Orchidlands Estates Big Island

[Sub-Blue]

Originally Posted by mdand3boys

But all 2 lane "highways". Many of the "roads" in Orchidland are nearly impassable during heavy rain and have potholes big enough to swallow mini-SUV's.

I better take that advice as gold !

[Ryan.]

The roads aren't that bad. Geez. I've driven all of them at the rainiest of times in a rental car. The only real trouble spot is 39th and Pohaku. I think Orchidland is a fine area and worth consideration. Also, you can always bypass HWY 130 entirely and exit the estates for HWY 11 (if you live toward the top of the subdivision). My wife and I considered Orchidland extensively before finding a larger plot of land elsewhere.

[mdand3boys]

Also realize that the roads are technically private - owned by the subdivision. The County doesn't run out and fix any issues with the roads.

[Irish Eyes_Mrs. Z]

I know, this thread is positively ancient, but I wonder if anyone can update info for this subdivision 5 years after the thread was started? Or add to it? I have friends who live in that subdivision and love it. Looking online and with brief conversations I've had with those friends, I think it would be a very nice place to live IF we are ever able/willing to make the move. If it ever happens, my husband would be telecommuting, so traffic during rush hour wouldn't be problematic. I like what I hear about the climate, lushness of the vegetation, lot sizes (we'd probably do more gardening than farming, although we'd probably keep chickens for bug control and eggs) and would love having the space for our little dogs to run and space to build aviaries for our parrots. The rural atmosphere and the lack of CC&Rs appeals to us very much (so that parrot-keeping in aviaries and keeping chickens isn't an issue) .

Still, have the roads/hwy been updated? I note that it's in Lava zone 3. How likely is it to be in the current path of the lava flow any time soon? I presume it's at least fairly safe from that.... What about social possibilities? Is there a local farmer's market? Volunteer possibilities? Any kind of community center, etc.? While I have been diagnosed as agoraphobic and never go out on my own, I DO like to get out and about with my husband. We explore new places, I am a fairly serious hobby photographer, and my husband would probably enjoy the opportunity to have people besides me and his coworkers (via telecommuting) to talk to occasionally :-). Is the crime rate fairly normal for the rural parts of the BI, or is it better or worse? What is the state of access to the internet and cell phone reception? We plan to visit the area next January or thereabouts for a couple of weeks to see for ourselves what it and the rest of the BI is like, but until then, any additional information would be greatly appreciated.

Yes, I talk with my friends about what living there is like, but I'm interested in just about anything regarding the subdivision, and since one of them manages their property as a farm, and the other one works all over the place and is extremely busy traveling, I don't like to interrupt their busy schedules with never-ending questions. So if anyone has any insights into this area, I'd love to hear them :-). Thanks in advance.

[terracore]

Some parts of Orchidland Estates (OLE) are much closer to the lava than others. The lava is definitely creeping closer but it could stop tomorrow. Or Mauna Loa could erupt tomorrow and cover Hilo with lava hours later. Any time you live in the shadow of active volcanoes you accept that risk. The importance of lava zone 3 means that currently you will have no problem getting insurance, and therefore bank loans.

The roads have been updated but they are still private Puna style. The area that used to wash out by 39th and Pohaku was replaced with concrete road surface that doesn't wash out. Many of the side roads have been or are getting graded. There are no plans to pave all OLE roads. The plan is only to pave and maintain the the access roads (the roads that go from the highways into the subdivision) and the side roads will be unpaved with sporadic maintenance. Mostly, a property on a side road isn't far from a paved access road. This leads me to your next question... volunteering... the Orchidland Community Association Orchidland Estates This is a highly dysfunctional and frustrating organization that is always needing sane volunteers. OLE doesn't have a community center, though I understand there is a lot designated for this purpose but lacking the fundraising to do anything with it.

Orchidland has no wired broadband access. Internet access is currently only available through cellular or satellite. There are pros and cons to each. Verizon offers a residential home internet service that is better than using your phone as a wifi hotspot. It used to be called Home Fusion but has a new name Verizon LTE Internet.

The crime rate in OLE is (in my opinion) less than other places in Puna but we still have it. And there are people who have lived here for decades and never been robbed because they follow basic common sense security measures. If you adopt security into your rural lifestyle the thieves will recognize this and move on to an easier target.

If you are considering a relocation to Puna you should consider Punaweb Home All Puna, all the time. If you are interested in real estate purchases, Harry Pritikin has a nice daily email digest that we used before moving here (and I'm still subscribed) Newsletter | Kona Real Estate Agent - Kailua Kona Hawaii Real Estate Specialist in Land, Homes and Condos on the Big Island of Hawaii. Free Daily Real Estate Newsletter. (don't let the kona part scare you, you can opt in for just the east side information).

[terracore]

Also, you mentioned your pets. It takes a minimum of four months from the time you start to get your dogs here, but the process is good for 3 years. So if you know you are going to move more than four months from now but less than 3 years from now, it makes sense to start the process now rather than later because it spreads the stress and cost of moving over a longer period of time. Ironically, we started the process with our dog out thinking it would be a few years before we could come here but two days after we started the process I got a job offer. Knowing the blood was already on its way to the University of Kansas for testing was one less thing to worry about. Here is a link to some information about bringing dogs:
Animal Industry Division | Animal Quarantine Information Page

Since you also have parrots you will want to see this page if you haven't already: How to import parrots and other birds into Hawaii

[Irish Eyes_Mrs. Z]

Hi terracore. Thanks for taking the time to respond to my questions. I didn't want to burden your wife with all of them on FB, nor you, with your busy job. So I really appreciate that you took the time out to respond. Mahalo!

I've signed up to Harry's email digest and enjoy looking through it on a daily basis. I've joined the Punaweb forums, and am reading the posts earnestly. And, of course, I've read the posts about importing parrots to Hawaii. I'll have to bend your and your wife's ears about this more at some time. I want to bring at least 5 parrots--3 macaws, a BFA, and my "other husband", Tiki Blue the BHP. Maybe little Screechy Pete the conure, unless the cost is prohibitive and Sun Conures are easy to find over there. I will definitely read the Animal Industry Division's page, although I've already looked into how to import the woofmeisters over there if the time comes. The process is not too far off the process we'd go through if we ever decided to move to the UK or Ireland, really, which is also a consideration, since Z is a UK citizen and it would be easy for us to move over there if we ever got the itch. Cost would be high for us with as many dogs and birds as we have either way, but since we're not seriously looking to move to HI in the next 4 or 5 years (if that, depending on Z's work's telecommuting policy and the availability of internet and phone access in the area. Without those, Z couldn't work from home), we will undoubtedly lose several of our older (10+ years) dogs via attrition before that time, hence lowering the cost to move the pack. I've already come to terms with the fact that my pet snakes (a boa, 2 small pythons, and several corn and king snakes) would have to find another home here on the mainland. It looks as if there is absolutely no chance whatsoever of legally bringing them with us.

Thanks, too, for the info about volunteering and the crime rate. I don't know how "sane" I am, but if we ever get the opportunity to move to the BI, volunteering is something I'm sure that both Z and I would want to do to help give back to the community. Here, we help with the Connie Hansen Gardens, and we attend beach cleanup days, for example. Nothing huge in the scale of things, but it's a way to feel a part of this little beach town that we love :-). As for the crime, I wasn't TOO worried, as long as it's not like living in NoPo NE PDX, with all of the gang violence and with thieving pretty much being a "career choice" in those neighborhoods! Good to know that it's not bad where you guys are, as long as one uses common sense when it comes to security measures.

It sounds like living anywhere on the BI has at least some chance of lava problems, depending on which mountain decides to spew at any given time. So I guess we'd try not to worry TOO much about it, and just be at least educated about the area we might want to consider--in this case, Orchidlands Estates and surrounding environs. Volcano also seems like a nice area that I'd like to check out, someday. As for the roads, they probably wouldn't slow us down too much anyway, no matter what their condition, as if we ever moved, I'd be shipping my lifted (6") Jeep Wrangler over with us. I swear, that thing can climb over, into, and out of anywhere :-). I always figure that living anywhere involves compromises, so as long as we like an area, we wouldn't let "little" things like bad roads and Pele's whims stop us :-).

Anyway, I keep up with the researching all things Hawaii, and I'm really looking forward to vacationing there for the first time next winter. I'm hoping that we will both fall in love with it, just as my parents did back in their day :-).