What we need is new real estate. More real estate. Affordable real estate. As they say, “there’s no such thing as a free lunch.” New real estate is happening every day in Hawaii. No, it’s not draining a swamp and putting up a housing complex. This new real estate is 14,000 feet…

…below sea level off the Big Island of Hawaii. Now, you know all about the Big Island. It’s big. All the other islands could be dropped onto the Big Island, and, save for the very big splash, loud noise, and disgruntled property owners, there’d be room to spare.

The Big Island, as with all the islands in Hawaii, is made up of volcanic rock. When it’s new there’s not much ‘rock’—more of a molten lava (melted rock— sorta like Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young). The center of the Big Island has two 13,000 foot volcanic mountains. Nearby is a flowing volcano called Kilauea.

So where does molten rock go? Wherever it wants to go. Hey, the stuff is hot so it’s not like you can turn the garden hose on it and get it to flow into someone else’s yard. Where it flows, nobody goes.

Since Kilauea is a few thousand feet above sea level, guess where much of the flowing lava goes?

Right. Toward the sea.

And that makes for new real estate on the southeast side of the Big Island. Cool, huh? In a few hundred years you can put your stake in the ground and own a piece, albeit a recently created piece, of paradise.

The Big Island is the newest of the islands in the Hawaiian chain—except for that new one being formed off shore from the Big Island.

The new island is called Loihi and its fire burns nearly 4,000 feet below the oceans’ surface. That makes it tough to do much surveying for lots, water system, electric lines, and so on.

Like Kilauea, this is an active volcano with two large craters which rise over 500 feet from the base of its plateau. As with all the Hawaiian islands, the base of baby brother Loihi lies 14,000 to 18,000 feet below sea level.

Only scientists with special equipment, deep water submersibles, and SPF 600 lotion have been able to see Loihi’s work.

How long before the rest of us can see Loihi sprout above sea level— you’re just curious, right? You’re not interested in buying any beach front property at a discount, huh?

Scientists say Loihi could rise above the waves anywhere from 100 to 10,000 years from now; give or take a decade or two. Some estimate that Loihi could grow to become taller than Mauna Kea at 13,000 feet.

Right.

Summary: Visit the Big Island, enjoyr the “circle island tour”. Don’t expect to see any lava flowing except on Kilauea. Wear Nike’s with those really thick, thermo-nuclear protected soles.

Pros: Kilauea you can visit today. Loihi will be open for visitors in 100 to 10,000 years..

Cons: Don’t buy any property near the downside of a volcano flow.

Want to know the best places to eat in Hawaii? Click over to Ono Dining for totally biased reviews on Hawai's best (and not so best) restaurants.