Best City on Big Island to avoid Vog? (Honolulu, Hilo: house, living in)

[happydazemama]

Hi there, thanks for taking the time to read my Q. My husband, infant daughter and grandmother have the opportunity to move to the big island for a job. His job involves traveling all over the island, so we have some freedom in choosing where we live. The only thing holding us up is the Vog issue. I've gotten a lot of info from the Hawaii DOH website, but I still don't understand how severe of an issue it is. I realize that right now it's worse because of the volcanic activity. Is there an area of the island that consistantly has bad air quality? Is there an area that is rarely affected by Vog? From your perspective, is it enough of a health issue for children that you would turn the job down? Does it compare to any mainland cities' smog problems? Obviously, I'm so excited at the prospect of my daughter experiencing her first years of life in such a beautiful spiritual place. I want her to have first hand appreciation of how amazing our natural world is, but if this move is going to harm her then we will stay put. To put it plainly "How bad is it?"
Sorry, I'm a new mom and insist everyone "Gotta see the baby!" (Seinfeld ref)

[cynthia007]

Hi!

My husband and I have had the incredible opportunity to raise our two daughters here. We moved here as newlyweds, and now have a doubles team to play tennis with.

I won't lie though, the vog has been an issue for us. We have lived most of our seventeen years here in Waikoloa, on the leeward side of the island. Both of my daughters have had asthmatic attacks, especially when they were little. Now, when the vog is heavy, there is a lot of coughing. I won't say that the vog is the only cause of the asthma,(mold, pollen, animal dander, dust, etc. are big triggers) but it definitely contributes to labored breathing and tends to complicate the situation.

Lately, the sulpher dioxide that has been pouring into our air is causing some different problems. Headaches, skin rash, and nasal congestion are a few of the symptoms. As long as there are the tradewinds, the vog is kept in check. When it's still around here though....well, it's not good. We don't play tennis!

Who knows how long this will continue? Maybe it will stop today, maybe never. We don't know. I do wonder about what the long term effects will be...unfortunately, we won't know that until the long term!

Our family is moving back to the mainland at the end of this month. Our decision came long before Pele started her heavy breathing. While we will always call Hawaii "home," it will be nice not to worry about the vog. All in all, not once have I regretted moving here. It truly has been a wonderful place to raise our family.

Well wishes to you in making your decision to move here or not.

[cynthia007]

I wanted to say too...ADORABLE baby! You are from St. Augustine? I love that place...it's somewhere I have thought of living.

[susiemisajon]

There are cities on the Big Isle?

[dmoon808]

i am not sure u can excape vog. 2 weeks ago it was so thick i coudnt see the ocean from my house =( to me that was the worst part.. and i live on OAHU. but like 007 said i herd of people gettin headace.. and asma flareing up.. lol. its crazy tho. by the time it traved from big island.. it was so fine and odorless. i felt like i was in a steven king novel (the mist)

anywayz. its not year round. at least on oahu. i hope its not like that wen i go to big island. good luck. =)


cute kid BTW

[kawika52]

Aloha! Well I guess if youre going to be on the Big Island, the most vog-less place would probably be in the Kohala or Hamakua coast areas. You would be on the other side of Mauna Kea from the volcanic activity. And the trade winds coming onshore from the NE should blow the vog away from you. Hopefully. Malama pono!

[KonaKat]

North Kohala does have less vog. Hawi and Kapa'au are charming villages although areas can be pretty windy. Honoka'a is also a nice place, not much vog and not too much rain either as in Hilo.

I live in Kailua Kona and the vog varies sometimes day to day. It is irritating to many peope, some don't notice any effect but all are affected by the esthetic effects; we miss our clear days!

But I still would not live anywhere else!

[Kohala Coast tennis]

I live on the wet side of Waimea just 15 minutes mauka of Honoka'a. Living in the misty, rainy windward areas, specifically Honoka'a, Hawi and Kapa'au are your best bet. And the many clear days are fabulous!

[mogon]

Originally Posted by happydazemama

...To put it plainly "How bad is it?"

It can be pretty bad.

It's also pretty unpredictable as to how it will affect any particular individual -- and very hard to know whether there will come a point where a previously unaffected individual will start to be affected.

Originally Posted by cynthia007

...it definitely contributes to labored breathing and tends to complicate the situation.

Absolutely

Lately, the sulpher dioxide that has been pouring into our air is causing some different problems. Headaches, skin rash, and nasal congestion are a few of the symptoms. As long as there are the tradewinds, the vog is kept in check.

Your experience of the "collateral" effects is very similar to what I have observed.

And yes, as long as the trades are strong and steady, the least area is affected (but that means that those in Ocean View, Pahala, Na`alehu, and particularly Wood Valley are badly affected.

There have even been days when I've been in Honolulu during kona winds and you couldn't see Waikiki or downtown from the airport.

Originally Posted by kawika52

Aloha! Well I guess if youre going to be on the Big Island, the most vog-less place would probably be in the Kohala or Hamakua coast areas. You would be on the other side of Mauna Kea from the volcanic activity. And the trade winds coming onshore from the NE should blow the vog away from you. Hopefully. Malama pono!

Actually, in my experience even lower Hamakua can be very, very bad when the trades abate.

Originally Posted by Kohala Coast tennis

I live on the wet side of Waimea just 15 minutes mauka of Honoka'a. Living in the misty, rainy windward areas, specifically Honoka'a, Hawi and Kapa'au are your best bet. And the many clear days are fabulous!

Agree. Interestingly, though, one other place you wouldn't expect to be good is actually the very lower end of Puna, particularly the Opihika`o and the Kapoho areas. But much mauka of that -- Pahoa and Kurtistown and Ola`a, for example, can be bad.

[amerika68]

what abt kihei vog there