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Moving to HawaiiThe and Hawaii ... Travel Ezine, dated 06/17/01, by Lisa Weber++++ In this Issue ++++ 01. Title Article - Moving to Hawaii 02. Travels deals - cruises, oahu, maui 03. Hawaiian Word - makaha 04. Hawaiian article - travelogue 05. Website - nani mau gardens 06. Featured Links - 01. --- Moving to Hawaii --- Many people visit Hawaii once, and decide they want to live here. Maybe when they retire, maybe in one year, maybe now. The people who find it easiest to move here are the rich (of course), military personnel, and younger adults who don't mind working a second job as a bartender and whose wordly possesions can fit in a duffel bag. What if you have a houseful of stuff, an average amount of money, don't want to work two jobs, and don't have an Uncle Sam to pay for it? Well, since many locals are moving out, and the average stay for people who make the move is about 2 years, maybe we should examine if the move is worth it first. Reasons why living in Hawaii is great: -- Very low occurence of person to person crime. This is my favorite - I work in Hilo, and frequently walk around town on my meal break for exercise (I work shift work, so sometimes my meal break is at 2 am or 10 pm). Hilo has a population of about 40,000. I have never encountered a problem. In fact, when it's raining, people often stop on the street and offer me a ride. Even in Honolulu, a large American city by any standards, the violent crime rate is very low. -- Tons of outdoor activities all year long. In Hilo, in the Keaukaha area, starting in June and ending when school goes back in session, a tent city goes up at a popular local beach park. Many local families actually move out to the tent (or tarp) and spend the entire summer at the beach. The aunties and uncles who don't have to go to work spend the time talking story, watching the kids, cooking food, and just hanging out. The kids surf, fish, swim, snorkel, and kayak from sunup to sundown. Even if you aren't going to live on the beach every summer, you can still do practically anything every day. When I am on the night shift, I try and go out in my kayak at least twice a week after work. I have a friend who surfs *every day* before work. My husband and his friends go on an overnight fishing trip about once a month. Outdoor recreation is a way of life. -- Friendly people People are very friendly here - it seems I can always tell the tourists because they are the strangers who don't look at me and smile and say hello when I walk by. Locals open doors, talk to strangers, and even let you go first in traffic. -- Great weather I remember nasty, stick, sweaty hot from the summers in Illinois, and bitter, chilling cold from the winters. Here, its just nice - all the time. It never gets too hot, and it never gets too cold - and if its raining where you are, just drive to another part of the island and it will be nice. Reasons why living in Hawaii is not so great: -- The Economy The economy is almost 100% tourist driven. The military takes up some of the slack, and agriculture (coffee, mac nuts) is forging a new road, but Hawaii has never recovered from the loss of the sugar industry. The newspapers say that is changing - but I haven't seen any real evidence. -- Joblessness The jobless rate on the Big Island is at 11%! Not enough jobs for too many people. -- High prices with low wages Cars, groceries, gas ... these prices are all much higher than on the mainland (have to be shipped out), while salaries are all much lower on the mainland. Hmmm. -- Racism (or anti-haoleism) Haole is the local word for whites. This can be used in a derogatory way, but usually is not. The United States government imprisoned the last Hawaiian Queen in her castle and stole her land. This is a fact. There are some here that look upon every white american as a perpetrator of this action, but not many. I personally have *never* had any sort of a problem, and I am about as white as they come. I only mention it because some people do think it is a problem - but I think that may be more in their head or because of their actions and attitude. -- Rock fever I've never experienced this, but I have known people who have gone absolutely stir crazy being stuck on an island. I personally think it's great, but everyone is different. Just be prepared to be thousands of miles away from everything and everyone you know and love. Still thinking of moving? Finding a job: I would suggest finding a job before you come, especially if you are going to a neighbor island (other than Oahu). Here's some Hawaii job sites: http://www.federaljobsearch.com/Hawaii.asp http://www.co.maui.hi.us/departments/Personnel/employmentOpportunities.php http://www.hawaii-county.com/civil_serv/civ_serv.htm http://agency.governmentjobs.com/honolulu/default.cfm?action=jobs http://www.altres.com/staffing/ http://www.ehawaiigov.org/dhrd/statejobs/html/ Finding a place to live: When I moved out here, the government put me up in a hotel room till I could find a place. This was nice - but not always practical. I would suggest searching for long term vacation rentals before you come - there are plenty on the net, and you can get them for very decent monthly prices. Your rent will vary widely from island to island, and area to area. For example, where I live, you could easily find a 2 bedroom home for rent for under $600 a month. On Oahu, that would run you about $1200. Classifieds: Oahu http://www.hawaiishomes.com/ http://starbulletin.com/classifieds/indext.html Maui http://www.maui.net/~mauinews/framclas.htm Kauai http://www.kauaiworld.com/classifieds/ Big Island http://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/classifieds/ http://www.westhawaiitoday.com/classifieds/ http://www.hicentral.com/ Honolulu Board of Realtors Getting your stuff to Hawaii: There has to be a balance between getting rid of everything and bringing everything - because shipping over here is expensive, and yet, so is buying anything here. Unfortuantely, here on the Big Island, we see about a $7,000 markup on cars sold at the local dealers. We had our last car shipped here from Oahu, and we will probably have our next car shipped here from California, just to avoid this. Anything that costs less than a car will probably not be worth it though. You may find it cheaper to go directly through the shipping companies, rather than hire someone to do this for you. http://www.htbyb.com/ http://www.matson.com/ The dreaded pet quarantine: When I moved here, the quarantine was 4 months for all pets. Now, it has been whittled down to 30 days for pets that meet the requirements. I have heard horror stories, but my dog was fine. She was there for 4 months, and I was on another island and only got to visit her 4 times (I paid someone to come play with here three times a week). She remembered me, and had no lasting ill effects. Now she is old and fat and never does anything anyway :-). http://www.hawaiiag.org/hdoa/ai_aqs_info.htm Relocation assistance on the web Oahu http://www.hawaiishomes.com/moving.html Big Island Affordable Paradise: the Secrets of an Affordable Life in Hawaii (sneak preview of an actual book). http://www.hilo-brokers.com/links.html Major island's data book and newcomers guide http://www.ehawaiigov.org/living/html/newcomer.html state government links http://www.paradiserelocation.com/ e-book (FYI, I never read it) hawaii.com info -- Some oddities I thought I'd mention ** Many house windows are louvered, like in Florida. ** Don't expect dirt on the Big Island - if your grass can't grow in cinder, you won't have any (unless you buy dirt) ** The humidity and ocean air cause everything, including houses, to get a fine layer of mold on them - and any metal rusts very quickly. ** Don't expect air conditioning in any house you rent - chances are, it doesn't have it. ** In the rural areas, many homes are still on party lines and catchement tanks (all house water is rainwater caught and collected in a tank, like an above ground swimming pool) (I have one and I love it) ** Don't expect basements :-) I haven't seen a basement since I've lived here. Don't expect an enclosed garage either - carports (2 or 3 open sides) are the norm. ** Your house may be on stilts - keeps the bugs out and protects against floods. ** Don't wear your shoes inside other peoples houses unless they say so - ever! Very impolite. ** Don't be surprised if your kid's friends don't wear shoes at all, even to school. ** Don't look for signs that say "No shoes, no shirt, no service". I would be surprised if some men I know own shirts. ** Hawaii dress clothing is waaaay more casual than the mainland. Aloha shirts or muumuus are the norm, even by the lawyers, newspeople, and politicians. ---- I know it can be very scary to pack up and leave the mainland, with it's thousands of miles of comforting land spanning out around you. In my opinion, it's very worth it too. Traveling to Molokai? Stay at Paniolo Hale condos, one of the finest lodging choices on the island at a very inexpensive price. Paniolo Hale Condos, Unit R-2 This is a fully furnished condo, which sleeps 4, and has 2 full baths, with a spacious upper bedroom, futon couch/bed lower level, and all amenities (large screened lanai (porch), pool, barbecue grill, nearby beaches). ---Hawaiian Word of the Week--- makaha - (mah kah hah) - fierce, savage, ferocious 04. ---Hawaiian Article/Information Watch--- http://doctorsshopper.com/ds_a_hawaii.htm 10 day Hawaii Travelogue 3 days on Oahu, 2 on Maui, and 4 on the Big Island, with pictures. They did all the big stuff on each island. 05. --- Hawaiian Website Watch --- http://www.nanimau.com/ Nani Mau Gardens - on the Hilo side of the Big Island. A great place to get married or have an event. Verry pretty pictures. 07. --- Featured Guidebook --- http://www.wizardpub.com/bigisland/bigisland.html Hawaii the Big Island Revealed Visit this site if for nothing more than to see the cover of the book - On the |
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