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I've been lurking on this board for a while but just started posting. I'm on other Hawaiian messageboards, and the attitude here is alot different than in some of the other ones. For the most part, it seems that alot of the folks on here are fairly new to Hawaii, ie: moved from somewhere on the mainland.... am I wrong about this ?
Some of the other Hawaii message boards, one in particular, seems to have alot of locals on it, born and bred, some of Hawaiian descent, and most of the board members live on Oahu. The attitude there is a bit different...alot of arguing about local vs mainland, and lots of Haole vs Local stuff. It's not all hate or anything, just some real tension. Some locals being really protective over the island culture and keeping it local.
What was the motive for moving to Puna ? I live in SoCal and have been to the BI, and I ventured through the Puna district....very rural, very beautiful, but not alot of development (that's changing I know). I know it's one of the least expensive areas to buy in all of Hawaii too.
I noticed alot of of hippie/alternative lifestyle folks living there as well, which I think is great. (I don't consider myself hippie, but definitely a rock n roll, NON suit kind of person) Alot of folks living on catchment water, some off the grid etc....Almost like early Pioneers in a way...living off the land, growing their own food etc.
The impression I got when I was on the BI was that it looked like alot of folks living there looked like they just kinda "dropped out" of the rat race style of thinking. Once again...I think it's great. For those of you who moved there for that reason, how was that adjustment for you ?
I know, living in Puna, there is very little big commerce ie : Big Box Stores, you have to go to Hilo for that, and you can be pretty far from ANYTHING if , say, your car breaks down or you need some emergency assistance. How do you guys deal with that ?
Also, how are the long time locals and old school Hawaiians treating you newcomers ?
Sorry, so many questions...I just find it very interesting how different the attitude is on PunaWeb, and am curious about all mainland migration to that area.....discuss.... :-)
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1)Puna rarely gets any vog produced by the volcano that has transformed most of the kona side to look like LA in the summertime. All the way from Hawaiian Ocean View Estates to Waikoloa is in the path of the fumes from the constantly erupting volcano. It has a distinct sulfur smell and is extremely irritating to the eyes and lungs. Some days are worse than others and not much is ever said about it because corporations have invested billions on the Kona side for development because its the "sunny, dry side" ....but the bottom line is...its not the best place for your health.
2)Everything grows here! It's a gardeners paradise. We love gardening and we have always been accustomed in the past to a killing off season on the mainland for most outdoor plants....but here everything grows every single month throughout the year.
3)Property taxes are very low. $630.00 a year for a new $375,000 home with one acre of property!
4)There is a new mall being built in Keaau. Im not sure what is going in there. Heard something about Lowes and possibly Costco. In any event....this will cut down on trips to hilo for alot of people in Puna.
5)Puna is close enough to everything (7-15 miles) yet far enough away from the tourist crowds and traffic that fill the Kona side and Downtown Hilo (cruise ship passengers).
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Puna does have a lot of people that "dropped out of the rat race", because they chose to. Its a laid-back, mellow place for the most part with some of the most stunning natural beauty you will ever see. In Puna, you have to be more self-sufficient than in many other places and that's a good thing -- it makes you think about how you use water, how much you drive, etc. You learn what your neighbors have growing and they learn what you have and you trade (my neighbor has coconuts and breadfruit, I have tangerines and lemons). You learn that the guy wandering on the street that on the mainland you would consider crazy is named John (no, not me or Rabi) and he's a nice guy if you just wave at him. Its a different world, but a good one.
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I'm somewhat sympathetic to the locals not wanting anything to change. But let's be realistic. Cultural changes are happening all the time, everywhere. And sometimes it's a good thing.
One of the reasons we are relocating to East Side (not Puna) is that the population to land mass ratio of this mostly undeveloped area is very good. We expect the changes that will inevitably happen in our lifetime will be acceptable to us.
And where else can you find this much aloha?
Aloha
Richwhiteboy
"The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder."-Alfred Hitchcock
“Sometimes the truth hurts. And sometimes it feels real good.”
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Well, just out of curiosity, why Puna and The BI intead of Oahu or one of the other islands ?
Like I said, in various parts of the BI ( I covered as much of it as I could in 10 days) like HAWI on the North Shore for instance it seemed like there was a hippie contingent running little shops up there. One very small bakery for instance I remember in particular, where the kid working the counter couldn't figure out the right amount of change to give us. (stoned maybe ?)
It was strange. It seemed very much like a "dropout" community, and I don't say that in a negative way, but more in the way of people who just wanted to live in a beautiful , remote far away from it all place and not be part of the high stress rat race. People who just said, "hey, I'm outta here" (wherever "here" was before they moved) Very laid back. I just wonder how they were able to sustain themselves on what they make owning those shops, cos it's not like there was alot of people going through there.
Being raised in East Coast (NY) it was so different from the surrounding I was brought up in, in a good way, I might add. Part of me just wanted to say "f#ck it" and just do it ...part of me still does :-)
Edited by - tikiyaki on 08/24/2006 12:41:30
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One big factor for this island versus the others is just the size and diversity of the place. The district of Puna is about the same size as the entire island of O'ahu. There's so much to see and do.
I moved here never having been anywhere on the island other than the Hilo airport. I flew over on vacation from O'ahu, landed at the airport, walked down to the helicopters giving tours of the volcano, and took the tour. When the tour was over, I walked back down to the planes and flew back to O'ahu, making plans to move. I arrived a few months later and have loved it ever since. That was 6 years ago.
John Dirgo, RA, ABR, e-PRO
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Oahu is the big city and the big island is like the country.RE prices reflect this.I don't know much about Hawi,but there are a considerable amount of "trust fund babies" on the Island (usually hippies).
Not only is there no rat race here but I have not experienced a "keeping up with the Jones" attitude either.
But things definitely are changing in Hawaii
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quote:
Oahu is the big city and the big island is like the country.RE prices reflect this.I don't know much about Hawi,but there are a considerable amount of "trust fund babies" on the Island (usually hippies).
Not only is there no rat race here but I have not experienced a "keeping up with the Jones" attitude either.
But things definitely are changing in Hawaii
That was my other guess...The trust fund babies. There is alot of this in SoCal too. I guess the hippie appearance is a bit misleading. Lucky them.
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I call them "Trustafarians".
John Dirgo, RA, ABR, e-PRO
Island Trust Properties, LLC
808-987-9243 cell
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