Hamakua

[BI-Curious]

If there were no impediments (like money, job, etc), would you like to live in Hamakua? Why (or why not)?
Thanks from the newbie!

[Guest]

Most of Hamakua is absolutely gorgeous, The views are breath taking. The wind is pretty constant, so you learn to play with the wind. You aim your golf ball away from the green to hit the green, You aim 5 feet outside the goal posts to score in soccer. If you had some good kites or heavy duty Frisbee's the wind can be fun. The soil, water, and air seem to be better than any where else on the island. As long as you don't move next door to Roseanne Barr or have to commute to work every day you could do much worse than Hamakua. Love the fishing, diving, and rainbows out that side too.

[coppercoin40]

Why wouldn't ya want to live next to Roseanne? We watched her show about Hawaiian nut farm and ya she is a little eccentrically kooky but hilarious also. It might be a hoot!

[bananahead]

10% yes (Waipio, Kalopa, Onomea Bay area) other 90% NO WAY!

negatives..... too much cliffs (no real beaches), too far from a major town and needs (ie Hilo or Kailua, and airports/malls/colleges) and the 1st 3-5 miles up the hill is all messed up because it was all striped for sugar cane at one time (now open land is all invasive weeds or seed (GMO?) corn fields etc.), beside the Kolopa SP area's small native reserve, it is now mostly that lame ugly non-native mono-forest/ag-forest land covered in thick Eucalyptus ssp. or Ironwood garbage...

positives - more ocean views, less volcanic activity and less vog, and more deep soil

Puna has alot of pristine areas with nearly 100% native forests mixed in between the subdivisions and is closer to the Volcano Park, Hilo etc. ... the 'REAL Hawaii'

******************************************************************
save our indigenous and endemic Hawaiian Plants... learn about them, grow them, and plant them on your property, ....instead of all that invasive non-native garbage I see in most yards... aloha

[missydog1]

Yes.
IÔd be happy to live in HonokaÔa. Neat village, has the PeopleÔs Theater, has a clinic, hospital, views. Decent drive to great beach.

Reason I donÔt ... money.

If by Hamakua you really mean the whole coast between Hilo and WaipiÔo, then I already do live here.

bananahead mentioned Onomea Bay -- that is South Hilo. (I live in that area.)

Hamakua starts after OÔokala, coming from Hilo, so Kalopa is Hamakua, but Laupahoehoe is North Hilo.

I looked at property all up and down, but I ultimately decided I wanted to be within ten miles of town at this point of my life. IÔve lived far far out of town in the past, but at this point IÔm not into the long haul just to buy something.

There is no really good full-sized market between Hilo and Waimea (although I think HonokaÔa has something). There is one gas station between Hilo and HonokaÔa.

ItÔs all very lacking in goods and services that are readily found. (The community group IÔm part of is starting a resource directory to try to address that and locate the hidden businesses.)

Why live here? ItÔs absolutely gorgeous.
The weather is perfect to my mind. ItÔs green but not soggy.

The air is clean most of the time.

The volcanic risk is 8. Mauna Kea would need to erupt. Otherwise I am good ... and statistically it would more likely erupt on the Saddle side.

I love the people here, most locals are from the plantation culture and theyÔre very caring, sharing, great sense of humor, and friendly.
Most all the new arrivals such as myself are awesome.

Crime -- we have it, but according to Mitch Roth who recently came to a community meeting, our crime is so low compared to Puna that itÔs barely there.
Soil -- we have all soil and no rocks. We are actually rock deficient.

The downside to soil is the weeds are awful and almost impossible to pull out by the roots. When I lived in my Hilo house with lava bedrock covered by cinder soil, it was super easy to weed.

There are some roaming dogs in the Kulaimano area, but I havenÔt had problems with them like what I saw in some Puna areas I looked at.

Then there is County water and cable broadband where I am, although there is plenty off the grid if you go mauka of the highway.

I donÔt know what else to say, but feel free to ask.
IÔve lived here twice now, 8 years total.

[Delta9r]

I lived in Pohakea for awhile, as well as Ahualoa. Worked for Harvey Reis' Ahualoa Sawmill, and it rained every day for over a year... I loved it, and wish that I could have afforded to purchase property on the slopes of Mauna Kea, but one could do worse than living in Puna.

I'm a country boy, born & raised. It's why I chose Hawaiian Acres... That and the fact that I could afford to buy land here.

"Life is labor, and all that is good in life comes from that labor..."

[missydog1]

I have a good friend who moved to Ahualoa a year ago, solar home, off grid. They use a fireplace all winter and there is barely enough sunshine for the solar in winter, but they absolutely adore it. Their garden is amazing. No coqui frogs. Too cold?

If they get in the car they are at a great beach in 30-40 minutes, in the sun.

Yes, one could do much worse than living in Puna. []

I am only praising the Mauna Kea slopes because the question was asked.
I also love the number of streams along the Hilo-Hamakua coast, and all the bridges, and also it is above the tsunami zone. Quake-wise, we are vulnerable.

As far as escape routes go, we also have only one through road that runs the entire way. There are some portions of Old GovÔt Road that can work as detours, but all come back to the Belt Highway.

The good news is that you can get through at either end.
As an example, there was a landslide in Laupahoehoe Gulch today, and the highway was closed for a while, then opened to one lane only (open now).

[Delta9r]

The water!
An old friend of mine has a family owned parcel near Akaka Falls, and they have water rights on Honomu stream, with a dam and an auwai which feeds his lo'i. (plural)

Another friend has a place up mauka of Umauama, and the views are spectaular! The streams are awesome, and we used to go swimming after work...

Oh what I wouldn't do to be able to own a piece of land out there!

"Life is labor, and all that is good in life comes from that labor..."

[hrooster]

1. I have never had to buy water
2. Trade winds are pretty reliable/remarkable
3. 20 minutes to town/job in Mauka Hilo
4. Deep soil. Few/no rocks.
5. RARE vog days


http://the-hroost.com

[Cagary]

Another thing you'll find out about in Hamakua is that if you're looking for land, the lots can be huge. In Puna lot sizes are around a few acres, but in Hamakua lot sizes are often larger. Twenty acre lots are common. That's a lot of mowing.

-Veritas odium parit”(Terence 195–159 BC))-"Truth begets hatred".