The country’s last resort

As Turtle Bay Resort pursues expansion, the surrounding community already feels the impact

Honolulu Weekly
by Catharine Lo
Apr 26, 2006

In the early- to mid-1900s, life in Kahuku was simple but not easy. Workers spent long, hot days hauling cane from the fields. The regular hum of the sugar mill, the real and representative heart of town, marked the passage of time as surely as the sunrise. Trucks rattled, roosters crowed and dust settled on the modest furnishings in the breezy plantation homes. The community was the product of their collective work ethic: steadfast and tight. The sugar mill had a movie theater, shops and a clubhouse. At the end of the day, people gathered with family and friends. This was life in the country.