Bring almost nothing when you move

[csgray]

Some parts of HPP have more vegetation, the lower center swath has mostly ferns and smaller ohia with a much more open feel. I think the type and age of the underlying lava flows are the biggest controls for vegetative growth. There is very little soil here, as I recall from looking at a map with the dates of the flows, HPP was last covered in the 1800s sometime, but I could be remembering wrong.

Carol

[Midnight Rambler]

About the vegetation - it is drier in HPP, and because the whole area is a recent lava flow that makes a big difference in how quickly the rock breaks down and plants are able to grow on it. You can see the same thing (with the elevation reversed) on the Saddle Road, where the 1855 and 1881 flows have pretty dense ohia and uluhe down low and much less once you get higher, around the 20 mile mark. Also, there are some kipuka of older rock in Orchidland and Hawaiian Acres; only 400 years old vs. 200, and still without much actual soil, but it makes a big difference in the size of the trees that are able to grow there. HPP is almost all the newer flow.

[Midnight Rambler]

Also, about books - you can ship them Media Mail pretty cheaply. I sent a box here that was nearly 50 pounds for about $40 a couple of years ago (though the price has probably gone up some since then). The only thing is that there can be nothing else in the box besides books and other media (the rules for other things, like magazines, can get quirky), including any packing material, so your books have to fit exactly in order to not bang around. And obviously you need a very strong box if it weighs that much! The time it takes can be random; sometimes it takes months (it goes by ground/ship), but last time I did it from the west coast my box got here in only a little over a week.

[Lee M-S]

You can save a moldy book by putting it in the freezer for a few days. I suppose that would work for most other stuff, too.

Also, having a lot of open space under your house can help keep it drier. Ours is built at second-story level, with about 10 vertical feet of space beneath. We use that space as a carport, and hang laundry there. Also works as a covered lanai for parties.

I also leave closet doors open all the time (except when we have visitors), and spray white vinegar in drawers and other closed spaces to combat mold.

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Aloha spelled backward...think about it.
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[microage97]

Thanks everyone for your inputs! I am going to be trucking everything we are taking to Seattle in a 16' truck and then a 20' Matson container. I am thinking this will make us really pare everything down to the barest of items that we need. We pretty much are ditching most of our furniture only keeping out dinning table and one kids bed. Leaving the rest of the stuff to be clothes, stuff ect. I am thinking I am going to pare down my books to what I really want to keep and donate the rest and deal with any mold issues as they arise.

We are looking to rent a house in Leilani Estates.

[sputnut]

Thanks again for all the good info! We were in the understanding it was similar there to north Kauai where it rains mainly at night and early in the morning and is sunny during most days with a chance of an occasional passing shower always. We live in Illinois where weeks without the sun happen every winter, but with COLD, but we aren't fond of that.

comin' your way soon!

[PaulW]

Container? No, you should only bring what fits in a couple of suitcases!
After you've been here a year or two let the forum know if you think you brought too much or too little.
Welcome to Puna!

[unknownjulie]

YEp, I rented a UHaul and hauled all the boxes to the post office about 3 weeks prior to our move. (they loved that). Anyhow, with two crying children in tow, and me not using packing tape (quick trip to HD in Uhaul with said crying children)- I managed to get everything sent via parcel post or media mail. It was about a thousand bucks total from Austin Texas. And a quick shout out to the wonderful Post Office employees who put up with me, and did a great job! This would be far cheaper and easier than a container. Then, when we arrived in Hawaii, only two days later, the post office used a special truck in Hilo on their dime, and without me knowing it- to bring me most of the boxes. A few straggled in later, but also a HUGE MAHALO to the postal employees of Hilo! JUst FYI. Put return labels on everything with someone's address- since you'll be gone. Also DO NOT USE DUCT TAPE as packing tape! Buy the realdeal clear tape!

[unknownjulie]

I was thinking about this after I posted that it was about 25 boxes and divided by 4 people- this works out to about 6 boxes per person including diapers and toys, so I consider this "not much", but it's definately wise to bring more than a suitcase when you are traveling with multiple kids. Oh yeah, I also took a tv set, 3 mattresses, 2 computers, and 2 xbox's with games on the airplane! Now that was an entirely different crazy day! Oh, yeah, forgot the 2 carseats and stroller. Had to return a rental car in the midst of all of this, because my van was already in transit here! I got the airline to transport all of this for free! But I should have just bought the mattress toppers here at walmart when we arrived. (that's why we are using as mattresses - 4 inches thick) IT might sound like a lot, but when you are moving thousands of miles with kids, this is what I would consider the bare minimum for the parents own sanity.

[microage97]

Ya Paul It will be a 20' model not the super huge 40' model and hopefully will not be packed full tight. ya I have quite a bit of items like a couple of computers ect that I wouldn't ship via mail. We are paring down a ton so I think we are doing great but of course we don't know what we don't know. ;-) I got a nice set of Milwaukee power tools I am bringing as well as some shop tools. I figure it is the cost of the move. Thanks!