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My boyfriend and I (both college graduates) decided to up and leave and move to Maui from California about 7 months ago. As we are both very cautious people we spent about 8 months researching and visiting to ensure we were making the right decision.
First and foremost... we put everything we owned that we couldn't live without on Craigslist. We sold every piece of furniture and/or big item and surprisingly made about $4,000 in the process which covered all our moving costs. We kept all the small things that either had sentimental value or would be more expensive to replace than to ship... We shipped four pallets, which now looking back on it was probably still too much. I was able to find 4, 4x4 foot boxes which we filled and shipped for about $1500. We shipped our clothes, pots and pans, dishes, kitchen utensils, bedding, sentimental items, computers, important paperwork, dive gear, etc.
Now the cars... We both had SUV's. His was paid off, mine was not. So we decided to go ahead and sell his and keep mine. We shipped my car out of Richmond/Oakland (cost $1000) through Matson.... big mistake. Apparently Matson is one of the only companies that doesn't put the cars in a container. FIND A COMPANY THAT WILL PUT YOUR CAR IN A CONTAINER!!! I can't stress this enough, my newer car (with no previous rust) arrived rusted... There are little rust spots all over the car which are just going to grow. I had no idea that could happen so quickly!! Also they left the lights on inside my car and when it arrived the battery was dead. Matson leaves your car out in the ocean air for the whole trip allowing all that sea spray to just eat away at your paint. We even waxed the car prior to sailing... didn't help. If you do ship your car in the open air, wash and wax it the day you pick it up... get all that salt off of there!! I have heard Horizon Lines is a good company to use as they do put cars in containers. We were told the car would take about 3-4 weeks to get there which it did... We shipped it 5 weeks in advance as we did not want to rent a car when we got here. If you are able to ship a car that far in advance I would definitely advise you to do so. Borrowing a second car tends to be very easy in your home town... renting a car in Hawaii=super expensive.
Also just so you know, you have to re-register your car within 10 days of picking it up from the port, not from when it arrives (ours got there more than 10 days prior to our arrival). The DMV will ask you to show them receipt of when you picked up the car and will fine you if it is after 10 days. But first you have to get a safety inspection... The safety inspection takes about 15 minutes (costs about $15) and you can get in done at most repair shops or gas stations. If you have any busted lights, crappy windshield wipers, etc... you will have to get them replaced before you can register your car. Expect to spend over an hour at the DMV. The cost of registration here is based on your cars weight. I have a Honda SUV and it was about $150. You have to surrender your plates from your former state to get your new plates at the DMV (they give them to you at the DMV). Your current state's drivers license is good until it expires so no worries about getting that changed right away. When you do decide to get your Hawaii drivers license they will make you take a written test. If you download the Hawaii drivers manual there will be a list of about 170 practice questions. They pool from those questions. I was a dork and studied all of those and got 100% on my test! You also have to surrender your former drivers license in order to get your new one. Go online and check the hours of all the DMV locations... they are very weird.
Oh and just so you know, the insurance on my car actually went down when I moved here. I lived on the central coast of California. It was only about a $50 difference for a 6-month premium... but hey it is something!!
HUGE HINT!!! ATA allows you to have THREE pieces of checked luggage (I believe they are the only airline that allows that)!!! Between my boyfriend and I we were able to have 6, 50 lb boxes on top of our carry ons (which were suitcases). That can save you lots of money!! In those 6 boxes we packed a few pots an pans, some plastic silverware, clothes, etc. We wanted to make sure we had all the necessities until our pallets got there (arrived 2 weeks after we moved).
Which brings me to food costs. I am a very savvy shopper. I scan adds for sales, shop at costco, etc. I have no problem finding things for the same prices on the mainland. I also go to the swap meet every Saturday morning in Kahului where I buy the most delicious fruits and veggies (Maui grown) at a bargain price! Beer is a little more expensive, on the mainland at costco I paid about $19.99 for a 24 pack, here is it about $26.00. Asian foods are actually CHEAPER here!! Scan those aisles and you will be surprised. When I do go shopping I hit up every aisle. If I see canned tomatoes on sale, I buy them even if I don't need them. You learn to adapt your shopping to meet the sales!!! I don't pay more here than I did on the mainland... oh and FYI milk is $4.69/gallon at costco and always on sale at Safeway for $4.00/gallon. It really isn't as bad as everyone thinks....
Housing.... hmmm... bad story here. We rented a place site unseen. Be very careful about that!!! We signed into a 6 month lease (before we even saw it because we were desperate) and hated the place. We knew we wanted to buy a condo but went ahead and rented a place first. The place we originally moved into was so bad that we bought a place a little sooner than we had expected and moved out early (had to pay to the end of our lease). We are sooooo happy we bought and love our new condo! Our 2 bedroom 2 bath rental was $1250/month... which is what we paid in California. We found Maui Real Estate, Hawaii Real Estate, Maui Home for sale, Hawaii Home for Sale was the best place to look at homes for sale and ended up using the Hansen family (owners of that site) to buy our condo.
Jobs... We traveled to Maui about 3 months before our planned move where I interviewed for multiple jobs and found the perfect one. I have a unique job talent that was scooped up immediately!! If you have some new or needed job talent that can benefit the islands you will be welcomed with open arms. My boyfriend worked for a big box store in California and used it to transfer here knowing he would leave as soon as he could find something better. That something better came along about 2 months into our stay here and he is now making way more money than he every could have on the mainland. There is a major lack of good workers here, if you have a work ethic (and won't ditch work when the surf is high) finding a job isn't much of a problem....
On the money side of things... we came over here with nothing (except what we had saved for a down payment for a condo and didn't touch) and it was no problem. If you have a job lined up it is a perfect transition... We are still trying to find furniture to fill our condo which is proving to be a challenge! Be careful of what you buy on craigslist or in the paper... bedbugs and termites are a HUGE problem here (we have heard stories). You don't want to bring anything into your home that is going to cause problems...
Overall we love it here.... I was soooooo scared when I moved here because of all the racism (I heard about) against white people. Well I have yet to see it. In fact the minute we got here we made lots of friends, many of them locals (I am haole by the way). If you come here with open arms and blend into to culture rather than try to change it there are no problems... And don't read Hawaii Rants and Raves on Craigslist.... That is just a bunch of racist people who have nothing better to do than to ***** about others. This is a much better blog, listen to these people!!!
Aloha everyone (congratulations if you made it this far)... and feel free to ask me any questions.. at this point I feel like an expert!!
I am a waiter right now in Idaho.I was told by a bartender that they offer you jobs and actually move you there to owrk for them.but when i went to Maui i had no such luck.I did get offered a job whenever i decide to move there.But do you have any connections to people who know of these jobs to move your things?it would be much cheeper for me to make the transition than for the money to come out of my own pocket.
Private!!! I cannot stress it enough. Don't work for Hawaii DOE
I have an offer of employment for Maui, Molaki and the BI. I'm curious to know why you say "don't work for the DOE"? Is there one island that would be better than another to live on. I've heard lots of threads about folks who have made the move and they talk about how hard it is to make a living. Well you know teachers aren't exactly "well paid", but the salary is only alittle less than I make at my school now as a Special Ed. teacher. I loved Maui but I am open to something alittle quietier like Molaki. How about lanai, what can youtell me about that island. I certainly appreicate the input and all teh advise on moving companies and rents that I have read. Please sell me on Maui district.
myqueen, We are getting ready for a move to the big island ourselves this coming summer. You will hear a lot on this forum that will seem disuasive in you moving there. The bottom line is, it's going to come down to your attitude. If you are an optimistic person that doesn't let a few obsticles get you down, if you go with an open mind that you going to a new way of life and you are willing to embrace that, if you are willing to trade some of your creature comforts for the perfect sunset, you will be fine. Pennies might be tighter, but if money is not your value, but your way of life is, and you are willing to spend a little more in order to have a way of life that fits a value, then you will be rich in a way that no one can steal it from you. I don't know if there is a Mauiweb, but I would look into it. They give lots of advice, put you in touch with whoever you need to get in touch with and are generally very welcoming and helpful. Two books that were recommended reading were "So you want to live in Hawaii" and "Affordable Paradise." I am reading the first one right now and I think the second might be big island focused. So you want to live is very easy reading and you will get through it quickly and be very informed about everything from love to politics and there is a section about each island in there. I wish you well in your quest and encourage you to stay in touch with this forum and others. Aloha, Sharlee
My boyfriend and I are planning on moving to Maui from Austin Tx. I've heard of horror stories in what they do to travel nurses. Is it true that the get floated/pooled from one unit to another? Thanks.
I have an offer of employment for Maui, Molaki and the BI. I'm curious to know why you say "don't work for the DOE"? Is there one island that would be better than another to live on. I've heard lots of threads about folks who have made the move and they talk about how hard it is to make a living. Well you know teachers aren't exactly "well paid", but the salary is only alittle less than I make at my school now as a Special Ed. teacher. I loved Maui but I am open to something alittle quietier like Molaki. How about lanai, what can youtell me about that island. I certainly appreicate the input and all teh advise on moving companies and rents that I have read. Please sell me on Maui district.
While I agree with Sharlee that a good attitude will help, she hasn't worked for Hawaii DOE. Hawaii doesn't accept any out of state lic., so it will take you at least five semesters, usually more, to be non probationary. During your probation you will be placed wherever the DOE wants you. Every spring your job will be advertised as open, and you will wait, possibly until well after the new year starts, to find out when and where you have a job. I mean it may be across island. As a SPED teacher you are more likely to be able to keep your job, but you may not want to. Hawaii is the only state where the trend is to put students into resource classes as much as possible rather than in a least restrictive environment. Also, children who are chronic behavior problems are also labeled SPED and placed in a resource class all day.
As a non-local you will be treated by your fellow educators as an outsider. Some will straight up ignore you, (despite your pleasant, friendly demeanor and your positive attitude) and others will be friendly enough, but make sure to keep you at an arms length. Living with hostility from the staff, the other teachers, and the students for being a mainlander is just a part of the job. It is one of the jobs, along with nursing, the puts mainland transplants right in the thick of working with locals, and gives you a true idea of how the locals feel towards mainlanders. A feeling that many transplants never experience because they only interact with locals on a casual basis.
I have lived and taught in many different places, including south central Los Angeles and Miami Florida. I've never seen anything quite like the Hawaii DOE, nor experienced the hostility that I felt, despite the fact that I've been an outsider nearly every place that I've taught. It really isn't about your attitude because it's not personal. It's about what you represent, not about who you are.
Also, the level of violence was unbelievable. Much worse that what I experenced at high schools in LA and FL.
Editing to add that my classroom was a horror show. It was covered in roach feces, carpeted by a constantly damp carpet held together with duct tape, partially lit, surrounded by rotting wood, peeling paint, and a ceiling full of holes. What a constrast to the DOE meetings and trainings with leis for all and catered lunches.
Last edited by IntoTheMystic; 12-08-2007 at 11:04 PM..
I think it's important to note that there ARE racial problems in Hawaii, and you can be as sweet as apple pie and it won't make any difference. Don't know about the rants on craigslist, but I do know about the racism because we moved from Hawaii to get away from it. I lived in Hilo, off and on, from 1992 to 2005. The woman I met and married lived in Hawaii for 41 of her 45 years. So our experiences are based on a considerable amount of time spent in Hawaii. The wife worked in public schools, and the tales of student violence and racism she told were frightening. The DOE is the worst school system you can ever imagine. You can believe that the wife's sons went to private school, as did every teacher's child I met. Right now the FBI is investigating a hate crime on the Big Island where a group of local students attacked (unprovoked) a white girl at school. They beat her head against the pavement while screaming "you f****** haoli" and sent her to the emergency room. Not one person has been charged w/ a crime, and the people who did this are all still going to the school.
It never fails to amaze me that people can be so naive about the complicated and entrenched hatred toward whites in Hawaii. Being nice and pleasant to your attacker is pretty dumb.
We left because we were tired of dealing w/ all of this. As a good friend on the Island told me once " we pay a heavy price to live here". For us, the price was too steep. These are not words of rant. These are words of fact, and it should be a warning to anyone considering moving to what essentially is a foreign country inhabited by a lot of people (no, not all, but enough) who view you as the source of all of their problems, who took their land (they're right. This government stole their land, but I didn't), and basically see you as someone not of their culture who is taking jobs and services away from them. If you live in a nice gated community surrounded by other mainlanders, frequent only mainland type businesses, and shop at Safeway, you probably won't have the experiences we and a lot of others had. But if you live in Hawaii around locals, then good luck. You can have it.
Ok, this thread has drifted way off topic and it's getting back into the "haole hate" theme again that we wanted to give a rest for awhile.
Please start a new thread if you'd like to discuss other aspects of Maui. Thanks.
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). We are sooooo happy we bought and love our new condo! Our 2 bedroom 2 bath rental was $1250/month... which is what we paid in California. We found 
Hapa haole looking to come home
Is there one island that would be better than another to live on. I've heard lots of threads about folks who have made the move and they talk about how hard it is to make a living. Well you know teachers aren't exactly "well paid", but the salary is only alittle less than I make at my school now as a Special Ed. teacher. I loved Maui but I am open to something alittle quietier like Molaki. How about lanai, what can youtell me about that island. I certainly appreicate the input and all teh advise on moving companies and rents that I have read. Please sell me on Maui district.
Reaity Check
