My 5 Favorite Things About Living on the Big Island of Hawaii

Find the place you love and sink your roots there

You’re probably thinking, “Of course, you love living in paradise, silly! Who wouldn’t love it?”

But I can tell you for certain that Hawaii is not the right place for everyone. Many leave the island almost as quickly as they arrive. It could be the bugs, the distance from relatives, or the inadequate healthcare that drives them away—just a few of the problematic things.

For example, the first people to reside in the brand new house across the street remained just one year. They would have left earlier if it weren’t for the issue of capital gains. The people who replaced them have also struggled to acclimate to the Big Island for their own reasons.

But the Big Island has turned out to be the perfect place for me. I’ve lived here for thirteen years. I still love these five things about this beautiful place.

1. Quiet

I value quiet above almost all else.

Sublime pockets of stillness can still be found here and there around the Big Island.

For example, I lived on five acres for five years, a mix of jungle and fruit orchard. I rarely heard my neighbors.

When my home and my property were covered by lava during the 2018 eruption, I evacuated to a 13-acre hilltop farm with a magnificent view of the Hamakua Coast (pictured above).

If it weren’t for the flock of peacocks and peahens who wandered unrestrained around the main house and wailed, growled, and barked whenever they wished, the spot would have been the quintessence of silence and peace.

Now I live on an acre and am subject to a little more noise—the usual mowers and blowers now and again. But I often awake to birds songs and fall asleep to a coqui symphony.

I am so grateful for the serenity I’ve found on the Big Island.

Isn’t this so much better than one house stacked upon another, with the blare of televisions and domestic disputes driving you mad?

Of course, you’ll find more densely packed residential areas on the Big Island too, but I seek out the quiet spots.

2. Nature Galore

The Big Island has eight different climate zones and thus offers a huge variation of natural delights.

You can drive around the island in a single day. I don’t recommend that—why rush?

But it means wherever you are, you’re only a few hours away from a different type of natural adventure.

You can breakfast at a beach resort on the Kohala Coast, grab lunch on the way to a coffee farm tour on the upland slopes of Kona, and star gaze on the 14,000 foot plus summit of Mauna Kea that same night.

Here are some of the natural experiences I can have any day of the week.

Volcano

See the caldera of Kilauea volcano lit up by lava at night during its active times. Hike, bike, or run along one of the many scenic trails in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Walk across endless lava fields for a daily dose of exercise.

Visit the summit of Mauna Kea, the highest mountain in the world taking into account its underwater portion. Star gaze at night from this high peak or take in stunning, panoramic daytime views.

Ocean

Sun bathe, swim, snorkel, or surf at a pristine white sand beach. Dive into rugged waters on a black sand shoreline. Sit atop high lava cliffs and meld your mind seamlessly with the sea and sky.

Whale watch during the winter months. See green sea turtles frolic in the waves any time of the year.

Rainforest

Cool off next to a rapidly running river or stream, hike one of the many jungle trails, or admire a steep, cascading waterfall.

Every day can bring a different natural delight when you live on the Big Island of Hawaii.

3. The Aloha Spirit

The phrase “aloha spirit” refers to the sense of warmth, kindness, and inclusiveness you find among the people of Hawaii.

It stems from the views and values long-embraced by Hawaiian culture like empathy, respect, and righteousness, and seeps into others who arrive here and remain.

It can be as simple as a motorist allowing you to enter the road in front of them, a young person opening the door for an older adult, or someone going out of their way to help when your car breaks down.

Aloha is like a flavor that permeates the Big Island. People move a little more slowly, with a little more attention and a little more respect.

Like the bumper sticker says:

“Slow down. You’re not on the mainland.”

4. Diversity

The Big Island is racially diverse. Wherever I go, I commonly see:

• Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders
• Asians
• Hispanics and Latinos
• African Americans (in smaller numbers)
• Caucasians
• Multi-Racial individuals

I’ve also had any number of LGBTQ+ neighbors and friends since living here.

That doesn’t mean the Big Island is entirely free of racism and prejudice or absent of any racial controversies. But generally the Big Island and the whole state of Hawaii are more welcoming to diverse racial groups and people of different gender identities than many places on the mainland.

On a related note, I cannot personally forget that the Kingdom of Hawaii was overthrown by a coup d’état against its reigning queen by agents and citizens of the United States and then later annexed by the government.

The US issued an apology in 1993:

“The US Federal law was amended in 1993 with the Apology Resolution which ‘acknowledges that the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii occurred with the active participation of agents and citizens of the United States and further acknowledges that the Native Hawaiian people never directly relinquished to the United States their claims to their inherent sovereignty as a people over their national lands.’”

The legal status of Hawaii has been questioned as recenlty as 2022 in a case before the US Supreme Court.

I always try to remember I’m a guest here.

5. Grow Your Own

I mean vegetables and fruits, of course.

The empty shelves of the COVID-19 pandemic showed us that even rich countries can face food insecurity when the world goes through a global crisis.

It makes sense to grow your own food, at least some of it, and thus establish a greater sense of food security wherever you are.

The friendly climate makes it possible to grow a variety of fruits and vegetables, especially on the east side where there’s an abundant rain. But they won’t necessarily be the same ones you find on the mainland.

My breadfruit trees reached to 20-feet high in five years time and produced abundantly. The avocado trees did not lag behind in height and began to fruit after four or five years.

I also had many other tropical fruit trees and plants:

• Mango
• Start Fruit
• Banana
• Coconut
• Coffee
• Cacao
• Dragon Fruit
• Eggfruit
• Jackfruit
• Mountain Apple
• Papaya
• Pineapple
• Sapote
• Sour sop
• Surinam Cherry

Passion fruit twined through the trees and kabocha squash vines crawled everywhere.

That’s not a complete list of what you can grow on the Big Island. You can also grow taro and purple sweet potato, which in addition to breadfruit, were staples of the native Hawaiian diet.

It’s difficult to grow cool season vegetables in Hawaii, however. But many types of vegetables can be grown here.

Of course, you’ll have to face pest problems and other growing issues unique to Hawaii. But despite my lack of experience, I managed to grow a ton of food so I know it’s possible.

Concluding Thoughts

I’m not trying to convince you to move to the Big Island. In fact, please don’t—I want to preserve my peace and quiet! But vacation here, enjoy the wonders, and boost the local economy.

I’ve lived in a number of places over the years including Chicago, Upstate New York, Southern California, San Francisco, and the south of France. I’ve visited a few of the other Hawaiian islands too: Maui, Kauai, and Oahu.

But the Big Island feels like home to me.

I think we thrive when our spirit feels aligned to the place we live. So the main takeaway is to find the place you love and sink your roots there.

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