Move to Hawaii?

Andrea - posted on 07/17/2009

The schools I have heard aren't great but the daycare providers kinda do a preschool type atmosphere if they have your child. Which my son loves because they do crafts and colors and numbers and the alphabet. He is actually learning really well. The schools here on post don't seem to be that bad. I have noticed that they send home a lot of worksheets for vocabulary and spelling and math. Flies are the worst I have ever seen and there are a lot of geko's but they run at the sight of you. I have not been unlucky enough to encounter the millipedes here but apparently they are huge and the hiss, like about a good 8 or so inches long. There are some misquitos but not as many as you would think. There are maybe birds that act tame. As for the humidity, it really isn't that bad. In truth when is gets down to like 68 and 70 here it feels cold. My son even wore long sleeve shirts and pants in the winter (rainy season). It stays fairly low and the temp really doesn't get any higher than like 85 or so. The inter island flights are pretty cheap and there is a ferry that goes to Maui. If you visit the ITR when you get here they will give you your discount certificates and stuff for things you want to go do. I didn't come when my husband first came over because he got his duty station about 2 weeks before he moved out here so I didn't have time to pack us all up and the house too. The move you just sort out at your house what you want to bring in the "first" grouping which is your main stuff- clothes, cooking supplies and thing like that and they fly those over here like express. The other things toys, patio furniture- nonimmediate items fly at the normal rate which is about a month. The movers that they have unload your stuff are very quick and professional they label and take the boxes to their appropiate rooms for you. If you live on post, which is your best bet, is very nice. The housing, well at least most of it, is being rebuilt or renovated. We have older housing and I'll give you a brief overview of it. It is 2 stories. The first story is all the laminate hardword flooring, on the first floor we have our living room, kitchen, half bath, dining room and a huge laundry room. Then the second floor is carpet except for the bathroom. We have a 2 bedroom and our room is, I think, a 14*14. Plus we have and attic, 2 outside storage closets and a covered carport. We also have a fenced in back yard, which is kind of small, and a concrete patio. My neighborhood is amazing. I have a lot of close friends on my street. There are two parks within a very, very short walking distance. The MP's are very polite here, most of the time. We really haven't had any problems other than like domestic disputes or children being to rowdy and playing music to loud. Off post right near Schofield, they area seems to kind of gheto, sorry. Then there is a place called Mililani Terrace which is nice are for housing but kind of expensive. They do a lot of family days and things for the kids on the post. Like beach days and the Y does playgroups with crafts for the holidays. I asked my son if he wanted to go home and visit his grandparents and he said no. Also there is a lot of stuff to do with your kids that is relatively inexpensive. Like the zoo and the aquarium and Bellows beach is very nice. Sorry to keep going back and forth but we get almost $2000 a month in BAH and every bit of it goes to our housing. There is red mud here. Literally RED mud and it stains the PT uniforms like crazy. Just a warning. If you have any other questions I would be more than happy to help. I didn't have people to ask before I came here and was completely blind sided with everything.

Julianne - posted on 07/17/2009

Your child is two young to be in school but do you have any friends with elementary school aged children? I have heard some not so great things about public schools in Hawaii- enough to make me not want to send my son there for kindegarten. Do you know anyone that would have some insight into that? I looked at the private schools down there but we are not able to afford monthly payments of $500 and up for tuition. Some places I looked at cost over 14,000 for kindegarten!! At 1400/month I could comfortably buy a house... maybe not in Hawaii but you get the idea. Also, how bad are the bugs? Is it really humid there? How easy is it to go visit the other islands? How difficult was it to move there? Will you be able to fly with your husband or does he have to go ahead of us? I could think of lots of little questions but really I just want a feel for it. Are the housing neighborhoods in good areas? We live in base housing right now but it is not on the base.. we have had a fair share of property crime... theft, breakins... the usual... I have heard your car is fair game but what about your house? Sorry for the onslaught!

Andrea - posted on 07/17/2009

We live in Hawaii right now on Schofield. Our housing is really nice. Are you planning/wanting to live on or off post? There are a lot of kid friendly things to do around here. I have a 22 month old and we go to the zoo often or the aquarium or the discovery center. Is there anything in particular that you are wondering about?

Julianne - posted on 07/16/2009

Hi Everyone- Thanks so much for your responses. My husband and I have been really trying to research it and I think between that and what I have read here we will be happy in Hawaii. Now it is time to submit orders and hope for the best. :) Does anybody know about the new housing? We are E5 so we qualify for two of the new housing communities- Radford Terrace and Catlin Park. Anybody know anything about those? We liked Radford the best judging from the floor plans but not sure about neighborhood or commute. Didn't see the Iroqouis on there so we must not qualify. Any additional info would be super. Thanks again ladies!!!

Tiffany - posted on 07/16/2009

Hi there,

We just moved back from Hawaii, after being there for almost 5 years, (even moved stateside while DH was in Iraq). I wanted to say more about your dog. Hawaii is a "no rabies" state, meaning there are a lot of hoops to jump through in order to get your dog there. http://hawaii.gov/hdoa/ai/aqs/info this is a helpful link to get you started. A dog must have had at least 2 rabies vaccines, you must have a copy of certificate, and they have to draw blood and send it away for at least 3 months if memory serves. Airlines will not fly your animal if it is below 40 or above 85 I believe as well. I used Delta and Northwest the two times I flew my dog. There is a lot to do in order to get your animal there and back, I would start asap in order to have all the information.

We lived both on and off post (Army) and I really enjoyed living off post, but as a military family, one must be relatively careful where they choose to live on island. Not all parts of the island are military friendly. I don't say this to scare you, but so that you are informed. :) Waianaie is one of these places. Before you get there however on the west side of the island is Ko Olina which has beautiful lagoons that are awesome for the kids. The beach is nice, and the surf does not beat down on the kids here. At Aloha Stadium, there is a flea market on the weekends that is really fun, and great for souviniers (sp?) There is a Super Ferry that takes you to Maui now. The nice thing about that is the fact that you can take your car. The Dole Plantation is fun, and if you like pineapples, they have the most amazing pineapple ice cream. I loved living there, and I hope you all the best. I could probably go on for forever. Let me know if you have any other questions about the island.

Laura - posted on 07/15/2009

Aloha, we lived in hawaii for four years and are preparing to possibly head back. I had a daughter the age of you older son and had my son while we where there. Depending on when our son's birthday is he maybe able to start kindergarten when you get there. Depending on where you live they have Kindergarten and Pre ki in the school system. I think you will enjoy it. We lived in Base housing as off base is super expensive. I lived on the marine base. Start early for you dog, if you plan it properly you can do airport release. Catch is there is only one hotel on the approved list that excepts pets and that is not the nicest hotel. If you have someone to keep the dog till you have housing, I would suggest that. I have been to quarintine with a friend and do not recommend it. They do have loner furniture on the hawaii side. It is not great but it will do. If you stick to shopping at the commisary groceries are not bad. Considering there are four on the island I never had a problem with it. Your first car the military will ship. If you have a second I suggest driving it to California and than having it shipped. Matson gives a wonderful military discount.

It is very laid back in Hawaii. No need for jeans or winter coats. I do suggest you take a sweatshirt as you may want it for walking on the beach after the sun goes down. I have tons of pictures on my profile. If you send a friend request you can look at them. If you have any questions or need any help please let me know, I will be more than happy to help.

Emily - posted on 07/14/2009

We were in Hawaii from April 2001- Mar 2004. We loved it 3 years was just enough for us. We lived in old Navy housing Iroquois Point which is now Iroquois Point Island Club. It was Navy housing that was sold to private developers. So the neighborhood is military and locals. The houses are duplexs and were renovated in 2004 new kitchens and all. Private lanai area and plenty of park and private beach area. Also the Waterfront at Puuloa is another neighborhood. There is a Iroquis Point Elementary School is within walking distance. There is also a Co-op preschool. At the time we were there was also a gas station. And a water taxi that took soldiers over to Pearl Harbor. All this in a gated community. I loved it. We would take the kids to Ko Olina in the morning before it got hot, have lunch there and home for naps. You have to get out and explore. Just be aware of what neighborhoods you travel thru. I never had a problem with the locals. Some of the locals still blame us for taking there land. If in Honolulu leave by 3pm or you are stuck in traffic, CRAZY or just wait till around 7 and head home. Alot of people in one small place but your from Norfolk so you should be ok. And if there is a wreck on the Highway forget about it take the nearest exit asap. It can take alllll day to clear a wreck. Crazy drivers!!! The people are pretty laid back. Had more issue with military neighbors than locals. Beautiful sites and rainbows most everyday. Felt weird cooking a turkey in shorts for Christmas. Overall I would do it again. Just check it out. I know you will have fun. If any questions just yell back.