I just realized you said the whole island, not only Puna.
I love the Hamakua coast. The dirt is really deep, no lava rock to work around where I live.
HonokaÔa is a charming small town with great proximity to beaches, at about 1000 feet at the top of it. Ahualoa above it is misty and cool.
The prices get better as you go east, and the elevation gets lower, but there are roads that go mauka all along the coast. Some of the mauka areas are still off the grid.
I live at about 500 foot elevation and everything grows like wild, but I wouldnÔt say itÔs not warm in the summer.
There is no real concern about lava inundation on the slopes of Mauna Kea.
There is little vog.
The weather is outstanding.
There are many year round streams and waterfalls.
Low crime -- when Prosecutor Mitch Roth came out to talk to our area about crime and crime prevention, he told us that compared to Puna we donÔt even have crime, our stats are so low.
County water is mostly available, and we have broadband cable even though we are rural ag land, which much of rural Puna will not have for years if ever.
All these pluses are reflected in higher property values.
Gardening and orchards --
As with Puna, there are invasive pest plants, although they tend to be different ones. The strawberry guava is not a problem in my area, but the California grass is. No albizzia problem, but African Tulip Trees are constantly sprouting everywhere they are not wanted.
I do not have (so far) the semi-slug, the stinging nettle caterpillar, or the little fire ants (but the LFA are here on the coast). I have coqui, bufo toads, mongoose, pigs, and feral poultry for pests.
Speaking of feral pigs, they are all over the island and they can really tear up a garden, so an area you can fence (pig fencing, not sissy fencing) might be a strong consideration. I donÔt have money to fence now and I wish that I had done it or bought a place with fencing.
Hamakua Coast contains much of the prime agricultural land on this island, due to the deep soil.
North Kohala windward is a great place to garden as well, but the prices are probably 1/3 to 1/2 again as much for a small piece of land.
Speaking of property size, more is not necessarily better. ThatÔs more weeds and invasives that are your job to manage.
There is also a whole area at the top of Hilo town that is cooler, also very wet. Good place to grow anthuriums and ginger and tree ferns. Hilo itself is very good for citrus, avocados, bananas, mango, papaya, lychee, various fruits. I lived in Hilo in Waiakea (lower) for two years, and we had plenty of food bounty from our yard. We brought in one dump truck load of cindersoil to augment the soil depth.
I really enjoyed living in Hilo, and I have to say the convenience of dropping into town is something I miss. I once went three months without needing to buy gas, doing shopping and errands, just not going holoholo. Gas costs are something you should think hard about.
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Best of luck on your search.
