"Gotta go to a place where rainbows / Shine after a falling rain / To a town where the life is easy / Where almost everybody knows my name / When the brothers go out to party / The sisters seem to just come along / So I just take my Ukulele / Everybody come and sing our song / Wahiawa is calling / She's calling me to come back home / Wahiawa is calling / She's calling me to you" (Island Rhythms)
Perfect beaches, palm trees, stunning nature and nice weather all year round: Wahiawa is as close to paradise as you can get. However, living in paradise comes at a price. Hawaii is considered to be one of the most expensive places to live, so you will need to plan ahead before buying that one way ticket. Wahiawa is located on Oahu, the most populous of the Hawaiian Islands. The interesting-sounding name means "place of noise," but you will find that the opposite is actually true. It is a fairly peaceful town, although it is noisier now than when it was named. Modern vehicles apparently now drown out the sound of the ocean, which the natives used to hear on windy days, giving the town its name. Although you don't really find many lakes in Hawaii, Wahiawa is unique in the sense that it is surrounded on three sides by Lake Wilson or Kaukonahua. The only access to town is over two bridges on the highway. If you live in Wahiawa and wish to save water, you can just head outside with a bar of soap once a day, as this town gets so-called "Mauka-showers" daily. Locals are not complaining, as the rain makes Wahiawa one of the coolest places in Hawaii. The average temperature in Hawaii is between 78F and 85F throughout the year, with an average of 60 degrees in "winter," so if you want to see snow, you will have to get on a boat to the Big Island and somehow get to the peaks of Mauna Kea or Mauna Loa. If this sounds like the type of place for you, let's try and help you find apartments in Wahiawa.
Get a Studio Apartment or a Roommate
"Gotta go to a place where rainbows / Shine after a falling rain / To a town where the life is easy / Where almost everybody knows my name / When the brothers go out to party / The sisters seem to just come along / So I just take my Ukulele / Everybody come and sing our song / Wahiawa is calling / She's calling me to come back home / Wahiawa is calling / She's calling me to you" (Island Rhythms)
Perfect beaches, palm trees, stunning nature and nice weather all year round: Wahiawa is as close to paradise as you can get. However, living in paradise comes at a price. Hawaii is considered to be one of the most expensive places to live, so you will need to plan ahead before buying that one way ticket. Wahiawa is located on Oahu, the most populous of the Hawaiian Islands. The interesting-sounding name means "place of noise," but you will find that the opposite is actually true. It is a fairly peaceful town, although it is noisier now than when it was named. Modern vehicles apparently now drown out the sound of the ocean, which the natives used to hear on windy days, giving the town its name. Although you don't really find many lakes in Hawaii, Wahiawa is unique in the sense that it is surrounded on three sides by Lake Wilson or Kaukonahua. The only access to town is over two bridges on the highway. If you live in Wahiawa and wish to save water, you can just head outside with a bar of soap once a day, as this town gets so-called "Mauka-showers" daily. Locals are not complaining, as the rain makes Wahiawa one of the coolest places in Hawaii. The average temperature in Hawaii is between 78F and 85F throughout the year, with an average of 60 degrees in "winter," so if you want to see snow, you will have to get on a boat to the Big Island and somehow get to the peaks of Mauna Kea or Mauna Loa. If this sounds like the type of place for you, let's try and help you find apartments in Wahiawa.
Moving to Wahiawa
Get a Studio Apartment or a Roommate
Brace yourself before looking through apartment rentals in Wahiawa. Although rent in Wahiawa is slightly cheaper than in the rest of Hawaii, you can still expect to pay more than you would in many major cities in the US. Groceries and basic essentials are also expensive since everything needs to be shipped from the mainland. To save some money on daily living, you might need to consider opting for a studio apartment for rent. If you prefer a bigger place, get a roommate to help cover the rent. But whatever you do, try to avoid having a spare room (or even a spare couch) at all costs, for as soon as your mainland friends get word that you live in Hawaii, it will constantly be occupied. Believe me, playing tour guide gets old very quickly.
Don't Deal Online
Although you may get a good idea of available apartments and their prices on the Internet, try not to do the whole deal online. It is always best to look your new landlord in the eye when you pay the security deposit. The Internet is rife with accommodation scams, especially when it comes to popular places like Hawaii. Seeing the apartment in person will also quickly reveal any hidden surprises such as an overpopulation of cockroaches or leaky plumbing.
Avoid August
August is the hottest and busiest time of the year in Hawaii, so unless you want to stagger from apartment to apartment and compete with other eager tenants in the heat, book your search between September and October or January and February.
Search in Advance
Tenants are required to give notice before they move out, so keep in mind that many rental condos are not available immediately. Although it might cost you an extra plane ticket and a week's hotel accommodation, do your search at least a month and a half before you are planning to move.
Compromise and Go Fully Furnished
Although about 50% of all properties in Wahiawa are rentals, only a tiny fraction are usually available for rent at any time, which greatly reduces your chances of finding something you like immediately. A savvy choice is to sign a short-term lease for a clean, fully furnished apartment, giving you time to scope the area out until you find a better place. This also gives you enough time to determine whether living in Hawaii is for you before you invest in shipping all of your belongings over.
Fluffy and Max Won't Make Things Easy
If you have furry friends and wish to take them with to Wahiawa, prepare yourself for a lot of blood, sweat and tears. Pet-friendly rental apts are notoriously hard to find in Wahiawa, and good luck on trying to convince your landlord to make concessions for you with a long list of other prospective tenants waiting in line. Hawaii also has a very strict quarantine policy for pets to ensure the state remains free of rabies. There are two main quarantine options: a five-day-or-less release or a 120-day on-island stay. To qualify for the quicker release, Bella or Max will have to have had at least two rabies vaccinations in their lifetime, with one in the past year (but not within the past 30 days). Furries also need to be micro-chipped and quarantined before arrival - and you have to provide a blood sample that has been tested for rabies.
Shipping Your Stuff
Moving to Wahiawa is a different ball game from your average cross-town or cross-continental-country move. It can take up to a month before all of your stuff will be there, so preparation is key. Most people who move to Hawaii either hire a moving company such as Royal Hawaiian Movers or Island Movers or use containers or PODs. Many rental apts in Wahiawa are already fully furnished, so consider only shipping valuables that will cost more to replace, such as your computer, bikes and recreation equipment or stuff that you don't want to sell. Shipping your car can be done but is fairly expensive, but finding a good, pre-owned car should not be hard if you want to save the hassle.
Life in Wahiawa
People and Lingo
People from all across the world end up in Wahiawa, but the ones who stay are the ones who are willing to adjust their lifestyles to survive on the island. Because of the high turnover of people, you better get used to frequenting going-away parties and making new friends. Hawaiians are friendly people and represent a rich blend of cultures. You will find that many people in Wahiawa speak either local Pidgin English or Standard English, and you also often hear Hawaiians proudly speaking their native tongue. Locals use different hand signs in traffic than you may be used to, so don't be offended by signs you don't understand and be sure to learn the "shaka" sign, which shows appreciation. Prepare yourself for a culture shock and be open to learning new ways of doing things.
Living Costs
As mentioned earlier, living in Wahiawa is expensive, so you will need to make certain adjustments. Instead of signing up at the gym, take a daily jog at the Wahiawa Recreation center. Instead of sampling the delicious dishes of Cafe Olive, Molly's Smokehouse or Maui Mike's Fire Roasted Chicken all too often, rather opt for a lovely picnic in the Wahiawa Botanical gardens. Buy local produce, which is usually cheaper than imported foods, and watch the papers for specials at the local grocers or take the trip to Honolulu and buy your monthly groceries in bulk from the wholesalers.
Transport
Most people in Wahiawa use their own cars, although there is a bus system running through Kilani Avenue, California Avenue and the Kamehameha Highway. Be sure to memorize and learn to pronounce the names of the highways and main roads, as most locals don't know the map numbers and won't be able to help you with directions otherwise. If you decide to drive around in your own car, you better start cultivating a lot of patience as the roads around the bridges can become very congested, and parking spots are often hard to find.
Island Fever
Living on a rock in the middle of the ocean, you will soon come to realize that Island Fever is a real thing. At some point, you will start missing your family 2000 miles away. Weekend getaways that don't involve going to yet another island are rare. Heck, even the snow and unpredictable weather of the mainland start to seem like a welcome change. Then again, if you feel the fever coming on, wait for the sunset, drink in hand and then snap the heck out of it. You're living in Hawaii.
If you embrace the "Aloha" spirit and love to walk through life in flip-flops, Wahiawa might just be the place for you. The breathtaking scenery, friendly people, rainbows, mountains and oceans are all a good payoff for the effort of getting there and living a simpler, more frugal life. Pomaika`i (good luck) - we hope you will find your spot in paradise.
