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  • Moving to Oahu on August 15th.

    So me and my girlfriend are moving to Oahu from Atlanta on the 15th of August so she can start school at UH and after reading some of the threads here (one in particular from some ass-hat that wanted to know how he could become "Hawaiian") I definetely would like to hear some people's advice and tips. I'm a haole, but not some pasty-faced schlub; I definetely will never claim to be filled with the aloha spirit (although I do get along with everybody very easily) or have a hawaiian heart, I love to surf (although I rarely got the opportunity while living in atlanta), and I'm just wanting to have a pleasant easy-going life while I'm in Oahu. Please tell me some insider tips so I don't offend anybody. Thanks everyone.


    Oh yeah, and I was looking into getting a moped or a scooter to save money on gas. Is that reasonable or should I just go ahead and get a car?
    Last edited by mpv81; July 22, 2005, 05:30 AM.

  • #2
    Re: Moving to Oahu on August 15th.

    Originally posted by mpv81
    Please tell me some insider tips so I don't offend anybody.
    You'll pick up more than a few reading some of the other "I'm Coming to Hawaii!" threads here. Not using "the states" to describe "the mainland" is on the short list, as is not bristling at the word "haole" (it's the adjective that precedes it that counts). And please, for the love of god, don't try to "pick up" the pidgin dialect. Hell, I was born and raised here, went to public school, and even I can barely fake it.

    Oh yeah, and I was looking into getting a moped or a scooter to save money on gas. Is that reasonable or should I just go ahead and get a car?
    I imagine money will be tight, as will be parking, so I'd go with a moped. They're pretty common in Honolulu. Just don't go riding it over the Pali! Just take TheBus for long hauls. I might even recommend getting a second- or third-hand ratty ol' Honday Razz or something, too... nice mopeds have a habit of getting stolen.

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    • #3
      Re: Moving to Oahu on August 15th.

      You be surprised about TheBus. If you are not hauling heavy stuff with you (backpack is okay) and travel during the day to 9pm you can get around Oahu with TheBus.

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      • #4
        Re: Moving to Oahu on August 15th.

        Thanks for the tips so far. I will definitely never try to "pick up" pidgin. I'm originally from Los Angeles and when I moved to Atlanta some of my family tried to pick up some southern slang and ended up looking like jack-asses throwing the word "ya'll" and "fixin'" around with a straight Southern California accent . It was mortifying, so I won't even think about trying to sound "local". Mopeds get stolen a lot, huh? That's not cool, but maybe I'll just have to bring an industrial style chain with me... or maybe I'll just get a cheap car.

        We're currently looking at living in Kailua, but I can't find much about, can anybody elaborate? Is it nice, expensive, lame, etc.? Thanks again.

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        • #5
          Re: Moving to Oahu on August 15th.

          Kailua is a wonderful town. Over the mountains from Honolulu, a bit cooler and wetter than other neighborhoods, has just a few withering remnants of a small-town, hippy-friendly vibe. Now you've still got the arts and nature types, but you've also got your Starbucks and Jamba Juice crowd. Definitely one of the more haole-friendly areas! Can't say living there will be cheap, though, and it's not as ideal for moped transport if you plan on visiting town or Waikiki.

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          • #6
            Re: Moving to Oahu on August 15th.

            If not Kailua, where would be a relatively inexpensive but safe area for two mid-twenty haole's? I was just looking around at apartment prices and the rates seem to have gone through the roof in just the last week! Is there any particular reason why that is? University students, tourism rates maybe?

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            • #7
              Re: Moving to Oahu on August 15th.

              Originally posted by mpv81
              If not Kailua, where would be a relatively inexpensive but safe area for two mid-twenty haole's? I was just looking around at apartment prices and the rates seem to have gone through the roof in just the last week! Is there any particular reason why that is? University students, tourism rates maybe?
              You can't commute from Kailua to UH on a moped. Good semi-affordable semi-safe neighborhoods in Honolulu near UH: Moiliili, Kaimuki, Waikiki, McCully, Ala Moana, Makiki. It is easy to get around on a bus, but grocery shopping and laundry can be a pain. Parking is OUTRAGEOUSLY expensive. It is $100 a week in my apartment building in Waikiki. Parking can be incredibly difficult. Traffic is awful.

              Rentals are high because the market will bear it. There isn't enough housing here to go around, which drives up demand, which drives up price. You should look into buying a 2 bedroom condo for your duration in college, and rent out the other room. When you go home for the summer, rent it out to tourists for three times what you pay.

              Good luck!

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              • #8
                Re: Moving to Oahu on August 15th.

                Thanks waikiki girl for the info. I was looking around at apartments in Makiki, and they seem pretty reasonable. As for the moped, I will be the only one driving it... my girlfriend is having her car shipped over, so that should handle all of the grocery and long haul concerns. Also a big thanks for the tip on renting out in the summer, for some reason that had never occurred to me.

                Could I commute from Makiki to Honolulu or Manoa on a moped? Thanks again.
                Last edited by mpv81; July 23, 2005, 04:16 AM.

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                • #9
                  Re: Moving to Oahu on August 15th.

                  You might consider sharing a house. We had friends who did that and were able to live in a decent place in Kailua. It had four bedrooms and they had one bedroom, shared a bathroom with one other person and had free run of the "public" areas of the house. It's one way to make ends meet even though it's sharing. Check out the roommates wanted section of the classifieds. Another plus with that is you can car pool if schedules and destinations are generally the same.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Moving to Oahu on August 15th.

                    Originally posted by glossyp
                    You might consider sharing a house. We had friends who did that and were able to live in a decent place in Kailua. It had four bedrooms and they had one bedroom, shared a bathroom with one other person and had free run of the "public" areas of the house. It's one way to make ends meet even though it's sharing. Check out the roommates wanted section of the classifieds. Another plus with that is you can car pool if schedules and destinations are generally the same.
                    That's a great idea! Then they would really be able to feel like a local family, where two or three generations have to share a house because there aren't any affordable places to live.

                    Miulang
                    "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

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                    • #11
                      Re: Moving to Oahu on August 15th.

                      Originally posted by waikikigirl
                      Rentals are high because the market will bear it. There isn't enough housing here to go around, which drives up demand, which drives up price.
                      and we have the hordes moving here to thank for that.
                      Thank you hordes!
                      individually and collectively.
                      it aint paradise.
                      It's a pair of dice; a crap shoot and real gamble to try fo live a decent life in many respects...

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                      • #12
                        Re: Moving to Oahu on August 15th.

                        Originally posted by mpv81
                        Thanks waikiki girl for the info. I was looking around at apartments in Makiki, and they seem pretty reasonable. As for the moped, I will be the only one driving it... my girlfriend is having her car shipped over, so that should handle all of the grocery and long haul concerns. Also a big thanks for the tip on renting out in the summer, for some reason that had never occurred to me.

                        Could I commute from Makiki to Honolulu or Manoa on a moped? Thanks again.

                        Makiki is in Honolulu, as is Manoa.

                        Honolulu is a HUGE city that contains many "neighborhoods" such as Makiki, Manoa, Waikiki, etc. Those are not cities in themselves.

                        Yes, you can easily commute on a moped from Makiki to Manoa. Be careful not to live anywhere that is up a very steep hill, as you may end up walking your moped a bit of the way, and that's not fun.

                        Remember, too, that it rains here, and you'll need a little raincoat if you drive a moped. A helmet's not a bad idea, either. People get killed on mopeds frequently. There is no special license required here, but without motorcycle certification on your license, you won't be able to get insurance on it.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Moving to Oahu on August 15th.

                          Originally posted by waikikigirl
                          You can't commute from Kailua to UH on a moped.
                          You CAN commute from Kailua to UH on a moped, but you wouldn't want to. Instead of going over a mountain and taking the most direct route from Kailua to Honolulu, you'd have to take the long way and go around the island from Kailua through Waimanalo and Hawaii Kai/Aina Haina/Kahala before you got to town.

                          Sharing a house is a good idea. There are also some affordable rentals in Kailua - you just have to be on island to find them.

                          Good luck.

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                          • #14
                            Re: Moving to Oahu on August 15th.

                            Hey Kimo I understand that your upset with people moving to where you're at, but it is absolutely annoying to hear you constanly complain about people that you don't even know. Do you feel like you're the only one who deserves to live in a beautiful place? I'm not coming there to take your land or your culture; in fact you can do whatever you would like. I'm not buying your land to use as vacation property, I'm not the missionaries telling you that speaking Hawai'ian is wrong or illegal, I'm not ass-headedly trying to speak pidgin'; and I'm not saying that I have the "Hawai'ian heart" or "Aloha Spirit". I'm simply wanting to get along and enjoy myself while I'm there and rent an apartment. I think anybody who doesn't belong there will soon find out and maybe I'll be one of them, but until then, you shouldn't assume that you are the only one who can say who belongs there or not. I love to surf so I would just like to be there at the best waves in the world. I would love to see how you treat Kelly Slater or Jack Johnson or Donovan Frankenreiter? Could they even get any respect from you?

                            P.S. Thank you Palalo and Waikiki for being nice. Muilang, I would be interested to hear what happened to you that made you so angry about life.
                            Last edited by mpv81; July 23, 2005, 07:53 PM.

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                            • #15
                              Re: Moving to Oahu on August 15th.

                              Originally posted by mpv81
                              Hey Kimo I understand that your upset with people moving to where you're at, but it is absolutely annoying to hear you constanly complain about people that you don't even know. Do you feel like you're the only one who deserves to live in a beautiful place? I'm not coming there to take your land or your culture; in fact you can do whatever you would like. I'm not buying your land to use as vacation property, I'm not the missionaries telling you that speaking Hawai'ian is wrong or illegal, I'm not ass-headedly trying to speak pidgin'; and I'm not saying that I have the "Hawai'ian heart" or "Aloha Spirit". I'm simply wanting to get along and enjoy myself while I'm there and rent an apartment. I think anybody who doesn't belong there will soon find out and maybe I'll be one of them, but until then, you shouldn't assume that you are the only one who can say who belongs there or not. I love to surf so I would just like to be there at the best waves in the world. I would love to see how you treat Kelly Slater or Jack Johnson or Donovan Frankenreiter? Could they even get any respect from you?

                              P.S. Thank you Palalo and Waikiki for being nice. Muilang, I would be interested to hear what happened to you that made you so angry about life.
                              I'm not angry, but I AM concerned that the quality of life for the locals who have lived all their lives in the islands is becoming less and less affordable. And I wasn't being sarcastic when I told you sharing a house with strangers was a good idea. It is a fact that Hawai'i has more multigenerational households than anywhere else because of the scarcity of affordable housing. And yes, if you have limited funds, about the only way you're going to be able to find affordable housing is to share.

                              I still have family living there, and it concerns me that many newcomers don't seem to want to respect the local people or the land. It's all about "memememe". If you haven't already done so, please read up on the history of Hawai'i, and go to Hawai'i next month with an open mind and a closed mouth. Observe the landscape before trying to change anything.

                              Tell me something: are you and your girlfriend planning to make Hawai'i your permanent home, or is it just a stop on the way to somewhere else? You yourself in your last statement said "Hawai'i is a beautiful place." Yes it is, and people like Kimo are trying to keep it that way. You asked for people's opinions. Take everything everyone has told you so far with a grain of salt. Learn through experience. But also be prepared to see the "other" side of paradise.

                              Miulang

                              P.S. I don't have to defend Kimo, but he probably would say exactly the same thing to Jack Johnson, Kelly Slater, and Donovan Frankenreiter (I dunno who he is) if they didn't already live in the 'aina. Hell, he'd probably say the same thing to me if I told him I was planning to move home to Maui! Oh, I almost forgot...when you get to Hawai'i, make sure you befriend some of the local surfers and have them tell you which of the prime surfing beaches are kinda dangerous for nonlocal surfers to be at (and I'm NOT talking about the waves, if you catch my drift). Might save you from some problems.
                              Last edited by Miulang; July 23, 2005, 09:08 PM.
                              "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

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