Love of the Land: Coconut Farm Treasure at Punakea Palms

We enjoyed a private coconut farm tour during our big family’s trip to Maui last year. After spending the morning drinking poolside smoothies, we made our way from Wailea to Lahaina.

Grown with Love

Greeted by one of the owners, Kai, who lives on the property, we entered the lush coconut farm. Kai and family share their family-owned and operated coconut farm, hosting tours to educate groups about coconut farming. We learned that they use eco-conscious, natural, farming techniques for the coconut trees, as well as other plants surrounding the coconut grove.

The views on the property were a spectacular setting. Our family learned about the value and importance of Kai’s work, nurturing the land and to honor what we are given. He’s spent years of hard work to cultivate the grove.

Drink up, Coconut

At the tour seating area, Kai brought over several coconuts at different maturity levels. We tasted the fruit and juice to see how the flavors change with age; how coconut water from a young coconut differs from a mature one. Afterward, we had a fun, hands-on competition to squeeze bags of blended coconut. The competitors’ finished product would become coconut milk to take home (or back to the hotel).

After our coconut milk competition, we snuck in a mini-yoga / photo session!

We had fun enjoying the scenery, while learning about the coconut water we drank. It made for a lovely experience among our group of cousins, aunts, and uncles. If you have a larger family, it’s definitely worth booking a private tour.

We had a blast, but our only complaint is that we need a straw hat like the one Kai wore! Next time!

The two basic items necessary to sustain life are sunshine and coconut milk.

Dustin Hoffman