Waialae - Kahala

For almost four decades, Mona Dungate has lived in a real estate gold mine and seen her neighbors fall victim to steep property taxes or give in to offers too good to turn down.

Dungate, 83, a retired mother of four, is faced with a $12,498 tax bill on her $3.2 million Kahala Avenue home, which she describes as a “tear-down” that she wants to keep forever.

“But if it continues like this, and I’m still alive, I’m going to have to sell the property,” says Dungate, who paid $100,000 for her house in the late ’60s.
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GAYE KAUPIKO is no stranger to running her own business. But the idea for Kahala Kids didn’t come to her until she became pregnant with twins.

“At that time the only baby store was out in Aiea, and it was so difficult for me to get there,” said Kaupiko, who lives with her husband and children in Hawaii Kai. “I thought the east side totally needed something like that.”

In addition to her twins, now 6, Kaupiko has a 22-year-old son and a 17-year-old daughter. The vast age gap made her realize how much had changed for expectant and new moms. “Things are so much more high-tech,” she said, “and there’s much more to choose from.”
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