See our
aerial video of Temple Valley homes and another
video of Ahuimanu homes.
Ahuimanu and Temple Valley are almost an afterthought often when people talk about the neighborhoods in Kaneohe. It's understandable. To get here from the central part of the town, you drive north on a stretch of Kahekili Highway that's nothing but untouched green hills almost the entire way. It almost feels like you're coming into a completely different town when you reach the valley.
The residents are off on your own here, in a sense, protected by the deep green valley walls that encircle them. That soothing natural coloring surrounds you below as well, carpeting the land in shades that the earth alone could paint.
The residents like it this way – quiet, removed and full of nature's beauty. It's why they were drawn here and why they remain. It's not a pure bedroom community, though.
Residents don't have to make the trek into town for most essentials due to the presence of the Temple Valley Shopping Center. Times Supermarket, a variety of eateries, a movie theater and even a DMV are all here.
That mall is also in the central area of the Temple Valley neighborhood. Smaller than Ahuimanu, it begins the moment you enter the valley from the south on Kahekili Highway.
The first homes of Temple Valley take up the entire right side of the road, next to and near the shopping center. You don't reach this neighborhood's far end until the natural border of Ahuimanu Stream, while the southeast limits are right around the
Byodo-in Temple.
Temple Valley is almost exclusively townhome and condo communities. All were built in the 1960's an 70's to provide for that era's surging housing demand. 4 communities make up the majority of these residences:
Tropicana Village Haiku – Built in 1971, with 108 townhomes of 1BR/1BA (884 sq ft) and 3BR/2BA (1,000 or 1,040 sq ft) and 3BR/2.5BA (1,290 sq ft).
Hokuloa – 362 townhomes built in 1973, made up of 43 different floor plans of 2BR
(1,000 sq ft to 1,330 sq ft), 3BR (1,216 to 1,770 sq ft) and 4BR (1,438 to 1,795 sq ft).
Ahuimanu Gardens - Opened in 1972, the 118 units are made up of 2BR/1BA (832 sq ft)
and 3BR/1BA (988 sq ft) layouts.
Club View Gardens – Built in 2 phases in 1974 (125 units) and 1976 (100 units), both
townhome communities feature the same size residences – 2BR/1 or 1.5BA (both 922
sq ft), 3BR/2BA (1,200 to 1,489 sq ft) and 4BR/2BA (1,555 sq ft).
Single-Family Homes Ahuimanu is the bigger sister here in the valley, taking up about 2/3 of the area mainly on the northern side. It's a community made up solely of single family homes, distinguishing it from its neighbor. However, it has the same green spaces, retaining a lush environment fed by the frequent rain.
The houses come from every decade stretching back to the 1930's, probably the first time modern housing was built here. There tends to be a fairly equal distribution of structures from across the years, so vintage lovers as well as those looking for something more recent will both have a good chance of striking gold.
Ahuimanu contains 2 communities that are differentiated with their own names, Ahuimanu Hills and Ahuimanu Knolls. Ahuimanu Hills is a collection of homes on the mountain slopes that are roughly south of the Byodo-in Temple.
Mostly erected in the 1980's, some were added later as the neighborhood expanded its reach. From their higher lots they look out upon the valley, the view getting better as you go higher up.
Ahuimanu Knolls sits in a similar position on the next ridge to the west. Certain homes are so high up that they can gaze east past the valley wall to the ocean. These lots were primarily built a decade later than its neighbor, in the 1990's.
Like many
single-family homes neighborhoods on Oahu, Ahuimanu homes take up 1,000 to 2,000 sq ft inside most, but there is a distinguishing factor here. That is the presence of larger homes of near 3,000 to over 4,000 sq ft that date to the 1950's through to the 70's, unusual in a non-luxury neighborhood.
That same pattern is apparent in the lots. The more typical 5,000 to 8,000 sq ft range is found on many properties, but there's also an unusually large number with over 10,000 sq ft. In fact, some take that up to over 40,000 sq ft on up to an entire acre. The district's beginnings as the Country part of Kaneohe are certainly much of the reason for this.
That Country feel isn't as prevalent due to the growth of this neighborhood and Temple Valley, but the 2 communities have held firmly onto their rural feel. The low-rise profile, the greenery that prevails year-round and that separation from the rest of Kaneohe has preserved a certain tranquility. Come into the valley and you'll feel it, too. Trust us, it feels pretty good.
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