When you’re driving to Hilo from Pa’auilo, you’ll notice a road on your right hand side that looks like it leads to nothing – maybe a few houses but nothing more. That road is called Antone DeLuz Rd. Antone DeLuz was my Great Grandfather. He was a dedicated and committed man who cared for the ‘aina and the people who came to live there. It is he, whom the road is named after.

Antone DeLuz worked for the Hamakua Sugar Plantation in the cattle department. The majority of the land on this road was owned by the plantation at that time. Only a few acres belonged to people. Later on in his life, when the cattle industry started declining, Antone DeLuz bought land on this road from his grandparents. This was in the 1940s. It was approximately 205 acres of land. 

As the years went on, Antone used the land to raise his own cattle. Later on he opened up Pa’auilo Ranch. When he worked on this ranch, he renovated an old house there at the same time. 

In the 1970s, foreigners who had the money, started to invest and build along this road.  Antone was the person who helped these people settle down. He visited everyone and helped them immensely. He showed them how to kill off the weeds, showed them how to build things, and more. Mr.DeLuz was a mentor for these people. When someone needed help, he would get his sons together and make it their job to help these people.  

When the plantation finally closed and the county took over the road, they needed a name. All the settlers who had built on this road said there could be only one name that would  mean something; Antone DeLuz. He was loved by all of those people. He did pass on, but those he left behind will always remember him because of this road. 

Now along the road, there are many more houses and people than there were before; even though there are more houses, there’s still no water, no lights, and you need a generator for power.  Some of the DeLuz family who have kept their inheritance, have started to build along this road. Even though the majority of his children inherited his land, there are only six kids that have held onto it; the rest sold. Nowadays there isn’t just cattle raising on Antone DeLuz Road; there is a beekeeper and there are many more farms. If you go up there today, you’ll pass by a few dirt bikes and quads. Teenagers like myself use Antone DeLuz road to access narrow trails that make exploring exhilarating. In this way, as we appreciate and live off the land, the legacy of Antone DeLuz continues.