Postal Tour 2019: Hakalau, HI 96710

The back-and-forth of the Hamakua leg finally was back to normal once I arrived at Hakalau Post Office, which has one of the lowest (if not the very lowest) zip codes I've seen in Hawaii. This is a place that is surrounded by trees and foliage, and the post office occupies what appears to have been an old theater. Halakau, part of the immense Hakalau Forest Reserve, is another old plantation town.

The postmaster there was helpful, informative and surprised. She was nice enough to dig out an old postmark that hadn't been used in around a decade. There wasn't anything she could do about the damage, but it was still cool to have the postmark.

When she saw my letter and book of postmarks, she said a lot of people who mail the post office with requests for postmarks. I was different, she said. At least I made the effort to be there. True. But it's also fun. Satisfying. And being in a place, absorbing the air and the atmosphere with all senses is what makes the touring worthwhile. To me, at least.

I ventured down the road a bit before doing a U-turn and getting back on the highway.