Looking for hand-painted coconuts in Waikiki
 

Did a lot of searching online and haven't found any places that sell them in a store. Found some posts online that pointed to some shops in the International Market Place. But I went through a bunch of stores and kiosks there today and didn't see anything (except a few plain coconuts w/ mailing labels on them). Also saw some suggestions that they're in ABC stores. But I think I've been in at least 8, and haven't seen any.

Anyone know a store that sells these? (Preferably near Waikiki Beach, or at Ala Moana, but the more suggestions the better :))

Seems very odd that I can find several stores online that sell these, but I haven't been able to find them around here. I'm only here for another day and a half, so hopefully someone has some suggestions for me. Thanks!

I vaguely recall someone telling me that they bought a painted coconuts at a mac nut farm out near Kualoa Ranch.

You might also consider calling the local ABC stores you haven't visited and seeing if they have some. Might be worth calling Hilo Hatties too in Ala Moana.

Thanks for the suggestion. I wish I had paid more attention to roadside stands on my drive around the island.

All of the ABC stores seemed to have pretty much the same selection (except more food at some; souvenirs all seemed to be the same). Lots of coconut bras, but that's it.

I tried that Hilo Hatties too (sorry that I didn't mention it), no luck.

There is/was a shop at Fort Street Mall that carries crafted items. That's a possibility.

"The Islands' Best" at Ala Moana--call first and ask, they might know of a place.

Also a shop at Ward Warehouse that sells Hawaiian crafts--sorry can't remember the name, but it's at the lower end.

How about Dole Pineapple place on the way to the North Shore? Call them.

I would have thought IMP would have them.

Ask around--Bell guys at the hotels know everything! Good Luck, but is this the way to spend your last hours in Hawaii?

Well, it seems like a pretty memorable gift to send folks, so yeah, it's worth spending some time looking for them. I haven't started obsessing yet. I just happened to check a bunch of places while I was out.

This begs the question: have you called vendors in HNL to see if they carry painted coconuts? You'd think there'd be some there and you wouldn't waste time if they do.

Until this thread, I didn't have any idea on who to call :)

There's no way I could possibly go to or call all of the hawaii gift shops in the area. That's why I was looking for some guidance from folks here.

I think you might have misread my post--by HNL I meant vendors at the Honolulu International Airport, since that's what HNL refers to. ;)

Yes, I did misunderstand. Thanks for the clarification.

Found the guy at IMP!

Here's what I learned:
1) He was in a kiosk near the food court.
2) He's only there Wed & Thurs.
3) He does not have a website, but he does have an email address (PM me if you want it).
4) The coconuts have to go through Agricultural inspection, so he's handling the mailing ($10 each...which seemed incredibly reasonable to me).
5) He had about 15-20 coconuts displayed. Most fully painted, some partially painted. They varied in price, up to $80.



The concierge suggested ABC too. I asked a few clerks at different locations today. By the expressions on their faces, you would've thought I'd asked for piping hot lava. The concierge also suggested the post office in the Royal Hawaiian Center (didn't check there, since they were already closed by the time I asked).

Have you tried the Swap Meet at Aloha Stadium? I recall seeing some venders there that were selling them some of which were painted in NFL team colors.

Glad you worked it out! Last one I saw (not that I was looking), was at Garden Cafe, Hana, around 15 years ago. Wow--$80--guess they're Retro Chic now.

FYI, I was in Old Haleiwa Town yesterday and there is a roadside vendor on Kamehameha Highway (just before Kua 'Aina) that had a bunch of painted coconuts for $15 each.

Ah, that was the other place I forgot about! I didn't have all of my notes with me on my trip (technical difficulties :mad:), so I forgot about this.

I think the cheapest ones were $10 or $15 and they went up to $80. The more expensive ones had more detailed paintings on them.

Here are the details for the vendor:

Aloha Coconut Postcards
alohacoconuts at yahoo dot com