Moving between climates zones on Hawaii Island

We feel lucky that our life as bloggers and authors allows us to be mobile so we can experience living in the dramatically different climate zones on Hawaii Island.  We loved the two years we lived in Hilo experiencing the joys of fast growing fruit and its year round tropical climate and intense rain. Hilo was the perfect place for us to slow down and learn about Hawaii. We enjoyed the two and a half years we lived in Kona with its unusual dry winters and great snorkeling along the coast.  We swam off the pier with ironman athletes and were inspired to lose fat and eat less. Now we are ready to explore living in a completely different climate zone on Hawaii Island.

In the book we published last year, Your Ideal Hawaii Home, we included climate and rain maps of Hawaii Island to illustrate how different the arid climate zones, where the resorts are located, are from the tropical climate zones where most people live on Hawaii Island. Ever since researching about it, we have wondered what it would be like to live in an arid climate zone on the island.   After searching for months, were able to find a rental and for the next year or two we plan to experience living in the Kohala Coast desert.

Though we are just moving in, we already have some first impressions.

- Unlike Kona, the morning sunrise is not blocked by the Volcanoes so it is intensely sunny early in the morning, which encourages us to get up very early.  

- It is warmer than Kona, about 8-10 degrees, and after years of acclimating to hot, humid weather, the hot, dry weather feels really good to us.  We can feel our skin and hair drying out as well as our books and furniture.  Paper feels different and wet things dry quickly.

- There is much less Vog than Kona and more sun, which makes us very happy.  The glorious turquoise and blues of the ocean are not blocked by the Vog and we have to wear sunscreen again to protect against the sun.  Instead of thick grey volcanic ash covering our furniture and clinging to our fans, Kohala has black dirt from the surrounding lava fields.

- Kohala is renowned for its high winds; Waikoloa is often called Waiko-blow-a.  We can already confirm that there is a great deal of wind and it seems most prevalent at night and sometimes the mornings. Since we are not golfers, we have nothing against the wind.  We are enjoying the sound of the trees creaking in the wind and the air blowing through our house. The air feels fresh, though it does cover everything with fine, black lava dirt. Right now, we prefer the dirt over volcanic ash. (How many places in the world can you make that comparison?)

As we prepare to enjoy the 4th of July festivities, we are happy to continue our adventures experiencing and enjoying living on Hawaii Island.