Serendipity can change lives. In April 2011 David Cox was visiting South Kona, searching for a property that he and his life partner, Michael Corbitt, could buy and call home. More than two weeks passed with no luck, and, feeling a little dejected, he was about ready to return to Washington, D.C., where they had lived for 16 years.

“Then I saw a backpackers’ bed-and-breakfast, which wasn’t what we wanted, but, coincidentally, the seller’s agent told me he had just put the ‘Kane house’ on the market and asked if I wanted to see it,” Cox said. “I said, ‘Sure,’ without knowing who Kane was.”

The Realtor was representing Deon Kane, widow of renowned Hawaiian artist, historian and author Herb Kawainui Kane, who had died the previous month. “He told me I might not recognize Herb’s name, but I would definitely recognize his art because it could be seen everywhere in Hawaii,” Cox said. “From the moment I walked through the property, I knew it was exactly what Michael and I were looking for. We closed the purchase five months later.”

It was perfect timing. He and Corbitt were considering leaving their jobs with the U.S. Department of State and the Australian Embassy, respectively, and hoped to start a business in Hawaii. Operating a five-star B&B was one option, and their new home in rural Honaunau — with three guest rooms opening to spectacular views of the ocean, coast and gardens — was ideal for that. And, of course, there was its special connection to Kane, who had lived there for 30 years with Deon.

Kane Plantation Guesthouse opened in July 2013. “Neither Michael nor I have a hospitality background,” Cox said, “but during my 30 years of travel for the diplomatic service, I had stayed in many different kinds of hotels in 75 countries. That shaped my beliefs about how a small luxury inn should be run.”

Discriminating guests will appreciate the high-speed Wi-Fi, plush robes and slippers, Molton Brown bath and body products, daily housekeeping and turn-down service, and audio system with iPhone docks and streaming internet music.

All of the suites have hammocks on private lanai; copies of Herb’s books “Pele: Goddess of Hawaii’s Volcanoes,” “Voyagers” and “Ancient Hawai’i”; and examples of his work, both original sketches and giclees.

In addition, the Kawainui Suite offers a large lanai with a daybed, lounge chairs and dining area.

The 840-square-foot Kanaloa Suite features indoor and outdoor showers and a separate dining room, living room and bedroom.

Originally Deon’s music and reception room (she is a gifted pianist and harpist), the Kane Suite includes books from the Kanes’ library; a koa bed and two nightstands designed by Kane for their bedroom; and an in-room garden accessed through sliding glass doors. Its 10-foot solid koa armoire was custom-designed and built by Jerry Benson, a local woodcraftsman and close friend of Kane’s.

Guests can relax in the hot tub and sauna, which are surrounded by flickering candles in the evening, and have complimentary use of yoga mats, beach towels and beach equipment such as chairs, umbrellas, flotation noodles, snorkels and goggles. Laundry service and in-suite massages can be arranged for a fee.

Days at Kane Plantation Guesthouse begin with breakfasts incorporating harvests from its 13-acre farm, where herbs, vegetables and 90-plus varieties of fruit trees flourish, including avocado, lychee, longan, papaya, mango, orange, tangerine and guava. Menus change daily and typically consist of fresh fruit smoothies, seasonal fruits, yogurt, house-made granola, croissants, rolls, breads, muffins, cheeses, charcuterie, 100 percent Kona coffee and premium leaf teas.

Cox and Corbitt have embraced their roles as innkeepers. “We are inspired by the wonderful messages guests leave in our comment books and seeing their enjoyment during their stay,” Cox said. “Many of them come without knowing anything about Herb, and we like to share a sense of who he was. Every suite has a booklet that introduces him and the property, and documentaries about him can be viewed via our in-house video server. He was a kind, gentle, humble, visionary and immensely talented man who made significant contributions to Hawaii. His legacy and mana (spirit) live on in this beautiful and peaceful place.”

About Herb Kawainui Kane

Herb Kawainui Kane was born June 21, 1928, in Marshfield, Minn., and raised in Wisconsin, where his mother’s family lived, and Hawaii island, home of his father’s family. After serving in the Navy, he earned a bachelor’s degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a master’s degree from the University of Chicago.

Kane enjoyed a successful career in advertising art, architectural design, painting, writing and sculpture. His clients included the National Park Service; the U.S. Postal Service; major publishers of books and periodicals, including National Geographic; the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts; and resorts throughout Hawaii and the South Pacific.

Research on Polynesian canoes and voyaging led him to anthropologist Ben Finney and Tommy Holmes, author of “The Hawaiian Canoe.” The three men founded the Polynesian Voyaging Society (hokulea.com) in 1973 to prove that it was possible for ancient mariners to navigate double-hulled canoes between the South Pacific and Hawaii by the winds, currents, birds and stars. Kane helped design and build the celebrated sailing canoe Hokule‘a (Star of Gladness) and served as its first training captain in 1975.

Over the next 42 years, crews sailed the Hokule‘a to numerous destinations throughout the Pacific, reviving long-lost navigation traditions. The canoe returned to Hawaii on June 17, after completing a three-year worldwide voyage during which it visited 150 ports in more than 20 countries and territories around the globe.

Sadly, Kane did not witness that notable achievement. He died March 8, 2011, at the age of 82. That day marked the 36th anniversary of the launch of the Hokule‘a at Oahu’s Kualoa Regional Park.

— Adapted in part from herbkanehawaii.com

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.