Category: Ag Tourism

December 2, 2020 Ag Tourism, Webinar Post a Comment

Creating Virtual Farm and Food Experiences

Webinar – Wednesday, December 9, 2020
9am Pacific time; 12pm Eastern time; 6pm Central European time; 10:30 Indian time –

Whether it’s farm tours, private tastings, or conferences, we are all figuring out new ways to connect digitally with customers and colleagues. During this period of limited travel, farm and food businesses around the world are experimenting with innovative online formats to share their agricultural experiences and products. Join us to learn about lambing tours in Scotland and cider tastings in Vermont. Presenters will share their challenges, successes, and lessons learned as they have transitioned to virtual events during the pandemic.

Moderator: Lisa Chase, University of Vermont Extension and the Vermont Tourism Research Center
Speakers: Eleanor Leger, Eden Specialty Ciders, Vermont, USA; Caroline Millar, Balkello Farm and Go Rural, Dundee, Scotland

To request a disability-related accommodation to participate in this program, please contact Becky Bartlett at 802-257-7967 or Rebecca.Bartlett@uvm.edu so we may assist you.

December 1, 2020 Ag Tourism, Agritourism, General Ag News and Notes, Tourism, Tours Post a Comment

Tourism professor Angela Fa‘anunu sees the economic slowdown as a chance to develop agritourism

UH Hilo Stories –
by Emily Burkhart –

Assistant Prof. Fa‘anunu challenges her students to reimagine the conventional mass tourism industry in favor of alternative, more regenerative models centered around agritourism and indigenous tourism.

Angela Fa‘anunu, assistant professor of tourism at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, is no stranger to teaching innovative strategies to her classes on sustainable tourism and business. Though the coronavirus has proven challenging due to the limitations of in-person education, Fa‘anunu is optimistic about teaching tourism during a global health crisis.

That may seem counterintuitive, as tourism has largely shut down throughout Hawai‘i with restrictions on visitors that have created economic shockwaves for residents.

However, Fa‘anunu sees the disruption as a potential time of reflection that will hopefully lead to more thorough planning strategies for Hawai‘i’s economic and cultural future. Her collaborations with various federal, state, and private agencies aim to increase agritourism on Hawai‘i Island, an approach she believes will create more resilient and economically stable Pacific communities.

A vision centered on agritourism and indigenous tourism

In the courses she teaches, Fa‘anunu challenges students to reimagine the conventional mass tourism industry in favor of alternative, more regenerative models centered around agritourism and indigenous tourism, based on relationships of reciprocity between hosts and visitors.

“Covid has created an awareness that perhaps the model we have for tourism isn’t the best one for our small islands,” she says. “Perhaps we need to find other ways of engaging with the visitor industry that build the resilience of our local communities, such as our local farmers.”

She believes the pandemic response has highlighted the state’s dependence on tourism and the need for local agriculture.

“To me, agritourism is a win-win situation but to develop this industry in Hawai‘i, we need to plan carefully,” she explains. “Allowing commercial activity on agricultural lands can be tricky so we need to ensure that they are protected and that we maintain the integrity and sense of place of our local communities while also enabling small farmers to succeed by being financially sustainable.”

She says planning is critical and needs to consider the next 100 years. “To plan for climate change, we cannot plan for five to 10 years from now. It has to be long-term.”

Fa‘anunu was raised in Tu‘anekivale, on the island of Vava‘u in the Kingdom of Tonga in the South Pacific. She joined UH Hilo in 2019. She received her doctorate from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, where her research focused on sustainable tourism development in Hawai`i and the Pacific Islands.

On the topic of sustainable tourism, Fa‘anunu says, “What does that even mean? What are we trying to sustain? The phrase is very vague, which creates many challenges for change. We also come with different lenses. Growing up on a small island with no electricity or running water gives me a certain reference for understanding sustainability that may be different from yours.”

Luckily for her sustainable tourism students last semester, when UH classes switched to web platforms due to the coronavirus, Fa‘anunu had already transitioned the class to a primarily online format the previous winter with much help from Cynthia Yamaguchi, the university’s online teaching and learning specialist who assists faculty design web-based courses.

“By the time covid happened, the students knew what to do because we had been doing it already,” Fa‘anunu explains. “After we came back from spring break [when the university transitioned to all online teaching], my students were used to the on-line platform. There was no confusion, and I feel like it was a good transition.”

Her students agree, with one stating in an anonymous survey taken last spring evaluating the success of faculty transitioning to online teaching that Fa‘anunu “did a great job with distance learning. I think the way she teaches students is the best I’ve seen and a great way for students to learn and understand the topics she goes over.”

Previously, before the pandemic caused a total shift to online teaching, Fa‘anunu took her classes to visit local farms. “I like my courses to be applied,” she says. “It’s about tapping into the expertise of different people” to stimulate critical thinking and community engagement, particularly with East Hawai‘i’s vibrant local agriculture scene.

The farming professor

Fa‘anunu herself offers integral expertise on agritourism as co-founder of Kaivao Farm in Pāhoehoe, just north of Hilo, which she says has a vision to cultivate Pacific resilience.

In 2016, Kaivao Farm won $20,000 in seed money as a first-place winner of the 2016 Mahi‘ai Match-Up Agricultural Business Plan Contest sponsored by Kamehameha Schools and the Pauahi Foundation. The farm also received an agricultural lease from Kamehameha Schools with up to five years of waived rent, and start-up seed money from the Pauahi Foundation.

“The winner of the first place $20,000 prize was Kaivao Farm, LLC. Utilizing traditional organic and sustainable agroforestry methods, Kaivao Farm plans to specialize in the cultivation of ʻulu and cassava on 9.5 acres in Pāhoehoe, just north of Hilo on Hawai‘i island.

Along with their main starch crops, team members Angela Faʻanunu, Kalisi Mausio, Keone Chin and Haniteli Faʻanunu will cultivate wauke, hala and other secondary crops for use in education and practice of traditional art-forms like kapa-making and ʻulana (weaving).

“Kaivao Farm will serve as a living classroom with a holistic, ʻāina-based approach, centered on the resources of Pāhoehoe ahapuaʻa” said Angela Faʻanunu with Kaivao Farm.

“We are guided by the vision of building capacity of our local communities by increasing access to healthy food and learning opportunities through practicing cultural traditions that maintain the integrity of the ʻāina and ourselves,” Faʻanunu added.”

The farm, independently owned and operated by Faʻanunu and her sister, Kalisi Mausio, subsequently received a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop the capacity of agritourism for Hawai‘i county. This led to the development of the Hawai‘i Farm Trails mobile app, an electronic platform that connects visitors and residents to agricultural activities such as farm tours, farmer’s markets, agricultural festivals and events. “We really learned how important tourism is for small farms,” says Faʻanunu.

“What I love about agritourism is that it doesn’t necessarily impinge on Hawaiian culture,” Faʻanunu notes. “Every farm has its own unique story. We need to malama our host culture, and our tourism industry should be leading these initiatives.”

Cultivating new strategies during the pandemic

Now curbed from farm visits during the covid era, Fa‘anunu is turning toward admittance to international conferences and the potential to host overseas guest speakers.

“Students can attend talks and conferences across the world,” she says, from UH Mānoa’s Shidler College of Business’s regularly held webinars about the reopening of Hawai‘i’s tourism industry to business conferences like the Buzz Travel China Summit, where admission for students was free.

Her students this semester are learning how countries across the world are responding to the coronavirus pandemic and how to think critically of Hawai‘i’s global interconnectedness.

Though Fa‘anunu says her semester has been anything but easy juggling research, her courses, family life, and the difficulties all new faculty face in creating curriculum, her seamless integration of regional and global lenses gives her students the well-rounded perspective she hopes will be adopted by current and future generations to plan for better preparedness in the future.

“You can plan to plan or you can plan to act,” she says, noting that her goal is to inspire students with strategies that communities across the world are implementing to address shortcomings laid bare by the pandemic’s repercussions.

“Tourism is just one of these strategies,” she says. “But tourism has become such a prevalent strategy that it has overpowered everything else. Covid has shown us that perhaps we need to figure out those other strategies to make us more resilient.”

November 6, 2020 Ag Tourism, Farm to Table, General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

How chef Peter Merriman fosters a culture of excellence

Pacific Business News
By A. Kam Napier

There are a couple of reasons why Peter Merriman is our Business Leadership Hawaii 2020 Career Achievement honoree. First, there is his decades-long work as a legend in the industry, as one of the founding members of the Hawaii Regional Cuisine movement in 1991, in which he not only established consistently excellent Neighbor Island restaurants, but played a key role in helping to grow the farms that could supply the entire industry. Second, is his willingness to take chances. We thought it noteworthy that Merriman, who might well have rested on these accomplishments, took the leap of becoming a partner in Handcrafted Restaurants in 2011.

At their peak, before the Covid-19 economy, the four restaurants of Meriman’s Hawaii and five restaurants of Handcrafted employed about 1,200 people. Handcrafted was honored in PBN’s 2015 Hawaii’s Best Workplaces. It’s a long way from his Hawaii debut in 1983 when the Pittsburgh-born Merriman accepted a job as the cook for the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel. Two years later, he was named executive chef of the resort’s new Gallery Restaurant. In 1988, he went out on his own, opening Merriman’s in Waimea on Hawaii Island.

The Mauna Lani is also where he learned some business advice that has stayed with him, from customers who have been successful with large businesses. One such informal mentor was Larry Dean, who had grown and sold an early Internet check- cashing business. By the time he sold it, Dean told him, the software was beyond him but he had people for that, it was more important that he “foster the culture.”

Merriman said his team can attest to the fact that, “to this day, I still walk around saying, ‘I’m gonna fostah the cultah!’” as Dean, a Southerner, used to say it. “That’s really fundamental to the way I approach business because I like to delegate a lot of responsibility and authority, making an environment where smart people can do well — in this way, I will do well.”

The other advice came from Robert Holder of the Atlanta-based Holder Corp., a builder and developer whose enterprises had grown enormously through that city’s boom. “Bob told me, ‘When you own a business, only do what only you can do’,” recalled Merriman. “I had to take myself out of the kitchen to be successful at the business part, so that advice has been really, really valuable. And I find it really useful down the chain, too, in that I can tell my managers the same thing — you have somebody else who can do that job, let them do that and you do the job they cannot do.”

Merriman said he still struggles with letting go, but he recently made his biggest delegation yet when he appointed Christina Schenk, his former controller, as CEO of Merriman’s Hawaii, the first CEO who wasn’t Merriman himself. “And she does a better job than me, which is very cool,” he said. “She pretty much runs everything on the Merriman’s side of the business, and I am really fostering the culture. On the Monkeypod side, Sarah Hill runs everything over there.”

Merriman’s partnership with Handcrafted is a 50-50 ownership deal founded with Bill Terry, whom Merriman had become friends with when Terry was with TS Restaurants, and it presented Merriman with an opportunity to see through an unrealized dream — owning a café, offering what he calls “accessible food.”

“When I opened in Waimea, I started out with a café but the only way to make it succeed was to push it upscale because we didn’t have the volume of customers,” Merriman said.

When PBN caught up with Merriman in late September for this article, the Covid economy was an unavoidable subject. He had used Paycheck Program Program money to keep people on as long as possible, but has had to do furloughs and some layoffs. When asked what the industry will need to do to survive, he went immediately to business fundamentals.

“We need to figure out where this market is going to settle, we’re talking about 80% swings in volume and no business can plan for that,” he said. “I think there’s going to have to be a total reset on the structure of how restaurant deals work between tenant, landlord and lender in the state of Hawaii, maybe the entire country. What has been in place to this day is no longer reasonable and that is, minimum rent, plus CAM plus percentage of revenue. That minimum rent turned out to be a killer because basically, that was using the tenant to guarantee the landlord against any downturns in the market like we’re having. The landlords of course say, ‘we owe our lenders, so we need that money’ and there’s some truth to that too. Banks, too, could help by offering small businesses longer terms on loans.”

“It’s a dead run, we’re all driving on debt, Alexander Hamilton would be happy,” he said. “For restaurants, we know the demand is not there now, we know it’s not going to be where it used to be, and our models were so incredibly tight — if 7% is the average profit then even a 10% loss can collapse the whole thing.”

We talked about the farming community as well, given the tight tie between his industry and theirs, and whether or not agriculture can be viable as one of the replacements for tourism, as is sometimes suggested when people talk about what else Hawaii could be doing. The challenge there, he said, is that the farms are quite dependent on the numbers of visitors we’re used to, supporting the number and kinds of restaurants that buy from farmers, ranchers and fishermen.

“I can pay more, and I do pay more, for grocery items than people who shop at grocery stores,” he said, “We’re the high-end outlet for farmers, which is especially good if they haven’t hit their volumes yet. If they can get a high price for the items they’re selling from us, it’s very useful. The farmers have done better than I expected up to this point, and some have been able to sell to the grocery stores but at a reduced rate. For the smaller farms, for those just starting out, they’re the ones who are really damaged.”

While money concerns are top of mind for the industry right now, it isn’t something Merriman generally allows to be the sole focus of his companies. Each restaurant is led by a general manager and a chef, in tandem, as opposed to restaurant companies that put only a general manager at the top.

“Chefs are very powerful in our organization,” he said, noting that he still designs about 75% of the dishes himself. “We don’t want to become bean counters, our origin story is from cooking, not from counting dollars and while we can maybe get good at that, at accounting, it doesn’t mean that’s who we are. We make a conscious effort in our company meetings to talk about food, even if it’s just down to the level of, ‘where did you eat that was really great?’ We believe the culture of a company is what it talks about, so if all we do is run around talking about dollars and cents, that’s who will be.

“I feel we are in the food business, but most importantly, we’re in the guest experience business, which the food supplies,” he said. “If we don’t remember that on a regular basis, our culture will change despite our best thoughts.”

And that is what “fostering the culture” looks like, in action.

October 16, 2020 Ag Tourism, General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

Is it fall yet?

Hawai’i Magazine
By Catherine Toth Fox

We’re still waiting for the first sighting of migrating humpback whales and maybe some chilly weather—it’s been blisteringly hot this week!—but there are a few ways you can conjure the season. Even if it still feels like summer. (Not complaining!)

1. Pick Pumpkins at This Drive-Thru Pumpkin Patch in Waimānalo

The family-run Waimānalo Country Farms in Windward Oʻahu is hosting a fun—and safe—pumpkin patch drive-thru with photo ops, animal sightings and a huge field of pumpkins. (You have 20 minutes to run out and pick one!) You can also buy lemonade, fresh honey and other small treats at the drive-thru market stand. The first event is Saturday, Oct. 17 and runs through Oct. 31. Reservations are required. 41-225 Lupe St., Waimānalo, (808) 306-4381, waimanalocountryfarms.com/reservations, @waimanalocountryfarms

2. Head to Waikīkī, Like, STAT

Thursday (Oct. 15) was the first day of Hawaiʻi’s pre-arrivals testing program, which allows travelers with negative COVID-19 test results to bypass the state’s mandatory 14-day quarantine. On the first day, there was an estimated 7,000 to 10,000 people arriving in the Islands—and that number will likely only increase if this pre-arrivals program is successful. So you might want to take advantage of the gorgeous weather predicted for this weekend and hit the beach—maybe one that’s normally crowded with visitors this time of the year. Our picks: Kailua Beach, Sunset Beach on the North Shore and, of course, Waikīkī Beach.

3. Get Your Cocktail On

Our pal—and master mixologist—Chandra Lucariello came up with a cocktail that’s packed with warm fall flavors: star anise, roasted pumpkin, orange and, of course, whiskey! And not just any whiskey but the craft spirit from Koʻolau Distillery in Kailua. Because who said Halloween was just for kids? (Not us.)

October 16, 2020 Ag Tourism, General Ag News and Notes, Pigs, Turkey Post a Comment

Things To Know Before Experiencing Your First Hawaiian Luau

Travel Awaits
by Sage Scott

With a whole roasted pig unearthed from an in-ground oven, grass-skirt-wearing hula dancers, and bare-chested fire dancers, a luau is a festive, can’t-miss experience in the Aloha State. Originally social gatherings meant to unite a community in celebration of significant events, luaus are now held nearly nightly at resorts and other venues across the Hawaiian Islands.

These casual outdoor evening gatherings are similar to backyard barbecues. But instead of hot dogs and hamburgers cooked on a grill, you’ll enjoy tender chunks of slow-roasted pig. Instead of cold beer, you’ll sip fruity rum-infused mai tais. And all of this will take place in a palm-tree-shaded, oceanfront tropical paradise unlike any other place in the United States.

Here’s what you need to know before you attend your first Hawaiian luau.

What To Wear To A Hawaiian Luau
You can celebrate the beauty of this tropical paradise by donning prints inspired by the islands. For both men and women, bright colors like lemon yellow, lime green, ocean blue, sunset orange, and cherry red are all good luau colors.

Men can wear Aloha shirts (also known as Hawaiian shirts). These button-down, collared shirts typically feature palm trees, flowers, and tropical birds in a variety of eye-catching colors, and they pair well with khaki shorts.

For women, a flowy, floral sundress or Hawaiian-style sarong would be a good choice. Glam up your outfit with a shell necklace or a single plumeria flower tucked behind your ear. Just remember to place the flower behind your right ear if you’re single and your left ear if you’re taken!

Casual footwear is the way to go. Leave your fancy shoes and high heels at the hotel, and opt for comfy sandals or flip-flops instead. You can even kick off your shoes and go barefoot — no one will judge you!

Although Hawaii is known for its beautiful temperatures year-round, it can cool off at night. Be sure to bring a sweater, wrap, or light jacket.

Arriving At A Hawaiian Luau
Guests are typically welcomed to a luau with a lei. Traditional leis are made from fragrant, fresh local flowers like ginger, jasmine, or orchid blossoms. But leis can also be crafted from kukui nuts or shells. Regardless of how it’s constructed, the lei is a symbol of friendship, and it’s important to wear it throughout the luau. Setting the lei on the table, stowing it in your handbag, or throwing it away is considered disrespectful and rude.

Seating At A Hawaiian Luau
At traditional luaus, guests sit on the ground on large mats decorated with elaborate natural centerpieces fashioned from ti leaves, lacy fern fronds, and fragrant flowers. While some luaus still offer traditional seating on mats, guests can also enjoy the luau at long community tables.

While mat seating is a more authentic experience, keep in mind that you’ll be getting up and down several times during the evening to visit the buffet, use the restroom, and enjoy the activities. While you’re sure to have an unobstructed view of the entertainment, consider whether you’ll be comfortable sitting on the ground for up to 3 hours before choosing this option.

Dining At A Hawaiian Luau
Just like Thanksgiving dishes vary across the States, there isn’t a set menu for a luau. However, just like you can expect turkey, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie at any Thanksgiving feast, you can expect several staples at these tropical buffet feasts.

Like the golden brown turkey at the center of every Thanksgiving meal, the kalua pig is the star of every luau. In an earthen firepit known as an imu, a whole pig is seasoned, wrapped in banana leaves, and slow cooked over hot coals. Many luaus kick off with an imu ceremony, during which the roasted pig is unearthed before the pork is shredded and added to the buffet table.

Instead of starches like mashed potatoes or stuffing, luaus feature poi. Made from steamed taro root that is mashed and mixed with water until it has a paste-like consistency, poi is often described as having a bland taste, but it pairs well with the savory items on the buffet. Plus, this superfood is gluten-free, high in fiber, and a good source of calcium.

Fun Fact: Because luau foods were traditionally eaten by hand (and not with utensils), the consistency of poi was determined by how many fingers were required to scoop it up and eat it — three fingers, two fingers, or one finger (the thickest).

At the end of the luau buffet, look for coconut-flavored desserts like haupia and kulolo. Haupia is made by blending coconut milk with sugar, water, and cornstarch to create a thick, yogurt-like mixture that is chilled and served in squares. Kulolo mixes coconut milk with taro root (yes, the same staple used to create poi) and sugar to form fudge-like squares.

Other dishes commonly served at luaus include poke, lomi lomi salmon, huli huli chicken, sweet potatoes, chicken long rice, macaroni salad, Hawaiian rolls, and pineapple.

Drinking At A Hawaiian Luau
The mai tai is one of the most popular adult beverages served at Hawaiian luaus. This tropical fruit-and-rum cocktail is made by shaking rum, triple sec, orange juice, orgeat syrup, sugar, and a few other ingredients together before garnishing with tropical fruit like a slice of orange or triangle of pineapple.

Another popular rum-based drink served at luaus is the Blue Hawaiian. Served either on ice or blended to perfection, the Blue Hawaiian gets its oceanic color from blue Curacao and its tropical flavors from pineapple juice and cream of coconut.

Although it was concocted in Puerto Rico, an island on the opposite side of the U.S. from Hawaii, it’s not uncommon to see the pina colada on the drink menu at Hawaiian luaus.

Once the guests have enjoyed kalua pig and poi, Polynesian musicians, luau dancers, and other performers take the stage. Sit back and sip another tropical fruit-infused cocktail while enjoying ukulele music, fire knife dancing, and hula. Many Hawaiian luaus encourage audience participation, and some will invite guests onto the stage for hula lessons.

In addition to luau performers, some Hawaiian luaus include additional interactive experiences like ukulele lessons, coconut leaf headband weaving, and lei making.

How Long Does A Luau Last?
Luaus are traditionally scheduled to include the magnificent Hawaiian sunset and typically last about 2 to 3 hours. While you’ll want to confirm the time of your specific luau experience, most luaus begin around 5 or 6 p.m. and end around 8 or 9 p.m.

How Much Does A Luau Cost?
Located 2,500 miles off the coast of California in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Hawaii is not known as a budget destination. And just as you may be surprised by the price of a fresh pineapple or a gallon of gasoline in Hawaii, you will find that Hawaiian luaus can be a bit pricey. Expect to pay around $100 per person as a starting point, with upgraded experiences — like reserved seating, additional drink tickets, and souvenir photo opportunities — increasing the package price. That said, a trip to Hawaii is often a once-in-a-lifetime vacation, and a Hawaiian luau is an important part of that experience.

If you don’t upgrade your Hawaiian luau package to include reserved seating, be sure to arrive early to score a good spot. Arriving early will also ensure you’re sipping your first mai tai in record time and engaging in the other activities before the lines get long.

Pro Tip: From the servers to the entertainers, the folks helping to ensure you have a memorable luau experience always appreciate a cash tip.

The Best Luaus In Hawaii
Hawaiian luaus vary by island. Most large resorts offer evening luaus, and your hotel concierge is likely to recommend the in-house option if one is available. If you are enjoying an accommodation without an on-site luau, ask your concierge, host, or another local for a recommendation.

On the island of Oahu, about an hour north of Honolulu, the Polynesian Cultural Center’s luau is considered to be one of the most authentic. Transportation from Waikiki is available for an additional charge, and upgraded packages include lei greetings, canoe rides, and backstage tours.

Provided you’re not battling jet lag, try to attend your first Hawaiian luau as soon as you can after arriving in Hawaii. From the food to the entertainment, a luau is a fantastic way to learn about and embrace the local dishes, history, and culture.

October 16, 2020 Ag Tourism, General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

Puakea Ranch expansion approved

West Hawaii Today
By Nancy Cook Lauer

A special permit to expand the uses of a historical ranch near Hawi was approved Thursday on a 6-0 vote by the Leeward Planning Commission.

The commission approved the special permit for Lot #1 at Puakea Ranch after hearing from a couple dozen testifiers about evenly split between neighbors concerned about light and noise pollution, traffic and water allocations; and local businesses, ranch employees, and others who see the project as an economic boon to a hard-hit area and a way to pay for the preservation of a cherished historical site.

The commission adopted the Planning Department’s recommendation to approve the project, but added a requirement that before new construction commences, the applicant must give both the State Historic Preservation Division and the county Cultural Resources Commission an opportunity to comment on an architectural inventory survey provided by the applicant.

The Planning Department recommendation includes 20 conditions that must be followed and retained the right to revoke the special permit if they’re not.

Applicant Christine Cash, who purchased the 32-acre parcel in the state agriculture district in 2006, plans to expand the property beyond the four plantation-era buildings she previously used as vacation rentals to include seven guest ranch guesthouses housing 38 overnight guests. In addition, she plans to construct a new pavilion and parking lot and cater to events of up to 100 people, with two community events annually of up to 350 people as well as growing crops, horseback riding, equine therapy, cooking, art and yoga classes.

Planning Director Michael Yee, answering testifiers’ concerns and questions from commissioners, said action by the commission should go forward even though the county is currently in litigation with applicant on the project. He said a judge put a stay on the litigation until the planning commission acts.

The county filed suit in 3rd Circuit Court in late 2018, seeking more than $197,500 in back fines, attorneys’ fees and costs, an injunction to prohibit unauthorized activities and the demolition of an open recreational pavilion that was apparently built without a county permit.

Yee said Cash is working to get the property into compliance.

“Throwing the hammer of fines and fees is not always the most successful approach,” Yee said. “If we find a resolution, we will settle that violation in some form or fashion.”

Cash said creating a tourist destination is the highest and best use of the land. She’s put a lot of money and effort into getting the property listed on the historic register and she wants to share the history with visitors and the community.

“Who am I preserving it for, if not the community?” Cash said. “Unfortunately, small farms don’t make it in Hawaii without this added tourism mechanism.”

Puakea Ranch neighbors in the nine-lot subdivision testifying Thursday said Cash has been using much more than her property’s allotted share of the 5,550 gallons per day of water coming through the master meter that all properties share. Expansion will only put more stain on the water supply, they said.

Neighbors also said late-night parties with loud music and lights disturb their peace and tranquility and interfere with stargazing.

“The applicant is blatantly operating an illegal hotel. … This is an agriculture, residential area, not a party zone,” said neighbor Sandra Huntley. “This was our retirement dream and the applicant has spent the last decade ruining it.”

Others said Cash received her first notice of violation on the permitting issues in 2008, and she still hasn’t addressed them.

“This applicant clearly violates these procedures,” said neighbor Robert Morrison. “Anything but denial sets a very dangerous precedent for the island of Hawaii.”

Honolulu attorney Doug Chin, representing Cash, said he didn’t understand neighbors’ issues with his client, who he said has been working to restore the ranch, “long before any of the McMansions that have been built in that community.”

“Sure seems like there is a very profound disconnect between what people think is happening and what is going on … drunken hot tub brawls, rock music past 1 a.m.,” Chin said. “(This) pilikia is so hard to listen to. “