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JUST PLACEHOLDERS: Christopher Hoohenehene had already paid to have his Chevrolet Suburban raised high like he wanted; however, because of high gas prices he has to wait before buying the right big wheels and tires to match.
Christopher Hoohenehene long had a dream: to build one of those big monster trucks.
That is, a large-sized truck that would be customized with super-big wheels and tires, and raised to ridiculous heights, making it seem tall enough to roll over any autos in its way.
By the end of last year, Hoohenehene had half his plan accomplished. He had the truck, and he had it raised upward so you almost need a ladder to climb into the cab.
All he needed was wheels and tires big enough to fill up the enormous space created by the unnatural auto-raising.
"I could almost taste it, my lifelong dream of driving around town way up high, looking down my nose at other drivers and smirking," said Hoohenehene, 19, of Makawao. "Then I started to learn how hard it is to keep a Suburban's gas tank filled."
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Hoohenehene was forced to hold off on the rims and killa tires. However since he already paid to have his truck raised, now it rolls around Makawao on its stock wheels.
"Sure it looks kind of silly, but at least it's rolling," he said. "I have friends who can't drive because gas costs way more than the amount they get paid by the hour."
Welcome to Maui during the greatest period of inflation the nation has seen in 40 years. For a variety of reasons, among them instability with global oil supplies, and Russia's brutal attack on Ukraine, everything costs a lot more on island.
Praying to Stay Cool Through Summer
Throughout the pandemic emergency, Jack and Deanna Schweddy of north Kihei planned their dream backyard with a deck for the couple to do sunsets, and a pool for the kids to splash around.
But along came the dreaded "I" word, and the family is choosing to sit this summer out with hopes of getting their pool and deck in early 2023.
"Actually we're probably talking early 2025 since people are saying politicians will keep inflation high through the next two election cycles," said Deanna Schweddy, a home baker who specializes in making balls for every taste including rum balls, cheese balls, and popcorn balls. "It's sad, but we kept our chin up and came up with a temporary solution to at least get us through this summer."
The couple scoured Craigslist and found some wood pallets that can serve as their deck, albeit a lot smaller than what they envisioned.They also found a portable pool at Walmart.
"The kids might have to take turns with their swims, but at least they can get wet when it's super hot," Mrs. Schweddy said.
Inflation Hits Tourists Too
While many on island were relieved to see tourists return after a couple of years of on and off and on and off again restrictions to keep the coronavirus from taking over the island, the visitors we see now are a little different than those from 2019.
Sale volumes of sage have dwindled, due to declining orders for yoga sessions from visitors while on island, locals say.
"Just last year we had a sage shortage because there are so many yoga instructors on island, and now this," said Irene Mea’ai of Haiku, a private yoga instructor. "We can only drop our hourly rates by so much. Plus, the cost of sage has skyrocketed. Some people are choosing to do sessions sage-free, which we don't recommend."
Strangely, Maui Memorial Medical Center reports that the number of minor appendage burn cases in its emergency room linked with poor yoga instruction has dropped noticeably in recent months.
Maui County economic development officials are concerned about the loss of sales tax revenues, especially from places like Paia, where sage accounts for about 20% of all sales, according to county data.
County economy-watchers are in a wait-and-watch mode regarding a strange boost in the price of organic kale, man-sized sarongs, and patchouli oil the past few months.
"Even though a lot of tourists are skipping out on the yoga sessions, we must remember that we still have thousands of private yoga instructors on island," said Joseph Lau of the Maui County Office of Economic Development. “We continue to say what we said at the end of last year: there must be a yoga explosion going on.”
