Ashley24

Thank you vivi and kakalena for posting the housing information. That was very helpful!
Kakalana, which community do you live in (or is it a secret)?
No one mentioned living in Hanalei...is that for locals only?
Thanks!

vivi

The price of housing in Hanalei and Haena has gone sky high in about the last 3 years. Some long time local families have even had to move because they could no longer afford the property taxes. There are scads of multi-million dollar properties in these communities; shacks are selling for ridiculous prices. There are also many vacation rentals, this situation has created a housing shortage for island residents as landlords often opt to rent their houses by the week for an enormous fee.

I think Hanalei is the most scenic area of Kauai, it is idyllic and dream-like. HOWEVER, the commute to "town" (Lihue) would get very tiresome very quickly. If you could get a job at Hanalei School and afford a home nearby, well that would be paradise.

Ashley24

vivi,
That DOES sound like paradise! Hanalei Elementary sounds wonderful! Would you happen to know where all the elementary schools are located? Also, if you rent a house, how long is the lease usually for?

Ashley24

I found the information about the different schools on the webpage about Hawaii schools. More elementary schools than I thought! I wonder how many students are in a typical school? In the school that I teach, we have about 525 students and an average of about 27 students per room. We have 3 or 4 classrooms for each grade level. Also, we have Kindergarten through fifth grade in our building. Is that similar or are the schools smaller in size?

kakalena

Whoa Ashley! Before you get too far down the old Hawaii dream path.... ; ))) I didn't include rents for houses in Hanalei because there weren't any that particular day. No mystery.

Hanalei is a town like any other here but most people find it to be picturesque like any village anywhere on the globe. That's not to say that lots of other towns here are not picturesque too. Tons of people have ocean and mountain views too.

Hanalei and Haena are at the end of the road. What vivi said but you didn't catch was that people get kind of lazy about driving here. If you live on the North Shore (I do) you hang out here. The joke is that you need a passport to go to Lihue (our County center). I've probably been to the west side of the island about a dozen times in a year and I only make it to Lihue a few times a week. Some people do commute for their jobs (we have traffic jams!!!!!!) but if you don't have to do that you would probably hang out in Hanalei most of the time.

The people who live in Hanalei tend to be even more isolated than the rest of the island and I think vivi was trying to communicate that to you. There are bridges there that can be closed in the rainy season (not often) and you stay on one side or the other until they are reopened.

It is a very small town w/a small grocery, post office, a few restaurants and tourist shops. Yes, there are lots of kids there and lots of surfers. It rains a lot! The wettest spot on earth is on Kauai. In winter it can be cool and overcast for weeks. The ocean is very rough and the waves enormous! The flip side of that is that summers are hot and the ocean flat (I was just there yesterday). So you have to see it as a real place.

What vivi said is true that the cost of houses for sale is high there and almost anywhere on the North Shore. Keep checking the Garden Isle newspaper website for RENTALS to get an idea what's available. But again it may be a situation of who you know to find a place. There are bulletin boards at grocery stores with rooms, houses, apartments to rent advertised. Leases vary, we have none.


Maybe a teacher here can help you with class sizes etc.. I'm not sure. The last I read Hawaii schools were very near the bottom of quality of education (if not the bottom of the list) for all US schools. Many families we know send their kids to private school or homeschool them.

Ashley, I'll be completely honest, if you have 2 kids I wouldn't even think about coming here until you have everything in place - job, house, plan for a car and several months of cash to survive on. May all your dreams come true! Just be careful what you wish for, you just might get it!

All the best!

kakalena

Ashley24

I have been to Hanalei in the wintertime so am familiar with the rainy weather and what the town is like. Thanks for your concern though.

bifs5

we just came back from hawaii on a 2 week vacation. its was the best vac. ever. speaking to the locals on maui
thay tell me that they are in desperate need of police officers that may be a consideration. if i had to live in hawaii
i would live in waimea on the big island. it was like living in the country
with best beach (hapuna) a 20 min ride away. good luck

vivi

Bifs is absolutley correct--ALL of the Hawaiian islands are in desperate need of police officers. Many of the locals have been lured to PDs on the mainland that pay better, located in towns where the cost of living isn't so exorbitant.

kakalena

I know a police officer who came here from the Mainland, did the training but was ostracized by peers. I was also told that the officers are not given sufficient backup particularly when going for violent disturbances. The individual left the force after two months.

Would be interesting to hear from an officer if there is one out there.

kakalena

Kal

If I moved there where would I go on vacation? :-?

vivi

About vacations....Hawaii residents' favorite destination is Las Vegas (also known as "the 9th Hawaiian island.") Many high school reunions are held in Las Vegas instead of on-island!

When we lived on Kauai we took many vacations as it truly is a mental health necessity to "get off the rockquot;
Tahoe and Sun Valley to ski
Canadian Rockies
New York City
Wash DC
SF and Wine Country
And yes, Las Vegas, LOL

kakalena

I'd agree with vivi that Vegas does seem to be the most popular destination from what I hear. Lots of people are from the west coast and sort of shuttle back and forth for family reasons to the LA and SF areas.

Bali and Tahiti are popular vacation spots in some circles.

What's very remarkable is the amount of time that people spend "off-island". It seems like people are always going somewhere or coming back from somewhere for weeks and months on end.

kakalena

vivi

Yes,Kakalena is so right--- Kauai people are continually on-the-go, I am not exagerrating when I say I went to the Lihue Airport 700-800 times during my 6 years there --- somebody in my family was always on a trip. Sometimes I would be down there 5 or 6 days in a row to drop off or pick up, LOL.

Something nobody has mentioned is the panic that ensues when there is a family emergency/crisis on the mainland. Being on Kauai and having to get to the mainland pronto is very stressful. I estimate that I took 40 trips to the mainland in 6 years and about 35 of those trips were to see a seriously ill relative; several of those trips we made with only a few hours' notice. This is VERY COSTLY.

Another thing to consider is medical care. KAuai cannot handle everybody's varied medical needs. For example, my husband had to take a day off work and go to Oahu for some special X-Rays. A friend of ours who had leukemia had to spend 6 months in WA seeking treatment. Another friend who needed daily radiation had to fly to Honolulu every Monday and home again to Kauai on Friday, staying in a hotel in Honolulu just to keep daily 15 minute appointments.

There is soooooooo much to think about before making a move to paradise as there can be many inconveniences.

Did you know that a Navy assignment to Barking Sands is considered "hardship duty" due to isolation?

islandmom

I loved living on Kauai and felt safer and more welcomed there than Oahu. My biggest complaint was the long drive to the store or everything closing so early. That was 5 years ago and there are more options now. My friends do fly over for medical treatment.