Sandgroper Bar and Restaurant, Haena, HI (restaurant) - Locating Tiki

T TikiJosh Member Joined: Feb 01, 2005 Posts: 735	T TikiJosh Posted posted on Tue, Jun 20, 2006 1:13 PM Name:Sandgroper Bar and Restaurant Type:restaurant Street:5-7130 Kuhio Hwy City:Haena State:HI Zip:96714 country:USA Phone: Status:defunct Description: Almost no real information exists about this location other than the fact that it shares a parking lot with the Hanalei Colony Resort (which is the street address above). Brian Hoffman, the kitchen manager at Scotty's Beachside BBQ on Kauai (4-1546 Kuhio Hwy, Kapa'a) used to work at the Sandgroper something like 20 years ago. He might be a good source for extra information. As far as I can tell, no pictures exist online from the place, but I did find one review of it-- the diner having been there as recently as the early 80's. Apparently an Australian fellow owned the place-- hence the name. A sandgroper is a type of burrowing insect that lives in Western Australia, but it's also a term for a beachcomber. After the Sandgroper closed down, it was turned into a restuarant called Charo's owned by....Charo (the singer). Rumor has it that the facility most recently has been purchased by the HCR, and will be used as meeting/convention space.
E EroTiki Member Planet Earth Joined: Feb 20, 2016 Posts: 1	E EroTiki Posted posted on Sun, Feb 21, 2016 9:56 PM I know you posted this ages ago and I only came across it when I ran a yahoo search...absolutely brilliant...to reconnect a few memories. I've often wondered what happened to the Sandgroper, its acerbic owner Colin Forbes, businessman, yachtie, who between his georgeous wife Kathy and himself cooked up some great meals which we served to well heeled guests who enjoyed being verbally abused by Colin. I'm not sure I remember Brian, just a lovely blonde waitress/potter. That was back in 1980-81. Those were great days, a time I am writing about. I used to walk to work from my shack on Ala Eke after days on the water. Thanks for posting this, it is lost community history! After reading your post I delved a little further and found that Colin died at age 60 in 1987 and there is a New Zealand "Colin Forbes Memorial Trophy" given out annually by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron at Aukland.... Apropos Tiki stuff. I sold all my small Tiki carvings to tourists to make ends meet before I got into house painting....wish I had kept a record of them....oh well one has to live life while one can which often means letting go as some of us know Take care bra CC

Name:Sandgroper Bar and Restaurant
Type:restaurant
Street:5-7130 Kuhio Hwy
City:Haena
State:HI
Zip:96714
country:USA
Phone:
Status:defunct

Description:
Almost no real information exists about this location other than the fact that it shares a parking lot with the Hanalei Colony Resort (which is the street address above).
Brian Hoffman, the kitchen manager at Scotty's Beachside BBQ on Kauai (4-1546 Kuhio Hwy, Kapa'a) used to work at the Sandgroper something like 20 years ago. He might be a good source for extra information.
As far as I can tell, no pictures exist online from the place, but I did find one review of it-- the diner having been there as recently as the early 80's. Apparently an Australian fellow owned the place-- hence the name. A sandgroper is a type of burrowing insect that lives in Western Australia, but it's also a term for a beachcomber.
After the Sandgroper closed down, it was turned into a restuarant called Charo's owned by....Charo (the singer).
Rumor has it that the facility most recently has been purchased by the HCR, and will be used as meeting/convention space.

I know you posted this ages ago and I only came across it when I ran a yahoo search...absolutely brilliant...to reconnect a few memories.
I've often wondered what happened to the Sandgroper, its acerbic owner Colin Forbes, businessman, yachtie, who between his georgeous wife Kathy and himself cooked up some great meals which we served to well heeled guests who enjoyed being verbally abused by Colin.
I'm not sure I remember Brian, just a lovely blonde waitress/potter.
That was back in 1980-81.
Those were great days, a time I am writing about. I used to walk to work from my shack on Ala Eke after days on the water.

Thanks for posting this, it is lost community history!

After reading your post I delved a little further and found that Colin died at age 60 in 1987 and there is a New Zealand "Colin Forbes Memorial Trophy" given out annually by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron at Aukland....

Apropos Tiki stuff. I sold all my small Tiki carvings to tourists to make ends meet before I got into house painting....wish I had kept a record of them....oh well one has to live life while one can which often means letting go as some of us know
Take care bra
CC