Hawaii is one of the few places in the world that has perfection growing conditions for the growing of superlative quality gange. Usually, you need good seeds and good conditions. Seeds suited to a certain environment that produce super dank might preform poorly in another environment. The Hawaiian Islands are a rare place were most seeds seem to perform well. It has a kind of magic. A special sort of "terroir" as thr French call it were all the conditiond: soil, weather, photoperiod, ect.... come together perfectly. Some kind of Island Magic- and there are an enourmouse amount of microclimates in the Islands.
So Puna, on the Northeastern Coast of the Big Island is one of these perfect spots. Here's my experience: Hawaiian buds are my all time fave. I smoked them 3 times on the mainland from a friend that was getting them from the Islands. The rest of the time I smoked them in the Islands: Probably a dozen over several trips- So i am familiar with the distinctive Island taste or magic. It is not that the intensity of the high but the quality/ taste of the bud- that fit the friuty, balmy, sweet scented environment perfectly- like a perfect wine and food match. The stoniest of the HI bud I got that was excellent high as well was from a CA expatriot surfer I picked up hitchicking in Lahaina. The buds were purpleish, acording to him grown in the Maui hills by a friend. When I busted out with my decent Cali weed instead he told me to save it. Rolled a joint with his friends at his pad- had me seeing ultra violet (this was in 93'). Best quality of high was from puna bud I smoked in Oahu (89') with my friends cousin during my senior trip. Other cousin that grew this was a Haole hippy from puna- superlative quality high and taste- best ever. Also smoked pako with haloe surfers (transplants from N CA that had been there for over 20 years. at the Waipo Valley after a sess with this dark green sativa dank remember sweet taste- setting, comraderie- transported to heaven. Had a summer NW swell and offshores until 1000 fin overhead waves with 7 guys out. Freak day- usually blows out by 0900.
This is a post by a guy named Motoco that appeared in International Cannagraphic about classic sativas.
HAWAII
HAWAIIAN PAKALOLO PREFACE
Hawaiian weed's fame extends to the early days of homegrown. In the late 70's when decent commercial grade Colombian would go for $500 a lb, the top Hawaiian bags would go for more than $2,000 dollars a lb. The equitorial islands tropical photoperiod and diverse gene pool produced what was indisputably the finest kind bud of the era. It was primarily south east Asian varieties acclimated to the region, but many of the first hashplants as well. Although the amount of Hawaiian pot was never much in the figure of the amount smoked in the US, it was easily the most sought after and the highest quality.
HAWAIIAN POT SCENE: THEN AND NOW
In the early days weed was plentiful and cheap because there were enough growers and few enough police. The reality of the situation is most of Hawaii has shallow rocky soil and is often nutrient depleted or extremely high in ph. The constant change of seasons makes it impossible to give plants any real amount of veg time so they flower almost immediately, and yield a really sad average of between 5-30 grams per plant for two of the three seasons. The long season is capable of growing large plants but many don't get the time to finish before the next season comes. But since there were enough people and empty land there was simply enough weed. You could plant as many plants as you wanted. And before the helicopter patrols you could plant giant growing long flowering sativas that would yield well. Each island had its own little flavor and specialty buds. Some famous strains of the day were Elephant ear, Buddha stick, Kona gold, Maui Waui, and many others were plentiful and easily available.
Unfortunately the scene today is changed quite a bit. There is endless helicopter patrols who make no real arrests but spend all day ruining personal growers stashes. Its very hard to grow commercial plots of herb in Hawaii, so its mostly personal growers who let off the excess harvests to the market. As you can imagine with yields being so low and situations so tough there isn't that much to go around. So Hawaii stays in a perpetual state of being semi dry and its a case of "who you know" more than probably anywhere else because there is constantly a harvest going on, you just need to find it. Since local grown bud is unreliable to say the least dealers started importing weed. Surprisingly today the vast majority of weed in Hawaii is imported Beaster and even mexican schwag.
There is plenty of local grown bud but since the helicopter harassment is so bad alot of it is loosely tended and rarely truely ripe. Growers make touch and go plots that produce midgrade type weed and thus they rely on alot of mail in for the high end stuff. Better local high end very rarely makes it out of the growers circle.
What people tell me about hawaii pakalolo prices is pretty much the same thing every time. Incredibly expensive or pretty much free. polar extremes. Shitty beaster 1/8s for 60 bucks or more quality for about 80 and 1/8. 600 dollar ounces are not uncommon at all. On the other hand since prices are so high many people grow their own weed. So you may meet a grower with a deal. Like my friend told me when he moved to Hawaii. He was there 2 weeks flat ass broke living out a van and couldn't afford any bud. He was surfing and met some hippy who offered to sell him some. My friend said "thanks man but I gotta save up for rent, I can't afford weed right now." The hippy told him to follow him to the woods. They walked down a trail and he showed him a little patch of herb deep in some bushes. They then walked further down and the hippy had a garbage bag buried. When he opened it up there was about a half a lb of weed in it and he gave both of my friends two heaping handfuls each for 10 dollars and told him "Welcome to Hawaii."
As far as finding classic pakalolo nowadays its really more of a name than a reality. Hawaii has 3 seasons per year and this means strains change 3x as fast. When first brought to the island hardly any plants do very well. But they get used to it and start thriving and adapting. That is one thing I've spoken to several Hawaiian growers about and they all agree its very hard to keep a stone how you want it there. They just keep evolving and strains don't stay the same. So the bud you remembered 30 years ago might have a totally different effect today. However the flip side to this is good news. It means new Hawaiian strains are being created all the time as they adjust. However they are more and more often having indica genes in them from the same old sources. The new scene has an indica fetish in Hawaii and its not good for native outdoor bud.
The best place to find old school ones is probably the hardest. The native Hawaiians are usually not very friendly in particular with white people and there is alot of racial tension there.
MOLOKAI FROST is one of my most favorite strains off all much less from the islands. I smoked it all up before I got a picture, seems how thats how it goes with the best weed. Molokai frost is like a tropical bubblegum. it smells like some type of super tangy bubblegum that might be named "tropical treat" or something like that. THE softest smoking strain I've ever had and smokes and tastes amazing the day its off the plant. doesn't even really need a cure, its just that delicious. its a lazy sativa, but I love her. so happy.
No for the bad news the bad news.

2 To to the overzelous, determined efforts of state, local and federal authorities under opperation green merchant, the amount of pakalolo (buds) grown locally has decreased significantly. To give an example, on my last trip to Hawaii- I was there with my wife for our friends wedding. Our friend had lived on the North Shore for a couple of years so had connections on the island. Anyway, this was spring of 2007. Got some buds for alot- like $75 an 1/8. Anyway it was from a local source and I was willing to spend xtra for quality tropical buds. I was looking forward to it, it had been a while since I smoked good pako. I was dissapointed. It was very good but lacked the "magic" I had come to expect or tropical fruit or whatever you wanna call it. Figured it was the result of basterdized strains rather than pure landrace sativa. Anyway, I was at a party outside Haleiwa, at the house of one of the brides best friends and I got on the subject of buds and one of the locals. He said that there was a shortage of Island grown pot a said that most of the buds then were being imported from the mainland. It was some quality dank, no doubt about that, but again you couldn't taste the tropics- it was a sharp departure from the taste and high I had fallen in love with.
For more info:
Qualiy Buds and Ideal Growing Conditins Also, some good info on Sativa (I was a big fan of Sativa in my smoking Days).
Some places offer ideal conditions for growing buds like the Hawaiian Islands, Blue Mountains of Jamaica, Pearl Islands and foothills of the southern banks of the Panama Canal in Panama. Santa Marta Foothills in Columbia. Southern Sierra Nevadas in Mexico. Nepalese and Kashmiri Himilayan Foothills, Hindu Kush Mountains in Afganistan, Northern California and Southern Oregon especially the area around Garberville in Humboldt County, Matanuska Valley in Alaska during its short season (maybe).
Another informative thread is about clasic strains (semi indigenous). Term used is landrace: Puna Buds, Kona Gold, Kaui Electric, Maui Wowe, Molakai Frost, and a few other landrace sativas that are being kept alive by someone hopefully so they are not lost to history. Undoubtedly strains like sweet island skunk contains some of these noble genes:
THE ISLANDS
Hawaiian
Hawaiian a true classic. There is something special about a good island herb, and Hawaiian is among the best. When properly grown outdoors it has a wonderful and unique bouquet of fruity spice, similar to the sweetness of the fine Thai, but with a kind of tangy taste.
Good Hawaiian herb has always been a devastatingly powerful experience for me. It is very psychedelic and internally focused, contemplative and overpoweringly meditative. A Walk with the King, a Dance with the Queen, and a sunset on the beach! Aah... Hawaiian!
I have tried to equal the Hawaiian experience outdoor on the mainland, and indoors, with no success. Everything I have grown from Hawaiian stock turned out to be nowhere near the quality of the parent stock. This is true for three generations of trials. The product from Hawaiian seed was equal to the best plants grown from mid-quality Colombian stock!
This led me to a hypothesis about Hawaii: that just about any stock grown in Hawaii will turn out to be of unique and relatively high quality. Hawaii just happens to be one of those special places, I suppose.