The Puna district has an interesting history. Hilo and Kau'are linked both geographically and historically through Puna. Prior to the arrival of western civilization there were routes that connected these two very different areas of the island through Puna. The areas they traversed included some stands of fairly intact native vegetation with little modern development, offering a glimpse into the past. The Puna Trail evolved from a trail system generally known as the ala loa or ala hele which served not only to provide travelers with access to resources with a given ahupua'a, but also passed through the entire district of Puna This trail still exists today. One can access it at the end of Kaloli drive in Hawaiian Paradise Park.
After Hawaii's first forestry law in 1839 restricted the removal of sandalwood trees, cattle ranching and coffee cultivation became the leading commercial activities. Before 1900, coffee was the chief agricultural crop in the area in 1899, the Ola'a Sugar Company was founded and the coffee trees were uprooted to make way for sugarcane. Fifteen years later the farmers would return to planting coffee.
Macadama nuts and papaya were introduced in 1881 and 1919 respectively. Papaya and macadama nuts have become the leading cash crops of Puna. About 97% of the states papaya production occurs in Puna.