Kalako Drive

Kalako Drive is an approximately 6.5-mile rural highway located on western side of the Hawaiian Big Island. Kalako Drive begins at Hawaii Route 190 Mile Marker 34 and ascends east along the volcanic slope of Hualalai to an approximate elevation of 4,500 feet above sea level. The corridor is one of the main throughfares in the Kona Coffee Belt and was developed during the early 1980s.

Part 1; the history of Kalako Drive

The coffee plant was brough to the Kona District in 1828 by Reverend Samuel Ruggles. Ruggles imported Brazilian cuttings which took well to the wet western slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa. By the 1870s quality of Kona District Coffee would be recognized and branded by the local plantation owners.

The so-called Kona Coffee Belt lies at an elevation ranging from 500 feet above sea level to 3,200 feet. The area is known for consistently receiving more than 60 inches of rain annually amid temperatures ranging from 60F-85F. The volcanic soil conditions and proper drainage also play a significant factor in the consistency of coffee cultivation.

Kaloko Drive first appears on the 1980 United States Geological Survey map of Hawaii County. The roadway is shown only to extend to what is now upper Huo Street.

The modern extent of Kaloko Drive appears on the 1982 United States Geologic Survey map of Kailua-Kona. The modern roadway ends shortly east of Huehue Street.

Part 2; a drive on Kaloko Drive

Below the Hualalai Cloud Forest can be seen in around the Mountain Thunder Coffee plantation located on Hao Street at approximately 3,200 feet. Mountain Thunder was opened for business approximately shortly after the completion of Kaloko Drive. The plantation tour guide claims the facility receives 100 inches of rain annually.

Hao Street intersects and crosses over Kaloko Drive.

Kaloko Drive winds west through the terrain amid wide and sweeping switchbacks (six in total) to a terminus at Hawaii Route 190.

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