Moving to Oahu on August 15th.

[mpv81]

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?

[pzarquon]

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. :D 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.

[helen]

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.

[mpv81]

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 :D . 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.

[pzarquon]

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.

[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?

[waikikigirl]

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!

[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.

[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.

[Miulang]

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

[kimo55]

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...

[waikikigirl]

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.

[Palolo Joe]

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.

[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.

[Miulang]

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! :p 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.

[kimo55]

Hey Kimo I understand that your upset with people moving to where you're at, but it is absolutely annoying to hear
hey, welcome to retribution city.
have a lil taste of the yer own medicine. Don''t get me started on what annoys kama'aina re; implants like yerself.

[admin]

Yes, don't get Kimo started. He goes off on his own quite well enough.

Mpv81, I encourage you to be open to all kinds of answers, including those you don't want to hear. There are other "moving to Hawaii" message boards, but if they're full of "go for it" cheerleaders who only tell one side of the story, they're not going to help you prepare for all aspects of a relocation. I will concede that people have been less welcoming than I'd like, but that's the Internet for you. It takes all kinds.

That said, if there are people whom you've learned have nothing of interest to say, I encourage you to take advantage of the "Ignore User" feature of this forum software. It has improved the talkstory experience for many of our community members.

Whether there's a threshold as far as "more ignorers than readers" for a particular user (or a more prominent use of our Reputation (http://www.hawaiithreads.com/faq.php?faq=reputation) system) has yet to be seen.

[MadAzza]

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 ...

Kimo? A landowner?

Haaaa ha ha ha ha haaaaa!

Eh! Kimo! You got land you nevah tell me about?

Hoo haaa haa!
<wiping away tears>

[kimo55]

Eh! Kimo! You got land you nevah tell me about?

Hoo haaa haa!
<wiping away tears>



yea, you goin' cry when you realize you ain't gettin none of it either!

[mpv81]

I understand that I should hear both sides but Kimo never has anything positive to say. He's not offering any useful advice, he's just ripping on people that aren't born there. Why would somebody spend so much time on this site just making fun of people and complaining about life :confused: ? Why not just get off the computer, go outside, and enjoy life. Oh well; guess some people get off making other people feel stupid or bad.

Miulang thanks for the advice (sincerely not sarcastically); like I said I totally understand what your talking about but when I mention Jack Johnson or Kelly Slater remember that they were transplants at one time as well. As for me and my girlfriend; we're not going there with a time frame in mind, maybe we'll stay 'til we die, maybe we'll move in two months. We just wanna give it a shot. What's wrong with that if we don't disrupt life out there? It's not like I'm gonna build a Wal-Mart.

[Miulang]

OK, here's another take on the malihini thing: You said you lived in El-A and Atlanta. So you know about traffic jams and crowded living. I dunno if where you've lived there have been lots of non-Caucasians or not, but in Hawai'i you WILL be part of the minority, and the majority of people can trace their ancestry back to Asia (either Japan, China, the Philippines). Think of your experience as being in a foreign country (because at one time Hawai'i was a sovereign nation) and live and act accordingly. Then you'll get along just fine with the populace.

Miulang

[Miulang]

I understand that I should hear both sides but Kimo never has anything positive to say. He's not offering any useful advice, he's just ripping on people that aren't born there. Why would somebody spend so much time on this site just making fun of people and complaining about life :confused: ? Why not just get off the computer, go outside, and enjoy life. Oh well; guess some people get off making other people feel stupid or bad.

Miulang thanks for the advice (sincerely not sarcastically); like I said I totally understand what your talking about but when I mention Jack Johnson or Kelly Slater remember that they were transplants at one time as well. As for me and my girlfriend; we're not going there with a time frame in mind, maybe we'll stay 'til we die, maybe we'll move in two months. We just wanna give it a shot. What's wrong with that if we don't disrupt life out there? It's not like I'm gonna build a Wal-Mart.
It was a whole lot easier for college kids to come from the Mainland to Hawai'i in the 60s and 70s...before the rapid influx of Mainlanders. I'm just sorry that you're too young to have been around then. That's when Hawai'i was really a golden place to live and the majority of locals were a whole lot more welcoming. With the way things are going for the State now, it's not hard to understand why there's so much antagonism over newcomers. When there's a scarcity, people go into survival mode. That's what you're hearing now...people who are frustrated by what they're seeing happen to the place they were born in. There is no other place in the country where you will find people who have had to move from Hawai'i for economic reasons call themselves "expatriates". I mean, as a former Californian, would you call yourself an expatriate? See what I mean? That's the difference. Many people in Hawai'i are living lives of quiet desperation because they have to work 2 or 3 jobs just to provide for their families and they really have no other choice. Good luck and stay cool.

Miulang

[mpv81]

I definitely see what your saying Muilang. Lucky for me Atlanta is like 65% African-American and L.A. is of course 60 something percent hispanic. I've dealt with being the minority before, and I've dealt with the racism (a surprising amount of which comes from African Americans toward caucasians in ATL) that is ever-present in the south (now more in underlying tones than out in the open). I wish I could have experienced Hawaii in the 60's as well (Actually in the 50's when young surfers were just going out there to rip the North Shore for the first time.) You've been very helpful and actually have made me feel better about heading out there; because I understand both sides of it, and your analogy of living in ATL and LA made me realize that I've been living as a minority pretty much my whole life anyways. Thanks.

[Nalu]

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?

There's a difference between just surfing, and surfing in Hawai'i. Few people who have surfed in the continental states realize this fact. In Hawai'i, you not only have to deal with waves, reefs, rips etc that you have never experienced BUT you have to contend with locals who are tired of sharing their lineups with more and more people.

If you're ever on the North Shore and come across local braddahs with "Wolfpak" stickers on their cars or Wolfpak graphichs on their boards, brah, you better find someplace else to surf, lol.

[Miulang]

If you're ever on the North Shore and come across local braddahs with "Wolfpak" stickers on their cars or Wolfpak graphichs on their boards, brah, you better find someplace else to surf, lol.

MPV: Nalu's comment is what I was getting at earlier. Not all surf is "free" to everyone, even though technically all beaches and the ocean fronting those beaches are supposed to be owned by the State and open to all comers.

Miulang

[LikaNui]

In Hawai'i, you not only have to deal with waves, reefs, rips etc that you have never experienced BUT you have to contend with locals who are tired of sharing their lineups with more and more people.
You're kidding, right? That same thing happens in almost every popular surf spot outside of Hawaii. Plenty of news reports about fights and arrests happening that way in countless other areas.
To imply that Hawaii is the only place that happens is misleading.
:(

[kimo55]

To imply that Hawaii is the only place that happens is misleading.



azzrite. allll up and down the cali coast, the locals only thing is very strong.

[Nalu]

You're kidding, right? That same thing happens in almost every popular surf spot outside of Hawaii. Plenty of news reports about fights and arrests happening that way in countless other areas.
To imply that Hawaii is the only place that happens is misleading.
:(


I'm not implying that Hawai'i is the only place localism happens out in lineups BUT you have a pretty fair chance of receiving cracks if you are a JOJ haole trying to catch waves at a local break here. Not trying to be racist, just giving braddah a heads up.

[kimo55]

Not trying to be racist, just giving braddah a heads up.



naaah
may as well accept it now, and get it over with: everything is racist and politically incorrect...

[cezanne]

There's a difference between just surfing, and surfing in Hawai'i. Few people who have surfed in the continental states realize this fact. In Hawai'i, you not only have to deal with waves, reefs, rips etc that you have never experienced BUT you have to contend with locals who are tired of sharing their lineups with more and more people.

If you're ever on the North Shore and come across local braddahs with "Wolfpak" stickers on their cars or Wolfpak graphichs on their boards, brah, you better find someplace else to surf, lol.
That's a fact of life where ever you surf though. Locals do that to other locals too so it's not a local vs. haole thing.

[MadAzza]

naaah
may as well accept it now, and get it over with: everything is racist and politically incorrect...

Not everything ... just the fun stuff!

[FreaknHaole]

Welcome aboard, and aloha to you, brah.
Hawaii is like everywhere else, only more so and kind of squeezed. Be a good citizen, be polite and have consideration, pick up after yourself and try to leave the place better than you found it, that's all anyone can ask.

[Nalu]

That's a fact of life where ever you surf though. Locals do that to other locals too so it's not a local vs. haole thing.


* With the theme from "Hawaii Fve o" blaring in the backround*

Locals give other locals the benefit of the doubt out in lineups. Some caucasians are familiar out at certain breaks but if you're not a familiar haole, you are not usually given the benefit of the doubt. Guys will look at you with the "Brah, beat it!" look. Drop in on you without care, snake your leash .... all the fun stuff.

[Tiger Beer]

OK, here's another take on the malihini thing: You said you lived in El-A and Atlanta. So you know about traffic jams and crowded living. I dunno if where you've lived there have been lots of non-Caucasians or not, but in Hawai'i you WILL be part of the minority, and the majority of people can trace their ancestry back to Asia (either Japan, China, the Philippines). Think of your experience as being in a foreign country (because at one time Hawai'i was a sovereign nation) and live and act accordingly. Then you'll get along just fine with the populace.

Miulang
thats what i love about Oahu! The Asians!!

I lived in San Francisco for a year (because most asians anywhere on the mainland in that city).. but still not enough Asian culture fused in enough.. Hawaii on the other hand!

I was thinking about that with the other poster who said she was minority in Atlanta.. yeah, a lot of mainland cities are like that. Usually we end up in an african-american or latin spanish-speaking neighberhoods.. which is fine and all I guess.. but much more interested in being surrounded by more Asians than anyone else if at all possible.

Unfortunately most asians on the mainland seem to want to live in the suburbs.. blech.

[cezanne]

* With the theme from "Hawaii Fve o" blaring in the backround*

Locals give other locals the benefit of the doubt out in lineups. Some caucasians are familiar out at certain breaks but if you're not a familiar haole, you are not usually given the benefit of the doubt. Guys will look at you with the "Brah, beat it!" look. Drop in on you without care, snake your leash .... all the fun stuff.
*James Taylor's Greatest Hits in the background* :)

That's what I meant. Unless MPV is a noob wanting to come to Hawaii to learn how to surf... he probably knows what to expect. I would expect the same treatment if I were to go to CA to surf. It ain't right... but it just one of those unwrittens. The funniest thing I ever heard from a tourist getting some lip from the locals in the lineup was "Hey you don't own the freakin' ocean man!". No blows but like you said, drop in city.

[Kekaha Roots]

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?

Hey, MPV81 -

Today is the 15th. Did you make it okay?