Is there anything GOOD about Puna?

[Adrienne]

Me again!

I really appreciate the responses I've gotten from all of you.

Rest assured my husband and I will LOOK before we leap. I am planning to come down and take a look before I buy, I'd just like to get all this stuff out of the way first to find out if I want to spend $$ on the trip. Thank you for looking out for me.

Now, is there anything good about Puna?

Why are you all there? Tell me more about yourselves...

Thanks

Adrienne

[mdd7000]

Lots of good.

But, my question to you is why are you considering moving here before even coming for a visit?

Again, there a are a lot of good things, but there are an equal amount of bad things that do not necessarily equate to anything you have experienced on the mainland. We visited a number of times over the years, checking out different areas of the island, before deciding on Puna.
edit:typo

[allensylves]

Sure, lots of good things in Puna.
1. Most of the time no need to water unless you choose a rare particularly dry area, unlike Spokane (no guarantees at any given time though - LOL)
2. No need for heat or AC. You may want a dehumidifier in one room for some things.
3. You can grow great tropical fruits.
4. You can grow some sort of a garden year around.
5. No need to worry about freezing weather.
6. No tornadoes and hurricanes are rare.
7. No snakes or alligators (or drifting crude oil).

Allen
Baton Rouge, LA & HPP

[Adrienne]

MDD - I was born in Hawaii if that counts for anything... prolly not much though since I don't remember it. I have family planning to move to Hawaii in the next decade. If we move it will be a slow transition... The weather is a big draw. I can handle the rain (I lived in Seattle for a few years) what I can't handle is the snow and the cold! After moving to Spokane from San Diego I know I can't go to a bigger city than Spokane, I just can't handle all the people anymore...

Allen -That all sounds good to me... hey! What about the mosquitoes though? Are they as bad as I hear? And is the threat of being engulfed in lava not as scary as a tornado? Do you have plenty of warning before an eruption?

Thanks!

Adrienne

[Rob Tucker]

Great question!

Two things still keep me happy to be here.

1. Puna and Kau are about the last broad grasp of old laid back Hawaii. Frontier outposts in a modern age. You can kick back by a coconut palm by the ocean and you know where you are. If you approach people openly and honestly they will generally treat you well (well, most of them anyhow).

2. Time travel. There are good things and bad things about being thirty or more years behind the times. One of the good things is that because Puna has been so neglected for so long it has not yet been paved over and made into a mid pacific version of Little Rock, Arkansas. One of the bad things is that people still toss their trash in their yards and along the highway.

I'm sure you will get a variety of answers.

Assume the best and ask questions.

Punaweb moderator

[allensylves]

Mosquitoes seem to be location specific. We have one house in HPP that is fairly open and no problem with mosquitoes. The other house in HPP has a lot of trees around it and has a bad mosquito problem. Plus it has a low-lying lot next door that probably has standing water under the weeds.
Again, you really have to look carefully at and around each specific lot you consider.

The lava from Madame Pele is much more courteous than hurricanes and tornadoes. There is generally ample time to evacuate with your belongings. Some people even moved houses and a church. Not if your house is slab-on-grade though.

Allen
Baton Rouge, LA & HPP

[Carey]

Mosquitos are not like giants like up north. I am a mosquito magnet & used to spend the summer months with the itchies. Most people here get bites that welt up the first few months, and mostly they seem to be ankle biters, After a few months, you barely notice the little tiny buggers (even me, haven't had a welt in over 4 years!). As Allen stated, the best way to avoid them is to avoid standing water nearby...

Lava on the east side is much more leisurely. It can take months to roll down to the ocean.... The 1990's Kalapana flow included many house movings .... so there was time to plan. The Kona side is much different, all of the historical Kona flows made it from rift to ocean in hours - a couple of days.... most with no time to move out (Hawaii County is very serious when they warn that a Kona flow could cause major property damage....

ETA: THE GOOD
1. The color of the water & waves
2. The family like friends
3. The fruits & flowers
4. The diversity of so much
5. The night sky
6. The mountains
7. The proximity to a state university
8. The rain & double + rainbows
9. The small town "down home" feel
I wish you every good thing on your explorations here. But when you visit, take on the adventure as if you lived here...go to the stores, go to social events, and esp. for you, go into the schools, get to know as many people as you can, before & during your visit....

[Adrienne]

How do you move a house? And where would you move it to?

Adrienne

[Carey]

1. hire a big rig truck with structure moving experience
2. have them move the house
OK, that probably wasn't the answer you wanted... a house on a foundation can be cut from the foundation - foundation anchor bolts or cutting off the posts on a post & pier. The house is jacked with large timbers or beams, moved to a wide load float bed. then slowly moved to another lot (either have 2 to begin with or buy one when the lava starts moving.... some of the Kalapana houses were set up at a staging area while new lots were obtained..)
Houses & other structures, even brick ones, are moved all over the world, this is neither new technology, nor limited to this island.
2.

[John S. Rabi]

Yep, Rob nailed it down! I think one of the greatest thing about Puna overall is that you can be as social or as unsocial as you want to be and nobody would give a damn about it. You don't have to keep up with the Joneses, you can dress any way you want to and you can drive any kind of car you want to, nobody will judge you. Puna is not for everyone, in fact, I believe it's only for a select few, those who are more ready to take on the challenges life throws at them.

There are people who love Puna (like I do) and there are people who hate Puna (like my wife does) and while we discuss Puna as a whole here, just remember that the district is larger than the Island of Oahu, and there are certain areas in Puna where I wouldn't want to live at.

Aloha,
John S. Rabi, GM,PB,ABR,CRB,CM,FHS
808.327.3185
johnrabi@johnrabi.com
http://www.JohnRabi.com
Typically Tropical Properties
"The Next Level of Service!"
(This is what I think of the Kona Board of Realtors http://KonaBoardOfRealtors.info)