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We are considering moving to the big island. I get real estate updates with housing info on the different parts of the island. I have been noticing that the homes in Kau are much much cheaper. Today I saw a beautiful home on an acre of land for $229,000. That seems incrediably cheap for a home in Hawaii. Is there something "wrong" with that part of the island that would make the houses so cheap? Is it at a high risk for lava flows or is it cold or something. If I can get a nice house for that price I am packing up and heading over!!
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Yes.... to some of us.... it is halfway between Hilo and Kona (0ver an hour to either) and in the middle of a lava flow. There is little to no water and you NEED to see it before you buy....
Just another day in P A R A D I S E !!
I want to be the kind of woman that, when my feet
hit the floor each morning, the devil says
"Oh Crap, She's up!"
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Kau is considered by many to be the most isolated part of the island. It is a long way to shopping, jobs, medical centers (such as they are anywhere on the island,) and other amenities of modern life. Some areas are prone to vog, smog-like volcanic gas emissions, which can be problematic for sensitive individuals. The biggest subdivision, Ocean View Estates, is on the flank of Mauna Loa and thus could get lava. Rainfall in most parts of Kau is less than Puna, so catchment water is a bit harder to manage.
On the other hand, many parts of Kau are very beautiful, some people love the isolation, and they don't call it Ocean View for nothing. More sunny days are a draw for a lot of people. I know folks who live there and enjoy it very much.
My neighbors are originally from Pahala, and want very much to move back, but jobs are hard to find and commutes very long.
Hope this helps. Use the search function on this board to find out more.
Cheers,
Jerry
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We also have many friends that absolutley love Kau & live in Ocean View (some of our friend live in the upper areas). They have a small shopping center, small hospital/clinic and it is a very rural area. Rainfall has been very low this past year, and is normally low compared to Puna. Most homes have catchment like Puna, but unlike Puna they have much lower rainfall averages. Most of the area is a'a lava flows with very little soil, and in lava zones 1 & 2. There is an area in Kau that is zone 6 (from Pahala down to Na'alehu) with thick soils, pastures and a view that is absolutley spectacular. So if you have no need to shop much or get a job, this area can be magical.
sadly, I can't consider living in Ka'u because of vog. You should figure out whether vog bothers you before you buy real estate in a voggy area.
In HOVE, that flank of Mauna Loa, is right under the rift zone. I've read in the reports where they're concerned about disaster on the island, that a Mauna Loa flow can reach homes in about 3 hours from time an eruption starts.
This is due to the much greater slope. It takes days for lava to approach Hilo. I think HOVE is a fine place to build a low cost house but I wouldn't overbuild considering the lava hazard. (If you believe Mauna Loa has thrown in the towel and handed the job off to Kilauea, then no worries, but I doubt it).
Lastly, don't buy a house sight unseen in an area you don't know. Come to island and investigate first. It's not so easy to resell a mistaken purchase these days.
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Mauna Loa and Kilauea are different volcanoes with their own eruption cycles. Mauna Loa is overdue (20 year cycle?) and recent newspaper articles quote geologists in opining that its next eruption might occur near Na'alehu.
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Also it is a long long way to most recreation in HOVE. The closest pool is in Pahalo almost 30 miles away. Your twenty to thirty miles away to most readily accessable beaches, whether Punaluu
or South Kona. There are some 4-wheel drive ocean access areas in Kau, but still be prepared to drive a lot of miles when if you move there.
Also remember you can buy a vacant lot for under $20K now in HOVE.
Bill
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Les, From the geologists I have studied with (only a few here), I have not heard of any 'predictable cycles', and looking at the flow data from the volcanoes, I have not been able to figure out any 'cycle clock' that you can follow. Most geologists list cycles more as stages of a volcano, and in geologic time, all of the volcanoes on Hawaii Island & Haleakala on Maui are all still 'active', with the last known eruption on Haleakala figured around 1790.
Kilauea is resting precariously on the slope of Mauna Loa, and it is thought that it will eventually slump off down slope, but that is geologic time scale stuff. For a USGS note on the differences in the flows of the 2, check out:
http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs074-97/fs074-97.pdf
