I really want to move to Maui. Realistic?

[ron.c]

Thanks all for reminding me that the grass in my yard is pretty green too - sometimes!

[SuppaTime]

I gotta try downwinding some time. But with some other duffers. It does sound like fun.

[Fitzsup]

You could PM me anytime I'm happy to share my experience.  I'm 43, left Western NY and a successful career in Medical Device Sales to start a new gig as a Realtor.  I live in Kihei with my wife who is a non-practicing RN and our kids. We've been here for just under 2 years and don't plan on leaving anytime soon. We went into this with eyes wide open regarding all the widely publicized drawbacks and pitfalls, many of which are real - some are not.  Obviously this is a highly personal thing.  Our interior square footage for housing was more than cut in half and more than double in price, but this is made up by the outdoor lifestyle we wanted, and now enjoy.  The list of tradeoffs like this is endless - it was the right thing for us, but we're batshit crazy.

[LaPerouseBay]

That is slick but where is the Costco parking lot; the bumper-to-bumper traffic on the Honoapiilani highway; the 30+ private jets parked at Kahului airport; burning cane fields; people lined up, trying to find a parking place for Mana Foods; sitting in the rain for an outdoor concert at the MACC; and last but not least, the morning lineup at Kanana with a 4-5' north swell? That is the everyday  *real* Maui.

Ok Suppa, I'll bite.  It's rainy and I'm bored.  I've avoided the super bowl hype and plan on tuning in at game time.  Inflate my balls commercial TV. 

We are on the same page regarding Maui.  We are here and love it.  As for the drawbacks, we work around them, just like everyone does everywhere.  I'll hit your list just for fun. 

Costco?  Never an issue.  I avoid the lemmings that seek gridlock.  I sneak in the side entrances and take a walk.  Got a nice system in the store too.  Again, zip around the edges, then marvel at how fast the cashiers are.  Cool place.  Very efficient.

West side 'highway'  You got that right.  That's a mess.  I avoid the west side.  Been there, done that.  Lived over there for 7 years, only got trapped once.  Heard it can get bad now. 

Private jets?  Those weirdos pay my way.  Good bucks in woodworking if you get in with the right contractors.  Without those jets I'd be living in the bushes. 

Burning cane.  Black snow.  Really bad news that cane.  All that environmental damage and stealing the water from the East watershed.  Filthy rich scumbags for sure.

Outdoor concert in the rain?  That does not compute.  But I don't like rain unless I'm on the water.  Then its cool. 

Did a reverse maliko with Jeremy this day and it was a hoot.  Super fun.



Morning lineup at Kanaha?  C'mon, that's like the Costco situation.  It's all about the edges man... 

 

 

[magentawave]

Wow, that aerial shot looking west from Ho'okipa is awesome and one I've never seen before! I'm going to make it a wallpaper on my computer.

Best concert venue I ever went to was outside at the MACC with Carlos Santana playing...and no rain that night!

Good point about the nasty cane fires and I suspect the reason why asthma is so prevalent in Hawaii. When they burn the cane all the plastic irrigation pipes go up in flames too. Not to mention the carcinogens they spray the cane fields with that were banned years ago on the mainland. What a scam the cane industry is on Hawaii. A classic example of crony capitalism.

That is slick but where is the Costco parking lot; the bumper-to-bumper traffic on the Honoapiilani highway; the 30+ private jets parked at Kahului airport; burning cane fields; people lined up, trying to find a parking place for Mana Foods; sitting in the rain for an outdoor concert at the MACC; and last but not least, the morning lineup at Kanana with a 4-5' north swell? That is the everyday  *real* Maui.

BTW, that is a great shot from the vid looking over Ho'okipa straight at Iao Valley and West Mauis...

[SuppaTime]

Just so y'all know, the smiley face = tongue in cheek. Those things don't particularly bother me, but it is part of living here. And for the record, I am 100% in support of the cane industry. If it leaves, the central valley will go from a sea of green to a sea of condos. Ugh.

[Subber]

I was on the 38th avenue cliffs in Santa Cruz the day before yesterday, enjoying surveilling Pleasure Point and the ocean with binoculars.  There were five SUP at Pleasure Point main break, which made me think that one day I can be over there, too.

I saw a pod of dolphins swim by and start catching waves with the surfers.  Yup, they were actually surfing on the waves, just like the Youtube vids, then diving leaving a tracer ripple on the surface. One of the SUPs was right in their path.

That was so wonderful to see, the kind of thing I thought you only got to see in the tropics or Maui. I would have loved to have been out there for that event.  The ocean never seems to stop pulling out intriguing Easter Eggs like that.

I am pretty sure that was me.  A fairly large wave came up to the point but another surfer had better position than I had and I'd just got to that spot so I turned to go up over the wave and Whoa! I hooted to let people know that 2 large dolphins had just jumped into the wave to surf it.  And, then right as I was about to go through the lip, two more large dolphins jumped into the wave.  They were side by side, partially submerged, and I guess they had to be where I was to get the best ride.  Anyway, one of them just brushed underside of the front of my board on his take off - I'm sure he was also bumping into his buddy.  I didn't fall.  It was the highlight of the session for me.  Very cool, although I'd like to have surfed the wave with them - they
are so cool to watch surf!

[SUPcheat]

Must have been you, Subber, lucky dude.

The dolphin looked like it brushed the SUP, but they are so aware of their bodies, it didn't knock the SUP over.

I hope I get to see that again some day, maybe even in the water!

[srowndedbyh2o]

daswusup.
With your Wife being an ER Nurse, unlike most people, you are in an excellent position to give Maui a trial run. I know first hand that the HHSC hospitals are chronically short staffed and always use contract “Travel” nurses. Contracts are generally 3 months with the option of renewal at the end of each contract. The contract will pay round-trip air for your wife, pay your rent, pay for a car rental, plus what ever salary is negotiated. It would give you a chance to actually live on Maui with out the full commitment of a more permanent move. Visiting a place on vacation and living there are two very different things. Home school the kids. Get a chance to check out different neighborhoods. The real cost of rent, groceries etc. See what drive times to work are like. Get a real feel for actually living there. All while someone else is paying your rent, and providing you with a car.
The best way to come to Hawaii is on some one else's dime. 

[SUPsideATX]

The first and main thing that got me in Maui are the really slow drivers and crazy low speed limits. Easy to get over it quickly though!

[PonoBill]

The low speed limits are a lifesaver.

The tourists ignore any normal courtesy or shred of driving etiquette. If a whale breaches it holds their full attention, even if they are going full speed ahead--or more likely crossing the center line at you. The locals are busy playing with their phones, applying makeup and eating--simultaneously. Most of the traffic jams in Paia is people stopping in the middle of heavy traffic, blocking the way for several minutes waiting for a parking spot occupied by someone who showed the barest indication that they might eventually be leaving. A few days ago I watched a tourist in a jeep back up about 50 yards on the Hana Highway, forcing traffic to swing out around him so he could back into the one-way exit from Ho'okipa. A big Hawaiian guy who was sitting on the bluff watching the surfers walked over and read the guy the riot act, and made him leave. That was cool, but the guy angrily (or maybe he was scared) pulled into traffic and nearly caused an accident.

I see knucklehead tourist stuff in Hood River too--when people are on vacation all the rules of good behavior are suspended. But in HR I see bonehead stuff once a week. In Maui it's every day, every trip, all the time.

[SUPsideATX]

 A few days ago I watched a tourist in a jeep back up about 50 yards on the Hana Highway, forcing traffic to swing out around him so he could back into the one-way exit from Ho'okipa.

Really good points about the low speed limits being a lifesaver...the gray-jeep-wrangler-rental-tourist-jerks are a dime a dozen!

[bts]

Random thoughts:

Hawaii public schools: We fund differently than most, funding is state wide, so there are not great schools in wealthy districts and horrible schools elsewhere. Everything is mediocre. 

Hawaii is strongly democrat, has been since statehood.  Unions are super strong, the laws favor the unions, and everything is specified in the contract.  Principles really don't have that much power. In my opinion that is a big road block for school reform.

We've got an excellent parallel private secular school system.  Most people who really care opt out

So….mediocre funding, union domination, disengaged parents. 

But there are still good and bad schools. A little effort and you are probably ok for elementary school aged children.  Middle and high school is a lot more dicey. We sent our kids to private school from kindergarten on because admission is super competitive, and your odds are best early, not because the primary schools are all bad.  Both the wife and I went to a private high school, a couple years ahead of the Prez, and no, we were not in Kenya.  We've got close friends whose parents were true believer/public school administrators.  They sent all three of their kids to a relatively rough public high school.  One pediatrician, one orthodontist, one phd academic biochemist. 


Kids have to fight: No, not much in primary school, unless you live in a district with real high density and lots of public housing.  I did K-6 in a local public school. About half that time there was one other white kid in the grade, out of around 200 kids. No fights. I was not well liked, but I did not feel threatened. It helps if you are a foot taller than everyone else.

Racism: Yeah, people may not like you because you are different. Just like everywhere else in the world.  Except here white dudes are not a huge majority. If it's any consolation, almost anywhere you are coming from there will be a lot more people who dislike you, at least in absolute numbers. Maui is way whiter than the rest of the state.  About a third of the resident population and most of the tourists. That is an absolute majority, and more than twice the rest of the state. That is what I like least about that island.  Too many white guys, just does not feel right. I feel OK up in Wailuku.  Kehei makes my skin crawl, feels like San Diego.

Localism in the water: Compared to where?  Enforcers are all Neanderthals.

Cost of housing: Very high.

Flipping houses for a living: That might be tough.  Purchase price is very high with the value all in the land.  Permitting process is amazingly slow.  Labor cost and material are high. Finding good subs is tough.  One of my friends was doing the owner builder variation on that theme, gave it up after about 4 sales.  Was not clearing enough to make it work.  He was making his realtor happy for awhile.

Rock fever: Lots of people throw that out as an excuse on why they are leaving.  Sort of real, but probably more like "too far from friends and family"

Raising watermen: Born, not made.  I treated both my kids the same, beach time several days a week since before they could walk. My son is an avid surfer, but still in high school.  My daughter lives in minneapolis and probably will never move back.  If my son ends ups moving to the mainland as well, I will have a hard time keeping my wife here year round.  I been thinking about trying for a scaled down Pono, cash out of my house and buy a condo here and a mainland base in Oregon or maybe Maine.

[supsurf-tw]

^^^^^^
That is a realistic post. I remember when I was building in Hawaii it was very frustrating. Total nightmare with subs and officials. I finally quit building. Good surf? Empty jobsite....

Raise watermen and women? Don't expect the next Laird and don't be disappointed when it doesn't happen.

With a family the best scenario is to make your money on the mainland. Educate your kids on the Mainland. Rent a place in Hawaii for a few months a year. 

Some people with families have been successful making the move mid stream of school and mid careers however those are rare.

I had 10 years there to draw these conclusions.

[maui wave warrior]

I say live your dreams if you can. I did. I have been living on Maui for the past 25 yrs. Wife works as a RN/case mgr at our only hospital. I have worked for the Hawaii Dept of Education for 22yrs from teaching in the classroom at all different levels to District Administrative positions. I have two kids ages 7 and 12.  I flip houses for extra income and now own 3 income producing properties here.

Given your information I would recommend you try and follow your dream as you only get one shot at life so why not make the best of it. There is opportunity for your wife to work in the hospital as they need nurses right now. Her pay alone would buy you some time explore your own opportunities with RE providing you budget well. You will definitely want reserve funds to cushion the move so plan accordingly. The public school system is like most others, some good schools some not so good. Some good teachers, some bad. More important is your support and guidance through their school experience. With good parent support they should do fine. Both of my kids are in public school and they are doing well. In many ways public education is what you make of it. If you are engaged with your children and willing to supplement their learning with alternative educational resources if needed then you should be fine.

The rental market on Maui is through the roof strong so consider purchasing investment income properties if you are in the position to do so.
It may take you a while to get cultured to our systems and attitudes so the more humble and understanding you are the better. We locals like humble.
Plan well, live the dream, but have a backup plan in case things are not what you expected.
Hope this helps.