Everyday things about Big Island life that make visitors go "Wha?" (Hilo: insurance, camping)

[AlohaHuey]

That 35 MPH zone entering Kona from the airport is a real speed trap. Temptation is to go flyin' through there but Hawai'i's finest have that bookmarked on their Favorites page. I saw cars pulled over just ebout every day in that stretch.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by tyvin

There are also the mongoose in the Big Island; that's something that made me go "wha?". In fact the only islands that don't have them are Kauai and Lanai. The mongoose were brought over to squelch the rat problem that had been created by the introduction of sugar cane. There's some story about the wrong type or something or other,about the mongoose and now the little fellows are everywhere.

I lived on Kauai for 45 years and never saw a mongoose. I now live on Oahu and I know they are here but I've never seen one; not like you see them on the Big Island. They can be rather comical when observed doing there daily thing.

Heh. The way this question normally gets asked is "What the $%^&* was THAT?" as one streaks across the landscape in a long brown blur.

The story of the mongoose is just one of countless attempts to introduce foreign species to the islands that went awry. They were brought in to control the rats, but our rats are nocturnal, active at night and the mongoose (notice how I cleverly sidestepped the mongooses/mongeese issue?) is a diurnal animal, active only during the day. So they never met. Sadly, the mongoose now fills its lunch bucket with small birds and bird eggs, so they're actually an ecological problem , and a threat to several endangered species.

But there is no denying they are fun to watch, as they scamper around playing tag with each other. Kind of like otters, but without the water.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by AlohaHuey

That 35 MPH zone entering Kona from the airport is a real speed trap. Temptation is to go flyin' through there but Hawai'i's finest have that bookmarked on their Favorites page. I saw cars pulled over just ebout every day in that stretch.

Yeah, the downhill approach to Keau'u on Highway 11 is the same, where the speed limit goes from 55 to 45 to 35 and the highway widens to multiple lanes before the big intersection. It's so close to the Puna Police Station in Keau'u you'd think people would catch a clue, but nooooo.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by Jonah K

The "realigned" portion of Saddle Road (Highway 200) is a pretty "fast road." Some locals have been known to go over 100 mph up there. :eek

Jonah reminds me of another fun fact about Saddle Road: "The rental car company socked me with a $200 surcharge for driving over Saddle Road? (or into Waimea Valley, or whatever) Wha?"

It's true, there are several roads on the Big Island that are not recommended unless you have four-wheel drive, and a few that are not permitted at all for rental cars. The agencies tell tourists that, and they have them sign agreements that say that, but then some tourists still go where they are prohibited anyway, under the "who will know?" theory. But then they get busted by the GPS tracking systems installed in many of the rental cars that automatically flag them for penalties. I call it the "Stupid Tourist Tax."

[AlohaHuey]

Originally Posted by OpenD

Jonah reminds me of another fun fact about Saddle Road: "The rental car company socked me with a $200 surcharge for driving over Saddle Road? (or into Waimea Valley, or whatever) Wha?"

It's true, there are several roads on the Big Island that are not recommended unless you have four-wheel drive, and a few that are not permitted at all for rental cars. The agencies tell tourists that, and they have them sign agreements that say that, but then some tourists still go where they are prohibited anyway, under the "who will know?" theory. But then they get busted by the GPS tracking systems installed in many of the rental cars that automatically flag them for penalties. I call it the "Stupid Tourist Tax."

Whoa! That's definitely a gotcha.

I think Budget now allows the rentals over Saddle Road, but each company has different rules.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by AlohaHuey

Whoa! That's definitely a gotcha.

I think Budget now allows the rentals over Saddle Road, but each company has different rules.

Yeah, in some cars, not all. Let's face it, driving over Saddle Back in a Cobalt would not be fun.

[OpenD]

"What the $%^&* are frickin' geese/chickens/goats/cows/dogs doing in the middle of a frickin' STATE HIGHWAY???"

Ummm. Yeah. That. Didn't I mention it?

Well, they live here too. Welcome to Hawai'i !!

[bbwbbw]

Originally Posted by OpenD

Heh. The way this question normally gets asked is "What the $%^&* was THAT?" as one streaks across the landscape in a long brown blur.

The story of the mongoose is just one of countless attempts to introduce foreign species to the islands that went awry. They were brought in to control the rats, but our rats are nocturnal, active at night and the mongoose (notice how I cleverly sidestepped the mongooses/mongeese issue?) is a diurnal animal, active only during the day. So they never met. Sadly, the mongoose now fills its lunch bucket with small birds and bird eggs, so they're actually an ecological problem , and a threat to several endangered species.

But there is no denying they are fun to watch, as they scamper around playing tag with each other. Kind of like otters, but without the water.

There was a agricultural agency which was giving away a free mongoose to local farmers. One farmer wasn't sure if the correct useage was mongoose or mongeese so he wrote:
Dear Sir,
Please send me one of the mongoose you are giving away.
Thanks, Farmer Smith
P.S. Maybe you had better send two.

[bbwbbw]

What the $%^&* are frickin' geese/chickens/goats/cows/dogs doing in the middle of a frickin' STATE HIGHWAY???"

Ummm. Yeah. That. Didn't I mention it?


In West Texas we have tons of deer and a some javelina hogs on the highways--much more prevalant at night. It is not unusual to see most pickups and some cares with "deer guards" on the front to lessen the damage. I guess there are unusual things wherever.

[mdand3boys]

Drove the Saddle Road today. There is currently an 8 mile section near Hilo that is mostly gravel. Parts of it were so slick due to rain that it was like driving on ice.
Rental car companies don't want their cars on it because the tourists tend to trash the brakes on the downhill sections. (I know people at the rental car agencies in Hilo.)