miles on a dead-end stub, past Kapaau to the Pololu Valley Overlook. On the return, duck down Highway 250 from Hawi to Waimea, a 22-mile scenic drive along the slopes of the Kohala Mountains.

BAMBOO RESTAURANT: North side of highway in Hawi. Open Tuesday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for lunch, 6 to 9 p.m. for dinner. Sunday brunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. [phone]; www.bamboorestaurant.info.

EVENING AT KAHUA: Usually held Tuesday and Thursday nights. Pickup is at Waikoloa Village, the Hilton and the Marriott on the Kohala Coast, with a 35-minute narrated drive to Kahua Ranch. Start of program is timed to correspond with sunset throughout the year. Includes dinner and open bar (beer and wine), musical entertainment. Cost is $89 per person. Call for schedule and reservations. [phone]; www.eveningatkahua.com.

KOHALA BOOK SHOP: North side of highway in Kapaau. Open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. [phone].

KOHALA COFFEE MILL: South side of highway in Hawi (across from Bamboo Restaurant). Open Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. [phone].

MERRIMAN'S: In the Opelo Plaza on Highway 19 in Waimea. Open for lunch Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Open nightly for dinner from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Reservations recommended. [phone]; www.merrimanshawaii.com.

PARKER RANCH: The Parker Ranch Museum & Visitor Center is predominantly a portrait gallery of the Parker family tree, but the paniolo legacy is preserved in exhibits of vintage saddles, bridles, branding irons and leather lariats. It is tucked away in a shopping center at the intersection of Highways 19 and 190. Open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. (last ticket sold at 4). Admission is $6.50 for adults, $5.50 for children ages 4 to 11, $6 for seniors age 60 and up. The ranch's Historic Homes site, a short distance away on Highway 190, may also be toured. [phone]; www.parkerranch.com.

CAPTION(S):

7 photos, box, map

Photo:

(1 -- 3 -- color) The Big Island's paniolo heritage is honored with a statue of 1908 roping champion Ikua Purdy, top, at Waimea's Parker Ranch Center. A loop drive through the North Kohala region, meanwhile, takes in the inviting towns of Hawi, above, and Kapaau, where Kamehameha I stands sentry, left.

(4 -- 6 -- color) At top, this former hotel in the town of Hawi, Hawaii, is now the Bamboo Restaurant. Above left, vintage saddles are on display at Parker Ranch. Above right, the Pololu Valley Overlook is at the end of a North Kohala highway.

(7 -- color) Visitors to Hawaii's Big Island can learn paniolo skills - including roping - at the Kahua Ranch.

Eric Noland/Travel Editor

Box:

IF YOU GO (see text)

Map:

HAWAII'S BIG ISLAND

Jorge Irribarren/Staff Artist