Moving to puna

[Mattler]

We live in rainy Eureka ( humboldt ) CA. Big redwoods and a lot of rain, we are looking at a place in fear forest, can anyone give me any info, rain, sun, safety, etc,

Any info will help alot

[csgray]

We came from the cool and rainy Willamette Valley in Oregon and thought we would want to live mauka too, but were surprised to find that we preferred it lower down. Based on our experience I would say to wait until you've checked out all the different micro climates in Puna before you permanently settle on one particular neighborhood.

Carol

[Rob Tucker]

"Fear forest". That's new... A typo... no problemo.

Welcome to Punaweb.

[mac nut]

I would never move to a place called fear forest

[Hawnjigs]

Is that what "Fern Forest" is called nowadays? Well, it does have a history...
Smack dab in the rain belt - 200+" per year according to the old rainfall map.

Aloha aina, aloha kai

[dakine]

I moved here from Humboldt Co more than 35 years ago.. and have lived on several parts of the island including in the Volcano area which is pretty much the same climate as Fern Forest. I would suggest that unless you really love the fog belt and never long to get out of there and head to the river you might consider exploring other options. When you say lots of rain.. the amount of rain that falls on Fern Forest in any given year is like one of those years in Hummoldt Co when the Ell river floods and leaves those high water marks way up the trunks of the redwoods. The often repeated advice given here by many who have come before you, to come on over and give yourself a chance to explore before you settle down, is damn good if you can arrange to do it. Good luck to you!

[Kiana]

I, too, hope that you can check out different areas before making a final choice. Elevations and neighborhoods in Puna vary greatly, making it the special place that it is. If you can rent before buying, do so.

We visited here and were part time for 10+ years before moving permanently, and finally settled and purchased our home at the 600' elevation. We have lots of sun when our neighbors up mauka a few blocks are socked in with rain, so even a small bit of elevation change can make a huge difference. We also get plenty of rain to fill our catchment and give us a lush acre to grow food and lovely flora. Closer to the ocean/lower is much drier and hotter, which is great if that is what you need.

We also lived on the rainy Oregon coast (the cold paradise!), so rain is something we are comfortable with. I think that is why so many from the PNW do well here in Puna, and perhaps why those from drier climes prefer the Kona side. Good luck with your search. Fern Forest is quite rainy.

[bluesboy]

i live at 1600' on Kilauea and feel like i get a lot of sunshine. it's not just elevation dependent on Kilauea, it is also how close you are to Mauna Loa. Mauna Loa is the real cloudstopper/rainmaker, so if you're in Glenwood, you're gonna get a lot more rain than someone 3-5 south of there. So the back of Fern Forest gets less rain than the front (educated guess). The boundary between Kilauea and Mauna Loa in Fern Forest is around Leila, i believe. It's definitely where the South Glenwood road stops going down and starts going up again.

[Guest]

I wonder, if you were renting for a little while, how you could really figure out the climate of a house or area you wwere looking at without living in that particular area...

I mean, If you just visit a few times or drive by, is that a fair gauge of what an area is like ?

[ericlp]

Ask around... You'll never truly know since some years can be more dryer or wetter. If someone on here asked me about Hawaiian Beaches close to the park. I'd tell em it's pretty much dry here and hot for the most part. It's how I expect it to be. I wanted it warm and sunny. Not cold, damp, rainy with a hint of mold in the air. Nope... Not here. I'd say at the top of the subdivision gets more rain but not a huge amount more. Maybe after going all the way up to 130 you'd be seeing a lot more I guess.