Puhi

One of the Garden Isle’s most scenic neighborhoods, Puhi is drenched in expansive views of the forests, ocean and rolling peaks around its valley cradle in the Haupu Mountain foothills. Living here feels like you’re out in the country, even though you’re so close to city conveniences. Carolyn Price, local resident and Realtor with Oceanfront Sotheby’s International Realty, says, “Puhi and Lihue are like sisters, or even more like twins, in that they’re similar enough to confuse the two. Puhi is a bit farther south, but it also has business and industrial areas so it’s a good central place to live and work that’s close to the ocean.”

Your Puhi home rests against the Huleia National Wildlife Refuge, famous as the setting for "Jurassic Park" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark." And within the refuge, the wide Huleia Stream runs down to the coast, flanked by rich, undeveloped greenery and a circuit of ancient rock-wall fishing ponds.

Price says, “Many of the homes in Puhi were developed in the ‘80s and early 2000s, so you’ll find some homes might be a little more sturdy than in neighboring Lihue.” Puhi offers a variety of residences, including a predominance of ranch styles often in light-color stucco or siding exteriors. Homes of varying sizes share cul-de-sacs amid the tranquility of an immense forest backdrop. Standalone homes can range from $850,000 to nearly $3 million, or you can find two-story town houses built in 2005 at The Villas at Pu’ali for around $800,000. Contemporary condominiums are also found in Regency Huleia and Halelani Village. Overlooking the Nawiliwili Harbor, you’ll see extravagant mansions on hilltop mesas. The name, Nawiliwili, honors the legacy of the Wiliwili trees that in recent years, Hawaii’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife has been working to protect.

Public-school students may start their education at Elsie H. Wilcox Elementary and move on to Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School and Kauai High School. GreatSchools rates Kauai High School a 10 out of 10 for college readiness. Students living in Puhi may also opt to attend Island School, a private K-12 school offering an alternative education, small class sizes and innovative programs. Island School classrooms wrap around a green courtyard, and Niche gives the Island School an overall A+. At the Kawaikini Public Charter School, tucked beside a pond near the Kauai Community College, students embrace the Hawaiian language in a bilingual curriculum.

Your Puhi neighborhood is also where you’ll find the red-roofed Kauai Community College, offering more than 75 associate degree and certificate programs. A popular, world-class Performing Arts Center at Kauai Community College is known as “the entertainment centerpiece of the Garden Isle.” It boasts a 55-seat auditorium hosting more than 100 dance, musical and theatre shows annually. The campus is dotted with sculptures that signify the spirit of Puhi.

Residents stroll over to Puhi Park right next to Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School to play tennis, shoot hoops, or play on the playground. You can also walk to 2 acres of open green space encircled by a paved walking path at Hokulei Park. Freddie’s Dog Park, part of the Kauai Humane Society, is a favorite destination for Puhi pups. Dogs can run off-leash in separate fenced-in areas equipped with shady benches and picnic gazebos. And because the Huleia Stream feeds this lush landscape from the mountains to the coast, you can also drop in a kayak or fishing line. Along your Huleia route, you’ll see stonewalled fishponds, handmade long ago by native Hawaiians following an ancient philosophy of “laulima” which means “many hands make light work.”

Essentials aren’t far either, thanks to a well-stocked Safeway in the Hokulei Shopping Village where residents pick up everything from groceries to tropical bouquets. You can also pop into Aloha Aina Juice Café near Safeway for healthy smoothies, bowls and adaptogenic lattes. And when you’re looking to dine out, you can’t miss the vivid blue Mark’s Place, serving Pacific Rim cuisine at bright picnic table under umbrellas on the lawn. Mark’s Place is also favored for their small-batch cookies from double-fudge macadamia nut to cinnamon shortbread. “Hanalima Bakery is also a go-to,” says Price, “where people buy super-local types of treats like pumpkin crunch, malasadas and pigs-in-a-blanket. And in Kukui Grove, which we consider our mall, you have a Jamba Juice and a Starbucks.”

In peaceful Puhi, you can enjoy kayaking up river or riding the surf, while living close to a collection of conveniences — in a home sweet home that feels worlds away.

Written By

Lia Girard

Photography Contributed By

Harry Antipala

Video By

Samantha Houtchens