How to move to Hawaii from the mainland: moving to Hawaii begins with adjusting your mainland mentality to the island lifestyle. Things to Know Before Moving to Hawaii So you want to move to Hawaii! The idea of moving to Hawaii from the continental United States is really tempting for Americans. Our 50th state, Hawaii is a tropical paradise with warm weather, sandy beaches and outdoor activities that almost everyone dreams of visiting at least once in their lifetime. People get to the Continue Reading
Can You Afford to Live in Hawaii? (Updated for 2023)
How do people afford to live in Hawaii? Before you throw your favorite flip flops and aloha shirt in your sayonara suitcase, heed our best advice for moving to Hawaii. It's deep midwinter on the Mainland as I write this and with it, a virtual polar vortex of emails and blog visitors who are wondering: how do people afford to live in Hawaii, how do you afford to live in Hawaii, what about shipping furniture to Hawaii, how do people afford homes in Hawaii, can I afford to Continue Reading
Things About Kauai the Guidebooks Won’t Tell You
Even if you've visited Kauai before, there are still quirky things to discover that the guidebooks won't tell you. Guidebooks focus on things like sightseeing, excursions, and where to eat out. But there's a lot more to know about Kauai. We put together this list after living here for almost a year. A younger friend of ours, whom we met in Phoenix when she and we were moving out here - yes! on the same day!, contributed, too. It turned out to be a bunch of random things about Kauai that make Continue Reading
5 Historic Hanalei Beach Houses
Hanalei, on the north shore of Kauai, is home to several excellent examples of early 20th century beach houses, lining Weke Road along Hanalei Bay. Built by Kauai's founding missionary and agricultural families as summer residences, all but one of these on our list appear on the National and Hawaii State Historic Registers. Check out our Kauai Flipboard Magazine! View my Flipboard Magazine. Continue Reading
Hokulea: Voyaging with Traditional Polynesian Navigation
We went down to the Hanalei Pier to see Hokule‘a and her sibling voyaging canoe, Hikianalia, who had arrived earlier in the week. The big sisters dwarfed most of the other boats in Hanalei Bay. Hosting tours of schoolchildren and the public, the Polynesian Voyaging Society was finishing a series of stops throughout the main islands of Hawaii as part of its thousand mile Statewide Sail 2013. It was a wonderful opportunity to see first hand the restoration and cultural reawakening of Continue Reading
15 Movies Filmed in Hanalei, Kauai
It was fun to put together a quick list of 15 movies filmed in and around our lovely town of Hanalei on the North Shore of Kauai, using the list.ly tool. For a full list of over one hundred movies and television shows filmed on the island of Kauai (including Jurassic Park and Fantasy Island), click here. Check out our Kauai Flipboard Magazine! View my Flipboard Magazine. Continue Reading
Traditional Hawaiian Canoeing on Hanalei Bay
It was a picture perfect day to experience traditional Hawaiian canoeing on Hanalei Bay over the Fourth of July weekend. We'd heard about the opportunity to paddle a traditional Hawaiian outrigger canoe from several acquaintances in the Hanalei area who are enthusiastic members of the Hanalei Canoe Club. The club's annual Tahiti Fete is a held adjacent to Hanalei Bay's Pier, allowing amateurs (like ourselves) aged 8 to 80 to compete in racing heats, or take a leisurely paddle around Continue Reading