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Hello everyone, my name is Paige and I'm a professional cook from Northern California. My husband and I are planning on purchasing a 3 acre property in Puna this December. We currently own a tiny house on wheels that we plan on bringing with us. It is powered by Solar and has a complete gray water filtration System. Our plan is to live off grid and start a small aquaponics farming business with any excess food being donated to local schools and/or shelters. We visited the island last December to get a feel for the area and it looks like we are leaning toward purchasing in either Orchidland Estates or Hawaiian Acres. I was wondering if anyone could give me information on the areas of HA that are prone to flooding and some pros or cons of each subdivision. Also any tips for us as transplants to the island would be greatly appreciated. We are very easy going and respectful people looking for any advice to help us fit in with the community.
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If you're a decent cook, you should have no problem getting a job here.
If you plan on farming, check out the threads on rat lungworm.
Puna: Our roosters crow first
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and some pros or cons of each subdivision
There are many threads on here that do exactly this.
Use the search button. Enter the sub name and review - you'll find lengthy posts delineating your desire for info.
Good Luck!
-dwajs
-dwajs
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Most of the flooding in HA is between B and C roads, towards C. There's a flood map online. Of course there are some gnarly puddles on some of the roads, so good to visit during a big rain before purchasing.
Pros of HA: many like-minded homesteaders and tiny-housers. Little enforcement of building codes. Friendly community center and free farmers market. Cooler since it's at higher altitude than Orchidland.
Cons of HA: lots of wear and tear on your vehicle. Some areas have very limited Internet access.
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There's a flood map online.
Stare at satellite photos long enough and you'll notice the darker green flowing down from 1/A towards 8/C.
Some HA roads still have no grid power, so don't attract neighbors.
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Your tiny house on wheels will give you a great opportunity to see what the lot you are thinking of buying is like at night. Be sure to ask the owner to allow you to spend a few nights on the property so you can get a feel for how the neighbors behave after dark. There may be a reason why they are selling the lot.
The gray water filtration System is not as useful in Hawaii. Orchidland can get up to 150 inches of rain a year and H.A. can get more. You'll need to get a catchment tank and attach it to the rain gutters that come down from your roof.
Be aware that not all properties in Orchidland are spaghetti lots. More squared lots do come up for sale occasionally, Spaghetti lots can be rather narrow espiecally if you get the wrong neighbors.
-Veritas odium parit”(Terence 195–159 BC))-"Truth begets hatred".
-Veritas odium parit”(Terence 195–159 BC))-"Truth begets hatred".
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Second the Rat Lungworm suggestion. I spent quite a bit of time talking with Dr. Sue Jarvi at the Green Lake Free Info festival on Sat. There were many newcomers (<3 years here) talking to her & seeing their farming dream squashed by the Rat Lungworm problem here in Puna. We are ground zero & now Sue said all slugs are carrying it, not just semi slugs. It's a lot worse than the Tourist bureau/Public Health Dept. lets the public know. I never eat local raw greens & vigorously wash everything else even if not eating the skin.
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It's a lot worse than the Tourist bureau/Public Health Dept. lets the public know.
There's some advice: if you live here, don't expect the government to look out for you.
Rat lungworm: pamphlets and radio spots about the importance of washing your vegetables.
Dengue fever: pamphlets strongly suggesting you avoid getting bitten by mosquitos.
Right now it's mumps, but there was also that hepatitis-A outbreak. Recommend getting some extra vaccinations. As if you're visiting a third-world country.
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Hi! I live in Orchidland, I love it here. We do get a mix of folks, and that can be good and bad. But I do think that is true for every neighborhood.
On facebook, there are community groups for both neighborhoods, so I suggest you start there.
The disease issues are real. Rat lungworm, Dengue fever, leptopsirosis... all dangerous.
Dayna
www.E-Z-Caps.com
Dayna Robertson
At Home Hawaii
Real Estate Sales and Property Management
RS-85517
Dayna.JustListedInHawaii.com
Dayna.Robertson@gmail.com
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Having lived in Hawaiian Acres and Orchidland Estates, our preference was for OLE. Like all large subdivisions it's impossible to characterize an entire subdivision. There are different elevations, micro climates, types of neighbors, etc on every street. Depending on what you want to grow, you may find the lower subdivisions add to your options. People talk about aquaponics a lot, but I've never actually seen a commercially viable operation here. I'm sure they exist, but it's a lot more investment and work than they sound. I'm sure fish food costs crazy more money than it does on the mainland just like any other livestock feed. You'll never make the money back raising the protein compared to raising chickens that forage most or all of their own food. On the other hand whatever crops you are growing you'll have to protect from the chickens. Not just yours, but the wild ones too.
You won't be able to just pull up to your new property and start cranking out the crops. It's taken us over 5 years of trial and error to find out what will grow well here and we are learning more every day. Things that grow well for our neighbors just a few hundred feet above or below us, don't necessarily grow well on our farm. The four growing seasons aren't just about hours of sunlight and temperatures, it varies the type of pests you'll be dealing with as well. Most of the mainland seed packets they sell here at all the stores don't produce food here, and even the UH seeds developed specifically for Hawaii you'll have to try them all in every season to see what works for you at your specific site. These things take time with a lot of trial and error.
RLW is a serious concern and for that reason we only grow things to be eaten raw that are easy to clean, like tomatoes.
