Alohamom

FYI everyone, the kids go to private school here and would do the same in Kauai courtesy of my extraordinary mother. Binthair, below your sarcasm lie many points that we actually have been hashing over, like the healthcare issue, limited opportunities for my children etc...Teh pet quarrentine is now 30days or if you qualify 5 days or less. AuntieMaria, I will be e-mailing you soon, I am concerned there may not be enough out of school community activities for my kids like baseball, soccer, dance classes, etc...although my daughter dreams of learning to play the ukelele she bought a few trips to Hawaii ago(no joke, this is the truth)so maybe this is her chance! Thanks for all your replies so far.

Alohamom

Also, wow, thank you for you kind intelligent words. Hubby is actually going on Sat to check it all out and report back. We may make a second trip before we commit to confirm everything.

sap

All in all, I think it will just depend on the kind of people you are (maybe you'll even learn new things about yourselves). I know a family who moved to HI a few years ago, hated it and moved right back; but they are very social types rather spoiled by the active lifestyle of the San Francisco Bay Area. On the other hand, my husband and I dream of retiring to Kauai after all the kids are out of school -- but only for a few months at a time until we're sure we won't get that proverbial island fever, too. We wish you the best. I'm sure it will be quite an experience regardless of the outcome. Please let us all know how it works out.

SAB

In terms of private schools you might want to check out Island School, I checked with a friend who was born and raised in Kauai (lives in SF Bay Area now) and she thinks it was only non religious private school. Actually she said it was where the "rich haoles" sent their kids then again she was a local.

here_today_gone2Maui

I recently made the move to Maui. My huusband is originally from here, so we had some foundation from which to build. All other considerations aside, the logistics can be a lot of work! The pet quarantine is 30 days, or 5 days or less, BUT, you still to start the process 120 days prior to the pet's departure. We just got a notice fron University of Kansas that they lost my cat's paperwork and we have to start all over again. He will remain on the mainland for another 120 days plus the time it takes us to have new blood dranw and the date it is received at UK.

Pallete or container? Ship the cars or buy new? It was easier for us, coming from Los Angeles, but we have friends who just moved from Maui to Phoenix and they had to add on overland freight charges in addition to the Matson charges.

And many things are hard to find here, or the selection is limited. IKEA and Target.com won't ship here, and my mother keeps referring to us as living "overseas"

The cost of living may be higher than some places, but I find it compable to living in SoCal. And while many wages are lower, if you are skilled or a professional you might just make out better. I am finding much more work in my profession than I was finding in L.A., as the job market there was saturated and salaries in my field in California are at their lowest in 10 years. Here I am able to command the rates I am asking and I am finding myself in demand.

I say give it a shot! It's an adventure. As for the schools, your kids will learn many new things they would never learn in Toronto, and, yes, they even have AP programs here. As a matter of fact, there are several very good schools on Maui, as I am sure there are in Kuai. We often reqad of Maui students competing and winning in national contests, or being awarded honors at universities across the country. A child's education is what you make of it.

And what is the worst that could happen? That you go back to Canada, or that you decide to stay here in paradise?

Knowing

Are you able to go with your husband on Saturday? If so, looking at it with the view of actually living there may clarify things. Having just returned from there yesterday morning, I sure wish I was back driving around rather than here.

MelissaHI

I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. Should there be any doubt your fate is working overtime to get you to Kauai??

As for schools, here are some links. www.doe.k12.hi.us
Department of Education, public schools. Go to "my school" bar at top of page.
(808)586-3232 or 586-3230....Important to call with specific address. Some streets, especially long ones like Nuuanu Avenue, odd/even address go to different schools.

www.hais.org
Hawaii Association of Independent Schools, private schools, includes parochial schools (808) 973-1540
Call for Honolulu Magazine , Sept 2003, supplement brochure of private schools. $3.00 + mailing.

vivi

We have lived on Kauai for 6 years, were in the same quandry as you. We brought school aged kids who went to public schools (not the greatest but it was a unique experience; they are now away at college.) Our kids prety much loved living on Kauai, they had a lot of freedom they would not have enjoyed if we'd been on the mainland. The very few private schools on Kauai aren't worth their hefty tuitions, in my opinion.

Yes, Princeville is beautiful but the daily commute would be a grind. The Wailua area is very nice and a much easier drive. And drive you will on Kauai, I can not believe how many miles we have piled up on our cars here!

Be prepared for limited shopping and services, it can be frustrating but the situation seems to be improving witht he arrivgal of Home Depot (and Kauai's first Starbucks!)

The island's largest medical clinic is adequate but it can also be maddening.

Traveling to the mainland for family emergencies or events is pricey, especially all the way to Toronto.

Beautiful beaches, gentle weather, slower lifestyle all make Kauai seem quite alluring. But there are also aspects of Kauai that I have not enjoyed. It is a wonderful place for a vacation, it takes a lot of effort to assimilate here. And you need a very decent income for the necessities.

Real estate has BOOMED the last few years, we bought our house in 98 and its value has doubled. Very tough market for newcomers at the moment.

My husband's job on Kauai was temporary, after 6 years here were are in the process of being transferred to the east coast; I am VERY excited to get back into a big city after our 6 year "vacation" in the tropics.

Good luck on your decision. I am glad we took the plunge and I am also glad we are leaving soon.

SB_Travlr

This is a bit of a tangent -- but today happens to be the anniversary of the date my toddler daughter and I arrived in Elizabeth NJ from England, and were met by DH who had flown over to start his job 2 months earlier. We came on a container ship because we also brought our dog (yellow lab) and lots of luggage, and we got a great deal on "emigrant" fare.

It's not a day you ever forget, even though it was 30 years ago. We were excited to try life in America, and came with the thought we would stay a couple of years and return to England when daughter started school. However, if I had known how hard those first six or so months would be, I might have been more hesitant. Didn't help that we had very little money, and were living on one paycheck. It was a huge culture shock, unexpectedly, and we missed our family and friends. They came to visit, but it was a Big Event instead of just popping over. Way back then, it was expensive to fly to and fro and prohibitive to phone -- we wrote letters a lot. (I still have a lot of them, they make fun reading!)

But all turned out well in the end: I'm glad we came, and glad we stayed. Our lives are very different from what they would have been if we remained in England, and now those friends say they wish they had done the same thing. It's been a great experience.

I say, when opportunity knocks OPEN the door -- you don't want to be looking back in a few years and saying, If only... If you hate it, you can go back (don't sell the Canada property). Just keep an open mind and heart, and be ready to be surprised by a) missing things you didn't know you cherished and b) visitors!

Best of luck, and let us know what you decide.

here_today_gone2Maui

So, Alohamom, how did the trip go for DH? Are you packing yet? I have some great tips for moving household items. We have many friends who have made the move either to or from the islands, and even back again, in the past few years, so I have had a wealth of info from which to draw.

WillTravel

I'm sure Hawaii has its upside (and I haven't been there), but the culture and diversity and opportunities of Toronto are amazing. I would worry about dragging children from Toronto from which they can very easily branch out to the eastern US or Europe or the Midwestern US or western Canada or wherever, to Hawaii which is by definition isolated. The culture of Kauai vs. Toronto, for a resident, is probably be very different.

Even for the most fabulous weather in the world, I would prefer to live in Toronto (well, judging from my visits and what I know of Toronto) rather than Hawaii, and I would be really concerned about uprooting children.

here_today_gone2Maui

WillTravel sez: "I would worry about dragging children from Toronto from which they can very easily branch out to the eastern US or Europe or the Midwestern US or western Canada or wherever, to Hawaii which is by definition isolated."

We do have airports here on the islands. Not only that, but we are in close proximity to Asia. Although my mother stills refers to my condition as "living over-seas", I am no further than a flight leg away from the midwest or Canada or anyplace else I care to travel, and kama`aina fares are often better from my end to yours than vice versa. I have lived in the north-east, in L.A. and, now, here, in the islands. We have cultural events, universities, even cable TV! My only regret is that I did not follow my husband's advice and move here when my daughter was younger, so that she could have had a more diverse experience than the one she had growing up in L.A.