Hello Amberskyfire,

My wife and I bought some land in the Puna district last year. We hope to be over there permanently in about four years. We can hardly wait!

None of the trees that need a cold winter, apple, peach, plum, etc, do well at all.
There are tomatoes in the Island, but I dont think they would do well in the Puna district. Too wet and not enough heat.

Depending where you are going to live, the district is large, the weather can be very different. Rainfall can vary from 100" to 200" annually. Also some areas have deep soil and others very little.

You should try to take a trip to Hilo on the Big Island. Every Wednesday and Friday there is a large Farmer's Market (and a much smaller on the other days). You can get a good idea what grows well just by looking around.

Best of Luck,
raywood69

Aloha amberskyfire,

I strongly second raywood69's suggestion to take a trip to the area before relocating. The Puna area is huge (although not as big as Texas!) with multiple microclimates. A visit may also give you the opportunity to meet your future neighbors who may be willing to share their gardening experiences with you.

If your future farm is currently established, perhaps you could find out what is/has been successfully planted and harvested. You may be able to locate plants that grow well under similar conditions.

Have you tried searching the University of Hawaii web site for information? (I was searching for information on plumerias and came across a free publication.) Their College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources has other publications available that may be of interest. Go to http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/ctahr2001 then follow the link to the "home horticulture and commercial agriculture" site.

My best to you.

chocoholic

My suggestion is to check out a location (especially here) for 6 month - 1 year or more before moving...look before you leap....

Unfortunately, visiting the area beforehand is not an option. Our case is sort of a strange and unique one. Due to a past traumatizing experience, both my husband and I cannot fly. Our only option to travel to Hawaii is by cruise which is very expensive. We are poor and can only afford to make the trip once. We have been living in an efficiency apartment for a year and doing without many conveniences so we can afford the move. We will leave once we have saved $25k which we will use to find and purchase the perfect piece of land.

We practice natural living - eating organic foods and we do not use plastics or chemicals. We would like to raise our children in the safest place possible. We decided on Hawaii because it has the lowest crime levels and the lest amount of pollution. Regardless of what it is like when we get there, we have chosen the island and the area for specific reasons and we cannot find a comparable area. Hehe, we are a bit picky. I have spent the last year learning everything I can about that specific area and the last two years studying all of Hawaii. I have learned much of the native language and am currently studying the history. Unfortunately, I cannot find any information on growing crops in the Puna area.

It seems like I may have to take on the job of writing a book on farming in the area. I think it would be helpful for anyone else wanting to move to the area for the reasons we are.

Aloha Ambersky,

You may want to check http://www.hawaiiinformation.com and see how the land prices have been going the past several years. I think they have finally topped out now (what with the rising interest rates and all) but they are not anywhere near what they were when you started your plan if it was several years ago.

Also, in Puna the things to check for are:
1. Soil (as in "does it have any")
2. Lava zones (some areas are much more likely to be covered by lava than others.) If you are going to build a house and want fire insurance (required if dealing with a bank mortgage) then you will probably want to buy land within five miles of a fire station so you will be able to get fire insurance.

Also check the specific area and lot for access (some roads are marginal 4WD roads), electricity (if you want it) and telephone service/cell phone service. More than likely you will not have County water service or sewer service. Water will most likely be by "catchment" (you catch it with your roof and save it in an above ground pool) and there are water spigots available along the highway for use during times of drought as well as for drinking water use. Oh, no digging of water wells, either. I'm not sure if it is because it doesn't work or if it is illegal, but it just isn't done around here.

Will you need access to jobs? Schools?

It sounds like you might like the Pahoa area. There are many folks there who practice "natural" living, although they don't all define "natural" by the same terms. The Pahoa area has no soil to speak of, just volcanic cinder which is actually quite good for growing stuff in. It doesn't hold water very well, though.

Here's the crops you listed and some thoughts on each:

1. corn - Lauffer's sells fresh corn in Hilo and it is easier to buy it than to grow in. They don't grow it in Puna, though, they grow most of it near Papaikou, I think. (The other side of Hilo from Puna.)

2. green beans - they grow fine, but need to be replanted every six months to a year. Lima beans will stay growing for up to several years.

3. strawberries - they grow fine, but I haven't ever had large crops

4. blueberries - don't know a thing about blueberries. Haven't tried them.

5. peaches - a low chill cultivar like "Florida Prince" does fine. Plant It Hawaii has seedlings as well as Paradise Plants, Garden Exchange and the folks at the plant shows.

6. apples - "Anna" and "Golden Delicious" seem to do okay as well as they can pollinate each other. I have a red apple from an old sugar camp, unnamed variety, which does well at 400' elevation.

7. pears - don't know

8. lemons - they grow well in Puna and just about everywhere

9. oranges - same as lemons and limes

10. peas - they are planted as a fall crop to grow in the cooler weather during rainy season

11. snowpeas - haven't a clue, maybe like regular peas?

12. pumpkins - kabocha squash (Japanese pumpkin) do well, some types of pumpkins get "stung" by fruit flies and don't set fruit

13. watermelon - they grow in the hot dry areas. I don't know about Puna, but a fellow named "Jefts" has been growing them really well on Oahu and Molokai

14. cucumber - stung by the fruit fly, but you can grow them in a shade cloth enclosure to keep the flies off

15. tomato - cherry tomatoes grow all over the place. The "inderminate" varieties will grow up to about twenty feet long and last for about a year. "Roma" and "Healani" do well, but anything much bigger than that or with a thinner skin don't do well. Pear tomatoes, grape tomatoes and I've had some "brandywine" that did okay.

16. roses - japanese rose beetles are all over the place. I put "kennel dust" or "Sevin" dust on mine and they do well. There is an almost thornless Hawaiian rose which does pretty good without dusting.

17. plum - don't know, haven't tried

18. peppers (hot) - there is a local hot Hawaiian pepper that will knock your socks off. Grows real well and gets up to a large shrub / small tree size. The peppers are tiny about one to two inches long, very red and very hot.

19. lantana - grows well

20. grain - don't know anyone who has tried. You'd have to hand sow and hand harvest probably since the soil is basically rocks. I've seen more folks use bulldozers for agricultural work around here than folks with tractors.

As far as getting here other than flying, there are sailboats tht leave from California and sail here. They may want some crew, you'd have to check the sailing forums. Generally takes about two or three weeks to get here on a small sailboat. Might be cheaper for therepy to get over the flying phobia, but then you wouldn't have a good reason for the cruise. The cruise would be more fun, too!

A hui hou,
Cathy

Oh thank you so much! Your information was very helpful!

I have been watching that website for the last year and a half. We are unhappy at the rise in prices, but there are still a number of plots we are interested in. We have a pretty good idea of the type of land we want. We would like forested or partially forested land. I know the soil is very shallow and was expecting to grow my root crops in raised boxes with purchased topsoil.

I appreciate the info about the fire insurance. I have read that it is possible to get fire insurance anywhere in the Lava 2 and 3 zones, but that it is very expensive.

We expect that we will be in an area with only dirt roads. We would like to be out of the way of the world. I'm a little bit of a hippie and really enjoy living quietly off of the land. My husband and I do not want to live with debt as we have had some bad luck in the past. My husband lost his job and we lost our house. Now we can never afford to buy another one on credit. I need a home for my children, so we decided to build our own home with our own two hands. We chose the Puna district because there is land under $10,000. We plan on paying for the land with money we have saved. Then we will stay in a tent on our acre or two while we build. My husband plans on getting a full-time job while I build during the day. I have designed a small but roomy Japanese style cottage that we will pay-for-as-we-go (literally board by board). The total cost of our finished home design is approximately $12,000. It uses water catchment and is completely solar powered. The only electric needs are a pump, a solar fridge, a few lights, and an electric wall-model water heater. We do not watch television. We are only concered about having a telephone and we can alwasy check for cell phones if a regular phone line is not available. The puna district seems to be in range of the cell towers, but we would make sure to check before buying.

I do not work. As far as access to jobs, we are from Dallas and are quite used to commuting up to one hour to work every single day. I am sure that a 20 minute drive to work for a year will not be much trouble for us. Afterward, my husband plans on starting his own computer service. We will own our car and our home, so we are not worried about needing a lot of money. I don't care about schools as I do not want to send my children to school.

You REALLY helped me quite a bit. We ar so excited about moving. My husband has a subscription to the Hilo Tribune Herald which we receive a week late, but read dilligently here in Texas. We can't wait to leave in October!

Mahalo nui loa!

I have been following your posts with some curiosity. I admire your families guts for moving to somewhere you have never even been to before. But I do feel compelled to advise you about something. Have you been told that the Puna district's main crop is Marijuana? Over the years, the area isolation, heavy rain and lava danger has discouraged development. Cheap land prices and a lack of infrastructure means a lot of low life, seedy characters. Over the years, Marijuana has been replaced by the drug ice and it is epidemic in Hawaii. I am not trying to discourage you, but before you put down your lifes savings, I think it would be wise to check out the area your looking at before you buy. I have seen this happen all too often, when mainlanders move to Hawaii with visions of a perfect paradise and find themselves living next to the family from hell!

Thanks for the warning!
Yes, we have been quite aware of that issue. There are some decisions we have come to about that.

We live in Dallas, TX. Living here is VERY expensive and if we stay, we will only be able to afford a cheap apartment in a bad neighborhood. It is common to hear gunshots every week and police sirens all night long. Moving to Puna would not be much different for us, but I expect it would be quieter.

We are trying to get a plot of land around 3 acres in size. We may also purchase two or three adjoining lots. I expect this should give us some small sound buffer from our neighbors should they be noisy.

We know about the tie-dogs and different neighborhoods. We do plan on staying in an apartment for a couple of months before choosing our plot of land. We don't want to rush into something we don't know anything about. If we decide that it isn't our cup of tea, we can always move back to the crime-infested streets of the city and try to find our way here. Drugs do not bother me as long as there are no gangs driving up and down the street every night popping off their guns and blasting their rap music. I don't care what people do in their own homes and I am pretty tolerant of those types of things. I expect our indoor dogs will keep away burgulars. We do not own anything of value. I believe in non-consumerism so I don't own anything, just my husband's computer, some furniture and clothing.

We are also hoping to find a plot of land in a neighborhood that is relatively undeveloped. Our beautiful home may cause some other small but nice homes to spring up in the area. Anything is possible, I suppose.

Our reasons for moving are not because Hawaii is "paradise." We have three main reasons:

1) Hawaii has the lowest crime rate in the country.
2) Hawaii is the only state with a constant temperature that would make it suitable for us to stay in a tent while building our home.
3) Hawaii has the lowest pollution levels in the country. I am a health nut and refuse to give birth in a dirty city.

We are also attracted to the low energy costs. Anywhere else in the country would make it impossible to live only with a solar roof. All other states require heating or air conditioning for the entire year.

We also need an area where we can have a few animals. I plan on keeping a few chickens in a small coop and a couple of dairy goats. We want to live off of the land a little. I would really love to live in Oregon, but it is far too cold in winter. Hawaii would provide us with a great climate for growing fruits and vegetables.

We have tried hard to get high-paying jobs and nice cars and live the "American Dream" but it seems that we have the worst luck when it comes to succeeding. Every time we think we are getting ahead, something disastrous happens and we lose everything. We move every year. We lost our home to foreclosure. My husband lost his job and could not find another one for six months. We have been to the bottom and back again so many times. We are terrified of it happening again and we are exhausted of the rat race. So many years of our lives have been lost being terrified of money issues. We have to get away and we want to eradicate all debt. This means no electric bills, no mortgage payments, and no car payments. Hawaii is really our only option. I am excited to move, but I am not like most people who have no idea what they are getting into. Believe me, living in a cardboard box in the middle of a jungle is infinitely better than this awful business-run life. By the time we move in October, it will have been two years since we made the decision and we spend most of our time learning about the area. I feel almost as though I have been there hehe :)

If you can think of anything I have missed, it would be a great help! Thanks so much!

Mahalo nui loa!!

Sorry to hear about your run of bad luck. Living in Puna is nothing like living in a crime infested city. I just wanted you to be aware that it does have some problems as it is one of the more economically depressed areas in Hawaii. Just take you time and get to know the area before you buy and you should be fine. Good luck to you and your ohana.

What a compelling thread! Not strictly 'gardening'...but a hundred times more important for all that. And what a brave and determined approach to the adversity meted out by consumer society - though I hope it's something that is actually realisable in Puna and not just dreamable. I long for these guys to succeed.

Steve - Brighton, UK

Aloha

I live in the puna area and wanted to give you all some support in your move. i too moved here so my children would have a safe and clean enviroment to grow up in. I have two daughters and they both go to alternative schools that we love. As far as the economy is going here, it is booming for puna, lots of contruction and a new shopping center in Pahoa! I too am buying land with my husband and there are some good deals still out there if you havent found one yet.
We dont grow too much food here, but forage alot for avocadoes, mangos, and whatever we can find in season.

best of luck to you both
Heather

Thank you so much :) I was still holding out some hope!

I too am following this thread with interest. I live on Molokai, which over the years has had many "haole" families who moved here with a similar dream. A few of them succeeded well enough to keep themselves fed, and they stayed. Unfortunately, most find it too difficult and are forced to give up and return to the mainland. (A good friend who lives "off the grid" in a beautiful valley has just announced that after 14 years, he's giving up and leaving Hawaii forever.)

I don't mean to sound discouraging. I suspect this island is tougher to live off the land than any other because of the uncontrolled insect population. I'm an experienced organic gardener who has managed to grow bountiful crops without chemicals in some of the harshest climates, overcoming every obstacle. But since moving to Molokai, I have lost every cucumber, melon, squash and pepper to fruit flies. Even cherry tomatoes and Roma's with their thick skins were filled with maggots. When these crops were gone, they even started stinging my snap peas. (They cannot breed inside them but they destroyed every last one anyway!) Japanese Beetles destroyed all the corn; nematodes got the lettuce; and burrowing cockroaches destroyed everything else before it could get past seedling stage. We have critters here that even the University of Hawaii and State Agriculture Department can't identify.

So it's good you've chosen the Big Island. It supplies much of Hawaii's produce and therefore makes an effort to keep insect populations down. (They have recently implemented a program with great potential for controlling fruit flies.)

One other thing I wanted to mention: your posts were unclear about whether or not you already have children. If not, couples without children are always in demand as caretakers in Hawaii. I have friends who have chosen not to have children, and they live a wonderful life going from island to island filling housesitter and caretaker positions for wealthy part-time residents. They work temporary jobs here and there, and they're able to save most of their earnings because they have almost no living expenses other than groceries.

Something to think about. ;-)

Thanks for the info :)

Yes, we have seen lots of ads for housesitters, but we don't wish to move much. We also have an indoor-only dog. My husband has a daughter, but she will stay here on the mainland with her mother and stay with us during the summer when school is out. We don't have kids of our own at the moment, but we love our old dog and I doubt she would be welcome.

I hope you are aware that your dog will have to be quarantined for anywhere from 30 to 120 days, depending on whether or not you can meet the requirements. The quarantine station is on Oahu, I'm not aware of anyplace you could hold her on the Big Island. Have you thought about how you are going to handle this, and if your dog is up to it? They strongly advise against bringing in old dogs.

LOL, yes, we know EVERYTHING about that. She's already gone through her first set of testing. She's nearly ready to go! I can't say I feel good about implanting that microchip, though. It's already cost $250 for her testing. The flight there will be a lot more. I feel so bad about the money as well. How horrible to drain someone's savings dry just because they want to bring their beloved pet with them :( A simple rabies vaccination 30 days in advance should suffice.

I brought 5 indoor cats with us on our move to Oahu 2 years ago. It was very costly, and my cats only did 30 days. Now, if you do everything right, your dog should be "released at airport" meaning she shouldn't even have to stay overnight. I'm sure you have checked on the new quarantine policy.
Good luck to you. Oh, and are you sure your new home will be approved by the city/county? My husband and I are thinking of building a bamboo home on our property on Oahu and thus far, it is not approved by the city/county of Honolulu.
And Devra is right about the fruitfly. It is awful here, I mean, really really awful. I made homemade traps using fruit-fly pheramones and that has helped but you have to be very diligent.
Aloha, and I wish you the best in your move :)

Yes, our house is up to code. I also have her papers ready for direct release, so she's good to go :)

Hi there,
This is a fascinating thread! I know you said that you didn't want to move around too much once you've arrived in Hawaii but you could try your luck looking for a longer term house sitting assignment. You never know - something ideal might turn up that could save you a lot of money.

If you are looking for a house sitting assignment why not use an online global house sitting directory service? Some of these are free for house sitters to use. Simply register as a member and create your very own sitter available advert. Here you can list all the countries youd consider house sitting in and advertise your house and pet sitting services to a potential global audience of millions.

The vast majority of home owners dont advertise their house sitting assignments, choosing instead to search our database and contact house sitters directly. What have you got to lose?

Best of luck in finding a house sitting assignment,
Susan Holtham
-------------------------
http://www.mindmyhouse.com
Bringing home owners and house sitters together online.

Have you considered using bamboo as a material for a temperary house?
There are so many good designs"out there" and its tough and easy to use.
It can easily be water proofed,and when you get a good design look excellent.
That of cource depends on weather there is any over there.

Aloha Amberskyfire,

When checking lots, check with the neighborhood association to see if they allow farm animals. Some do, some don't. Nanawale doesn't, Hawaiian Acres does, I'm not too sure about the rest. They all allow gardens, though. Some of them even require landscaping, but those will probably be out of your price range.

Your mention of an electric water heater was a typo, wasn't it? There aren't many solar systems that can run an electric water heater. We are off the grid, even though there is a power pole in our front yard, but that has an underground connection to the neighbor in back and isn't "our" pole - we just get to look at it. We use a Paloma propane water heater and a Trace inverter. The house is basically set up like a regular house (except for the lack of an no electric bill) and we run regular appliances.

Actually, there is probably more crime out in the areas you are looking at than in Hilo town.

A hui hou,
Cathy

I think what you and your husband are planning is wonderful. I think you're brave, and have a love of life. I read all your posts and it sounds good to me. I did have a question though: When you build your house, are you planning on siding it? I was thinking that if you didn't it may rot. Or it could rot before you're done with it? Like with rains etc..... Also, where are you buying land with the money that you've saved? I think I read Puna, but not sure. I think it's great that you are doing this, but I'm not quite clear on how the land is that cheap. I would like to buy land cheaply also. We are moving later on this year there, but hey, it's costing an arm and a leg! LOL! Or so it seems amyway. Could you tell me where it's really cheap, but nice also. We are from Connecticut, and would like a nice place like we're used to. About 3 -4 bedrooms and well, you know....nice. But anyway, I must say I find it so great that you both have such determination and have saved and all that. It's just fantastic I think.
~Erin

You've probably read this already, but keep in mind that it was written a year and a half ago, and whatever they say about a real estate boom, is just that much more true today. There are no great deals.

Here's another one:

One more. Starting to get the picture?

Hehe, all I really wanted was some suggestions on gardening, but I don't seem to be having much luck. I guess I'll just have to wing it when I start my garden, LOL.

Oh, believe me I know ALL about this. I'm right on top of what's going on in the Puna district. I have to be, after all. Our move date is getting close. I check real estate prices themselves along with news articles at least twice a week. My heart sank when I saw all of the parcels of land that once were $3,000 an acre get bought up by big business. Now they are ransoming it out for more than fifteen times the price! It isn't fair, but what can you do? There are still some areas available, but at much higher prices. It sickens me that these bigwigs can buy up the land and try to sell it for so much when they have never been there, never seen it, and have no idea what it's like. They don't realize that their parcels are in bad neigborhoods, are in a heavy earthquake zone, can't be built on, or are too close to lava flows to be insured.

We have dealt with what's going on and changed our plan accordingly. We were initially going to leave at the end of this year, but we have changed our move date to the first of October. We want to rent a room or apartment for a while and get a good feel for the area. DH has his own computer repair business and I am a photographer and also have an online business which makes QUITE a bit of money, so finding jobs there is not an issue for us. We can literally transfer nearly anywhere in the world without missing a beat.

No matter how much the prices change, our plan never will. The fact is, Hawaii is the only place in the country where we can build our own home (I mean literally - with our own two hands and pretty much no help) because of the climate. We know building supplies are extremely expensive, but we won't be needing much, if any at all. The home is a green design and is built almost entirely of used supplies. It is small and a lovely Japanese-style, not the usual stick-houses you are used to seeing which require lots of cheap, overpriced lumber. We are also members of freecycle on the Big Island and other members give away more used supplies than we will ever need, so that will help quite a bit with money.

We are worried about the insurance, but I have found that there are almost NO places in Puna that will not be insured by at least a few companies. Even if it is expensive, it is more than worth it to us.

I didn't know that crime was decreasing in the area, however and I am quite glad to see that ^_^

Those articles were more for the benefit of the previous poster than you, amb. I figured you'd already seen them, as you seem to have researched this pretty thoroughly. Sounds like you know what you're getting into, so good luck! For what it's worth, I love that area, but if you're used to having infrastructure it can be a rude awakening.

As far as gardening ideas, I think that rather than to bust your butt trying to grow the things you're used to (apples, pears, peaches etc.), you'll have a lot easier time if you learn to like the things that will grow well there, i.e. papayas, mangos, guavas, lychees etc.

I haven't really thought of it that way. It's just that I'll miss my old favorites. I did read about mountain apples ('Ohi'a fruit) when looking up stuff to garden. They sound delicious. I also heard that rambutans grow well there. I grew up in Indonesia and I've missed rambutans SO MUCH! I got so excited when I heard I would be able to eat them again - as many as I want!

I hope you do better with rambutan then we have (at least so far). Our tree is about 6 or 8 years old now, and about 15 ft tall, and this year it finally gave us a grand total of 2 fruits, which were quite a bit more sour than the ones we get at Costco. I'm hoping this will improve with time, as I like them too. The Costco ones are locally grown though, not sure from what elevation on what island (we're on windward Oahu), so you've got a shot at it, but it'll probably take a while before you're drowning in rambutans! I think they're slightly more tropical than lychees, but lychees do great there, just about everybody in Hilo has a big old lychee tree in their yard.

I used to know someone in Kurtistown who specialized in selling grafted fruit trees, especially citrus and avocado, so I know you won't have any problems with those.

I can't get too excited about mountain apples, although they're okay. Crispy and fresh, but not a lot of flavor, and very seasonal. They're really pretty when they flower though, all bright magenta!

I'm encouraged to hear you grew up in Indonesia. As a mainland transplant myself (nearly 30 years ago), I can tell you that the people who have the easiest time fitting in here are those with a strong multicultural background, and a willingness to adapt and learn and go with the flow. The ones that are the most unhappy are those who expect to be able to simply transpose their accustomed way of living onto a tropical environment, and think they know more about the right way to do things than local people. Wrong!! I love Hawaii more than any place on earth, but you have to take it on its own terms or you'll be miserable-- kind of like a marriage!

-Lisa

Aloha,
I am strongly second Lisa's post. I grew up in what was once a rural, sugar cane plantation town on the north shore of Oahu. My hippie, east coast parents moved to Hawaii for all of the same reasons that you've mentioned, bought a small cottage on the beach, and left their organic farm in Wisconsin for the warm sunsets of Waialua.

Even though I was born and raised in Hawaii, spent my entire life there (we couldn't afford air travel to the mainland until I was almost 10) I was always a "haole" and always felt a sense of being an outsider. Don't get me wrong. I love Hawaii, it is my home, it is where my entire faimly lives, it is where my heart resides (despite what my California zip code my imply) but there is a strong presence of protectiveness among native islanders ( ethncity completely unrelated) that is often cold and alienating to the majority of mainlanders. Based on your thread I strongly believe you have read, researched and heard all about this so I trust that your skin will not be too thin and you will not be discouraged by a hard start (on any number of levels). A multi-ethnic background is not the only thing that will help you to love and appreciate Hawaii--an open mind, heart and willingness to embrace the ubiquitous Aloha spirit will get you there and back again. Listen, watch and wait. Follow what you see, blend into the life that awaits you rather than try to force what you want onto it. Like Lisa said " you have to take it on its own terms, or you'll be miserable". Take that to the garden as well, abandon your mainland list (as I think you may already have) and wait to see what the land gives you.

Best of luck to you and your ohana.
Much aloha,
Amy

Thank you :)
Yes, I have abandoned the list. David and I will be staying on a co-op organic farm for a while where we will learn how to grow what Hawaii gives us. I think it will be a great experience.
I have heard about native Hawaiians. I know they are not all like this, but I have managed to make some friends in Puna already (not native) so I think it will definitely lessen our feelings of loneliness to have good friends there who understand and have to go through the same things. Truly, I love the culture.

Mahalo!

I don't think Amy's talking specifically about native Hawaiians, it's just that there is a protective insularity about local culture in general. It's a strong insider/outsider mindset, and you can't break through it by force, but if you conduct yourself in a way that is honest, straightforward and humble, you'll find that local people can also be extremely warm, kind and generous. This is aloha, and it is real.

Warning: DO NOT try to push it by attempting to speak pidgin, etc. until you have been here long enough that it just comes naturally without having to think about it. Otherwise it will be taken as condescending and pretentious. But DO make every attempt not to butcher local words and names. It comes down to respect: give it, and you'll get it.

I'm sure you'll be fine!

Whew! I live in Dallas too, and I've just wasted the past 3 days trying to find ANY property in Puna for under $50,000. As you know, in the Dallas area, for that same amount you can have a nice lot in a nice neighborhood with a 3 bedroom house on it, city electricity, air conditioning, sewer, etc. etc.

The same house that in Dallas sells for $100,000 will sell for easily $400,000 on the Big Island. And contrary to what you said in one of your first posts, the cost of housing in Dallas is WAY BELOW the national average. So if you're moving from Dallas to the BI, be prepared for sticker shock on a massive scale.

I'm not sure where you think you'll find a $10k lot and the stamina to live in a tent in the rainy zone with no electricity and operate a computer business that way! Sounds to me way too much like long-term camping.

Anyway it looks like the thread has developed since the earliest posts, and your plans are a bit more realistic now.

This web site http://www.hawaii-county.com/bigislandag/resources.html was helpful to me in seeing what sorts of things are being grown in Puna and might help you.

Good luck! Maybe we'll run across you in Hawaiian Acres or Fern Acres one day when we move out there too!

Aloha Amberskyfire and everyone, You can find out more about living in Puna at; www.punaweb.org

Most interesting thread, I have visited this area and we have several houses on Kauai, never lived there full time but visit frequently so my comments may have some relevance.
1. This puna area is well known for being one of the poorest and most rural places in Hawaii.
2. Also known to be full of iceheads and hippies, be very carefull of iceheads, similar to the crackheads you are probably familiar with, they will steal whatever they can from whomever they can, drug abuse is a very sad problem and this one is especially sad.
3.Do you read the local newspapers online ? they are a very good way to get a feel for an area.
4.While many crops may be overcome by pestalince, there seem to be many that are not, many people forage for free.
5.Could perhaps a homemade greenhouse provide some relief from the bugs ?
6. Many young people w/o any skills move to Hawaii and many manage to eak out a living. Persons with skills are much in demand and life is much easier for them.
7. Sounds as though you've thought it out pretty well, just bear in mind that your plans will most certainly change once you get here, things always seem to work that way, good luck, I'm sure you will do fine.

Dear future Hawaiian
did you know you can read most of the hilo paper free at

http://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/

Also I would be interested in seeing the blueprints of your house as I am planning a similar move to the same area . Where can I find them?
as far as plants and seeds the university of Hawaii at manoa has a seed program with seeds suitable for Hawaii at reasonable prices .
The good thing about Hawaii for me is no NUCLEAR PLANTS . As well as the 365 day growing season . I am looking for the cheapest land I can find in that state .
Good luck . best wishes You must be there by now any advice?

Aloha, This is for beaglebuddy; apparently you haven't been to Puna in a few years. I have lived in Puna off and on since 1989, moving here permanently in 1999. In the 80's and 90's crime was bad, no police to speak of, I was broken into 3 times. Recently the dynamics of Puna have changed dramatically, crime rates are down. The county reports an average of 3000 people a year moving to Puna, retiring, bringing money. there is lots of work for anyone willing to do it. There is a problem with "ice" but no more than in Kona or Hilo, or on Oahu. Recently the drug dealers were driven out of Pahoa and now they have security cams downtown to keep it that way. As far as hippies.. they're no problem to anyone except maybe themselves, happy and stoned.

I am glad to hear puna is cleaning up, drug abuse is such a terrible waste of life.
Amberskyfire talked about escaping pollution, but what about VOG ? Puna should be upwind of this, except when the trades come out of the west every once in a while. Is this every a problem in Puna ?

Aloha, Here in Puna Vog is a rare nuisance, maybe 1-2 days a month on average, when the wind "blows Kona". In Kona and Kau however, it's so bad at times you can smell and even taste it. Our worst problem in Puna now is car pollution and crowded roads, and the coqui frog that can make sleeping impossible at times. To me it's still paradise. By the way, did you know that chances are if you have a potted tropical plant such as orchids, ti or philodendron that it probably came from Puna? Most of the exotic plants sold at big-box mainland retailers come from Puna growers, are shipped to Florida to acclimatize, then distributed all over the country.

Will they ever be able to eradicate the coqui frog ? thankfully they haven't made it to Kauai.

Aloha,

Even if coquis did get to Kauai, there are so many chickens over there the frogs would be eaten immediately! If we could get rid of the mongoose, then perhaps we could get enough chickens that they would eat all the coquis?

Folks have mobilized to get rid of the coqui and the spread of it seems to be slowing down some. They got some new bigger County sprayers which can really cover a lot more area. A lot of the trouble is the easy time to get rid of them is when there is just one or two frogs in an area. Folks hear one and think it's not too bad. By the time they multiply to where folks can't sleep at night anymore, then it is a huge chore to get rid of them all.

What ever happened to Amberskyfire, anyway? Did they ever get moved? They just seemed to have dropped off the edge.

A hui hou,
Cathy

Hey, here I am!
I haven't disappeared, I just don't have a computer so I only get to check e-mails and such once a month. Yes, we are here. Yes, we are living in Puna. Things have been great so far. Instead of buying land just yet, we are leasing while we wait for land prices to go back down again. Hopefully it won't be too long. Thanks for all of the advice! Sorry I won't be around to answer more questions :)

O.K. Amberskyfire, you got everyone's attention, now please update as to our advice and suggestions etc it is even more important now to see what your own opinions are and how you're doing. Aloha

Hey, back again.

We moved over and had land down in puna for over a year, but just as I thought, my poor husband couldn't go without his internet. He gave in and though it made me very angry to give up my dream, we were offered an absolutely beautiful house for rent right near Hilo on a tropical flower farm.

Now that we are settled in, I'm starting over and luckily, there is plenty of land here for me to grow on. I do miss Puna very much and plan on moving back out there someday. For now, my husband has a posh office job and the commute would be better if we stayed on the farm here. Either way, we have our farm and our little house and life has been more than we could ever ask for.

Mahalo!

I just wanted to post and say that I just found this website and ended up reading this whole thread, and I wanted to say congratulations to you Amberskyfire.

It may sound funny but I had tears in my eyes when I read the last two posts, I was like "yes!! she made it, that's awesome!"

I am so thrilled to have stumbled across this web site and your story.

I just became a member so that I could at least say hey (plus it looks like a wonderful resource).

Thank you so much for posting the follow-up. It meant a lot to me even though I have never met you.

Your journey also brought out a lot of wonderful information about Puna, which I appreciated as well.

blessings!

I'm glad you came back and informed us of your Success. I am also waiting to build a house in Hawaiian Paradise Park. I've been out there to look for land and also have been researching everything for the last year & a half. I do have a new problem that has come up during the last year. I can't sell my house in Michigan. So, I wait, but the minute I do sell, I'll be out there building my new house. Thanks for the info. Actually I'm all info'd out, but there's always new info everywhere.

Amber,

Great thread! Hope you will report back in on what's happening.

We are also moving to Hawaii (Kauai).

Would LUV any and all information on the best area(s) that provides great balance of sun/rain and good soil for agricultural growth. We would prefer to stick with a very rural area--we will be shipping our horses out there, too.

Also, out of curiosity...and I can make calls on this, but does anyone know what sells best out there to Professional Greenhouses/Garden Centers?

And does Kauai have a Beetle & Fruitfly problem--would chickens help keep that down?

Is Kauai tough gardening or a gardener's dream?

Would appreciate any and all responses.

Happy Trails,
Sunny

Aloha,

Info. on gardening in Kona would be interesting for me to know. We are taking an interest in a job offer in Captain Cook.

Tomatoes, peppers, beans, broccoli, melons? Anything BUT coffee..hee hee.

Jackie