You can see it live here: Makena Web Camera

The camera switches views from multiple locations on an automatic basis.  The camera is located in a prime location, high up on the Makena Beach & Golf Resort, which gives it a great number of potential views.  These are the views that it is set on right now:

• Mooring of the Kai Kanani II
• Molokini Crater (Close Up)
• Molokini Crater from the Beach
• Beach Check in area for the Kai Kanani
• Lanai Island
• South Maui area (includes Puu Olai and Kahoolawe)
• The Beach in front of the Makena Resort
• Surf Conditions for Beach Loading (2 views of this)
• Maalaea Harbor and West Maui Mountains

Below is an animation showing sceenshots from each view.  We know you must think we’re a little crazy about this, but we don’t have that many webcams on the island, and it’s nice to have one that has so many views.  it’s like having 10 cameras in 1.

The housing development would be built over 73 acres behind Lanai High School and the Elementary.  Along with the housing, area would be set aside for more empty lots as well as 2 parks and a full community center.

The county will be looking to process the project on a fast track set up to allow exemptions from community plan amendments and change-of-zoning processes.  Being affordable housing will allow it to move faster through the system for approval.

But with anything in Maui County, even if everything goes perfectly, we won’t see construction of new homes anytime in the near future.  Everything takes 100 times as long to process and complete in the state of Hawaii.  That’s probably why most of Hawaii is still beautiful.

You may also be interested in rading about the Lanai Wind Farm.  If you want to learn more about new projects in Maui, Check out Maui Real Estate Development.

As with any change to the islands, residents and visitors are complaining about Castle & Cooke’s building of these windmills.  It seems that with any change, for good or bad, people become restless and upset.  But when you look at the project rationally and objectively,  it benefits everyone affected.

• Lanai Residents – Jobs will be made and the island will prosper with additional revenues.
• Maui County – Maui and Hawaii’s goal of using 70 percent green energy by 2030 will come closer to completion.
• Honolulu, Oahu – Honolulu will become less dependent on foreign oil and coal for their power needs.
• David Murdock and the Castle & Cooke Company – The new profits will make up for their disastrous losses over the years.
• Hawaii Visitors – The resorts of Lanai will remain open and Lanai will continue to have ferry services.

With time, our islands need to change.  It’s a sad thing that the Lanai is no longer accurately called the Pineapple Isle.  But as the world becomes smaller and the economies of each nation become further intertwined, the only way to survive is to acclimate and grow with the changes.  In light of all the bad decisions effecting Hawaii (overdevelopment, pollution, loss of Aloha), we believe that this is one of the better moves by a large corporation.

Island Fever is the phenomena of feeling claustrophobic from the close proximity of each shoreline, and feeling disconnected from the outside world. This is a pretty common thing on the islands, seeing that we’re out in the middle of the biggest ocean in the world. Most people move away after a few months to a few years because of a lack of family and the necessity of having all the amenities of the mainland at their disposal.

Who Generally Gets Island Fever?

Typically, someone who doesn’t use the resources available on the island gets island fever. This means that they don’t appreciate and use the ocean for leisure activities, or take park in the many island communities. People from big cities find it most difficult to adjust to island living because of the lack of resources. There are fewer choices in restaurants, bars, shows, and large events. This coupled with the loss of getting anything you want at the local store can be discouraging for those that aren’t used to driving across the island. City-folk also have trouble because of the slow pace of life here. The heat brings with it a lack of desire to work. It hits everyone. Your own laziness is easier to handle than when you need to deal with someone else’s laziness. When you really need something NOW, you’re probably going to have to wait for it. When on the mainland, you can make it happen NOW. There’s also the expense of everything. From homes to groceries, everything costs more. Well, almost everything.

How Do I Keep From Getting Island Fever?

Those that last on the islands take advantage of all the wonderful free things to do. For example, when you might spend $100 at a bar or club on the mainland, you go to the beach or park with some store bought beers. To last on Maui and on any of the Hawaiian Islands, one must build relationships with those that are living there and you must learn to appreciate all the amazing things that these islands provide. One of the things that turn people off from living here full-time is the clickiness of island residents. In that, I mean that people are less likely to pursue a friendship with someone who’s only been on the island for a short period of time. Most people would think that their being standoffish is a form of snobbery. This is not the case. In fact, the reason people shy away from new arrivals is because most people here have made that mistake before. It’s hard losing a friend after investing a lot of time with them. And because most people that move to the islands move away shortly, this is a regular occurrence until you toughen up and only let certain people in. This is also the case with finding a job here. Why invest a bunch of time training someone to do a job when they’re only going to be there for less than a year? In most industries on the islands, finding someone that’s in need of a job is easy, and at the same time it’s risky to hire someone new to the island. This is one of the few instances where both supply and demand for jobs remains high.

In order to live happily on the Hawaiian Islands and stave off Island Fever, one must put in an effort to meet longer lasting residents, enjoy the many free activities that the islands provide, slow down and anticipate the laziness that EVERYONE has, learn to deal with not having all the regular amenities of the mainland, and it helps to make bi-yearly trips off island.