Ipu Arts Plus

Kona Coast


Magnificent ipu (gourds) are decoratively carved with Hawaiian imagery and dyed using an ancient method unique to Niʻihau island, knowledge of which had been lost for over a century until a scholar rediscovered it in 1980.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Kona Coast attractions

1. Japanese Cemetery

0.45 MILES

The upland coffee country of the Kona coast has historically been settled and worked by Japanese immigrants and their descendants, and this cemetery,…

3. Holualoa Kona Coffee Company

1.93 MILES

Kona Leʻa Plantation does not use pesticides or herbicides on its small organic-certified farm, less than 2 miles south of Holualoa. As you drive up,…

4. Keolonahihi State Historical Park

2.29 MILES

While largely overgrown with jungle and scrub brush today, this was once a major religious complex for Native Hawaiians. A heiau (temple) here was once…

5. Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory

2.31 MILES

A must for chocolate fans, these one-hour farm tours detail how Hawaiian chocolate is grown, harvested, processed and packaged, followed by chocolate…

6. Pahoehoe Beach Park

2.35 MILES

This little beach park is about seven parts 'park' and three parts 'beach'; the beach itself is small and studded with more coral rubble than sand. With…

7. Magic Sands Beach

2.43 MILES

About 4 miles south of central Kailua-Kona, this small beach (also called White Sands and, officially, Laʻaloa Beach) has turquoise water, great sunsets,…

8. Honl's Beach

2.57 MILES

If you're an avid bodyboarder, Honl's, also known as Waiʻaha ('Gathering Water'), may feel like a historical pilgrimage. It was here, in 1971, that Tom…