Big Island hippies (Pahoa: leasing, hotels, houses)

[Gyva]

Been doing some reading and have found a lot of information saying there is quite a collection of these folks on the big island near Pahoa. Is this area mostly these alternative living people, how many would you say there are, what estates or communities are they concentrated in? Friendly, not friendly? Anything you'd like to share about big island hip folks would be great.

Thanks.

[OpenD]

I think the assortment of people living in Puna who are interested in alternative lifestyles defies any easy labels.

Sure, if you think that being a hippie involves wearing tie-dyes non-ironically, and Birkenstocks and blonde dreadlocks, then hanging out in front of the natural food store for a while will satisfy your quest.

On the other hand, there are a lot of people who are interested in sustainability and energy alternatives and permaculture, etc. who display none of the above characteristics. To me they are the true hippies, the hippies who grew up, the ones who have gone past the stereotype into actually creating productive, ongoing lifestyles that are other than the mainstream.

And yes, there are a lot of those in Puna, drawn by the affordable land and relatively easy-going regulations. It's not the wide-open Wild West it used to be, but it's still an area where getting along with your neighbor is probably the highest imperative.

[whtviper1]

We've been talking about how to improve the Big Island economy and improve tourism to that side of the island - I don't think hippies really care about nice hotels which is lacking over there - maybe some hippies only charter flights would do the trick.

[hotzcatz]

A lot of the Puna area was "settled" when the developers got big chunks of land, drew lines to represent roads and ran a bulldozer through the rain forest growing on the top of rocky lava fields and put pins at the property corners. This was back in the sixties and seventies, probably right around the time the concept of "fee simple" (actually owning the land instead of leasing it) became common in Hawaii. These undeveloped "subdivision" lots appealed to folks who didn't mind living without electricity, telephones, pavement, trash service, mail service, sewer service, nearby shops, etc. etc. So a lot of "hippie" and "alternative" type of people started living in the area and that has been the core population pretty much since then. The infrastructure has improved a lot in the past four or five decades and it is now to the point where "regular" folks are moving into the area. Although, the "regular" folks are still pretty liberal, I wouldn't use the term "conservative" to describe very many folks in the area.

At the beginning, nobody really paid much attention to rules or regulations since it was basically just people living off in the somewhat scrubby jungle. They didn't seem to be overly valid taxpayers and they were pretty much ignored. Now, however, since there are now roads you can drive on without destroying your car (some of the subdivisions are even entirely paved now), there is telephone service to most of the areas (although not all), there is grid electricity to most areas now (although not all) and there are a lot more houses instead of just one scattered here and there, the folks aren't being ignored by the County agencies anymore. Most of the subdivisions still lack water service and mail service to the houses although they now have mail box areas at the beginnings of each big housing area. So they are beginning to almost be regular house lots although they still don't really resemble what most folks think of when they use the term "sub-division". So there are a lot of hippies, dreadlocks, live-off-the-landers, ashram types, earth mothers, preppers, etc., living in the area. However, since the infrastructure has improved, there are now also a lot of different types of folks moving to the area; retirees, people who work in town or at a salaried job of some sort, much more mainstream types, etc. It is still a very "alternative" friendly area, whether that alternative is your choice of housing, partner, lifestyle, religion, etc., it's pretty accepted as long as you are accepting of everyone else. The folks are now a lot more regulated by Building Department, Health Department as well as other County & Federal rules and regulations than they used to be. However, with the previous history of the area, there is still the battle of overcoming their "wild west" history and getting everyone to behave properly these days, especially as regards to Building Department permits before building something.

As far as how many of these folks there are, I'd say anywhere from a quarter to over half the population, although you'd have to determine what exactly a "hippie" is to quantify it closer than that. They are more or less centered around the general Pahoa area but can be found through out the whole Puna area - which is huge. They are generally friendly if you are friendly to them. I'm thinking most of them are the "old school" type hippies, I'm not sure how those types of folks relate to the current day "hipsters" since I've not really paid much attention to the new version. The whole Puna area is pretty accepting of most anyone as long as they make an effort to get along with everyone else.

[Gyva]

Hotzcatz, thank you so much for the great post, I hate using sterotypes like "hippy" But I figured that was eaiser than writing a paragraph trying to describe these folks lol, glad you understood... Thanks again.

+Rep

[hotzcatz]

*blush* gee, no problem, glad it was of use to you. A hui hou

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

We've been talking about how to improve the Big Island economy and improve tourism to that side of the island - I don't think hippies really care about nice hotels which is lacking over there - maybe some hippies only charter flights would do the trick.

You are making a joke, I think, but it is actually a viable idea. Figure out the right package and promote it right and it would be a success. Many of the old hippies grew up to be very successful and have money for tours that appeal to them. Put together a jungle resort with handicapped access tree houses, let the guests harvest their own organic produce for supper, and get some of the creaking old rock bands together to play some concerts and you could fill that charter, and for good money.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

You are making a joke, I think, but it is actually a viable idea. Figure out the right package and promote it right and it would be a success. Many of the old hippies grew up to be very successful and have money for tours that appeal to them. Put together a jungle resort with handicapped access tree houses, let the guests harvest their own organic produce for supper, and get some of the creaking old rock bands together to play some concerts and you could fill that charter, and for good money.

Hmmm, I almost put in my original post - why isn't oregonwoodsmoke all over this.......

[nightlysparrow]

You may want to check out this site. Many of the intentional communities are on the BI.

Intentional Communities in Hawaii

[Razzbar]

The word "hippie" is loaded with way too many offensive connotations to be useful.

Hawaii has always attracted dreamers. Some people can't tell the difference between their dreams and reality. Others pick up tools and try and realize their dreams. There's a little of both in Puna, but you're going to see more of the former than the latter, since the ones who actually make something of their dreams, are usually off the streets at work, while the ones who just dream on, tend to hang out in the public places, just dreaming some really dreamy dreams.

I mean, what does "hippie" mean in the first place? Flowers? Sharing? Being dirty? Accepting others regardless of yadda...? Creative? Craft skills? Dress funny? Anti-capitalist?

You'll find all of those, and you'll find contradictions in every person. You can't just label someone a "hippy" and be socially constructive. The term has too many negative connotations.

The term "dreamer" is a little more descriptive, IMHO. You can't tell by the way they look. Freaky tie-dye types are always dreamers, but there are also a lot who dress like normal people. Some have jobs.