Why it's so hard to stealth in Hawaii.

[JDub]

This article by Hawaii Civil Beat (which is the best independent news site in the state) has in a nutshell all of the issues that make it so difficult to stealth in Hawaii - Especially in the outer islands like Maui. Note that they actually have a decent income (and horrendous vehicle payments) but they still aren't making it.

https://www.civilbeat.org/2022/03/its-hard-to-make-ends-meet-on-maui-even-if-you-live-in-your-car/
Cheers.

 

[user 423]

Are the benefits of living there enough to offset the hassle?

 

[JDub]

Are the benefits of living there enough to offset the hassle?

Depends on what you're into. The outer islands - all of them outside of Oahu and Hawaii - are really one trick ponies when it comes to things to do if you're not a tourist at one of the resorts. Outside stuff - that's about it. If you're the type that really enjoys getting outside every day - beach, mountains, hiking, fishing, outdoor activities and sports - then there is a lot to do. For everything else - it's pretty dead.

Outside of the resorts and tourist traps, there's just not a lot to do commercially. Businesses close early, the locals are clannish, there's limited social entertainment, the road and development infrastructure just isn't there. Maui has more than Kauai, Molokai and Lanai have the least. 90% of Lanai is privately owned. It's very expensive to live on the outer islands and you're limited in what's available - Try buying a car on one!

The Big Island - Hawaii has a couple of larger towns - Hilo and Kona which have pretty much everything a 50K person town on the mainland has commercially, but still, the streets tend to roll up early and there's limited "fun" types of venues. Again, if you're the outdoor type, you'd have plenty to do. The interior of the island is kind of "Wild Wild West" - think fast and loose... Lots of area are virtually "Kapu" - off limits to outsiders. Very little infrastructure or road network and only very small towns outside of the 2 big ones. The whole island which is the size of a New England state only has 250K people living there.

Oahu? It's got a million people and everything you'd find in a major mainland city - along with the worst traffic jams you'll ever see (LA not withstanding) and all the commensurate ills of all big cities. It's the really different culture (very Pan Asian) and attitude (lets just say that urgency in anything is lacking) prevalent there that makes adjusting and fitting in difficult for a lot of mainland transplants (especially the high pressure types). We even have a term for it - "Hawaii Burnout". Folks move there after buying the tropical paradise schtick put out there by the tourism board only to find reality is very different when you actually live there (and expensive).

Just getting a job is difficult for many because employers don't expect you to stay (a year or two is average for most transplants before they give up and go home) and don't want to sink the money into you to train only to see you leave as most do. Having said all that, if you can adjust to the differences and learn to - well - just chill - and reset your clock to "Hawaii Time" and adjust to the island rhythm and flow of life, then it can be a wonderful place to live. I certainly plan on moving back and that's even knowing how things REALLY are there, but then, I'm an Island Boy!

Cheers!

 

[RoamerRV428]

from the article: It’s illegal to live in cars on public roadways in Hawaii, but the couple has been doing so on Maui for the last three months,

-------so if not the norm and against laws, it would be harder in that the locals know this info and can report easier and biz know this cause they don't want their parking lots full of this against the law activity, so yea......I can see it being very harder to do this. My life (personal comment here) could not be about avoiding the law at every turn or surviving to this level to the day 'we get caught' but hey more power ot them to keep on going as they want til it ends? Do what ya can til ya can't and do what illegal activity ya want til ya get nailed I guess???

 

[peteg59]

"It's not a crime until you get caught".
Would imagine after the law catches you living in a vehicle it would be difficult at best to continue the lifestyle, being you're on an island and are therefore "captive"...

 

[GoingMobile]

I would imagine it is very difficult to drive there from the mainland U.S. But I did notice while driving there, that it does have at least 4 Interstate highways, which would imply at least, that it is possible.

 

[JDub]

I would imagine it is very difficult to drive there from the mainland U.S. But I did notice while driving there, that it does have at least 4 Interstate highways, which would imply at least, that it is possible.

That's one of the highway jokes there. the H1, 2, and 3 on Oahu (the only freeways in the state) are plastered with signs stating: "Part of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Interstate System of Defense Highways". Interstate to WHERE? The Marianna's Trench?

 

[frater secessus]

Part of the difficulty is that it appears to be illegal.

 

[JDub]

Addendum, sadly, this is a good example of what can happen when you ignore rules that may seem arbitrary but often have a good reason behind them. These folks were apparently sleeping on the shoulder of a road on Maui. You can see how both the road and the shoulders there are very narrow (common) and quite frankly, the outer islands (Oahu has its fair share) are often known for crazy driving.

Combined with a real lack of roads that funnel traffic onto just a few corridors (especially Maui), high traffic, tons of tourists driving slow, frustration leading to road rage, regular and complete disregard for speed limits, and operating under the influence, severe accidents on these roads are frequent, and often pretty bad. Way above what they should be for such small places... These folks just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time but they shouldn't have been there - Being familiar with these situations there I personally would NEVER have chanced it... RIP

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2022/...ed-car-killed-after-tuck-veers-off-maui-road/

 

[JDub]

Part of the difficulty is that it appears to be illegal.

Believe me, that's another of the many, many laws that are routinely ignored there - because -"well it's Hawaii" It's actually mostly the locals because they know where they can park or they're in their own neighborhoods where they won't get reported, or "Da Cop is my Cuz's dealer's, girlfriend's Brudder ". An outsider will often get reported in a flash because they're in some local's "space"...