Molokai Trip Report
Nov 26th, 2003, 07:00 AM
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Molokai Trip Report
This was the second island visited (between Kauai and Lanai) during our recent honeymoon, and it didn't disappoint.
One nice thing about Molokai is things change rather slowly, or not at all. I was there four years ago, and the place was much the same. Which is a good thing. No traffic lights, no traffic and an atmosphere that lives up to Molokai's moniker as the Friendly Isle. In fact, the first night, my wife and I were standing on the pier watching the sun go down, when a local drove up to us and said, "Aloha, Welcome to Molokai." I guess the Dodge Neon rental gave us away. Still, that greeting pretty much summed up the essence of the trip.
The Island Air trip over from HNL was uneventful into the pint-sized airport at Hoolehua. Cheryl, who with her husband Jack, owns our B&B Ke Hale Mala, was waiting for us with a hug and to guide us back to the B&B, which is the bottom floor of the house. It was four rooms, larger than most one-bedroom condos. Hardly luxurious, but very comfortable nonetheless, after we moved the two single beds together (it was a honeymoon, after all!).
Cheryl cooked up some delicious variations on pancakes each morning, along with fruits direct from their garden and copious amounts of coffee. You can stay there w/out breakfast for $10 off the $80 tab, but it would be a case of being penny wise, pound foolish. And since you won't need a big lunch afterwards, you can actually save money in the long run.
After settling in, took the wife up to Palaau State Park, to walk through a pine forest to see the appropriately named Phallic Rock (see picture at http://www.hawaiiweb.com/molokai/htm...llic_rock.html), where women still come to give offerings and pray for fertility. My wife demurred. Nearby is a lookout for the Kalaupapa Peninsula, where the former leper colony is located. That was as close as we were getting, as the $149 tab to ride a mule to Kalaupapa was steeper than the hill down there. You could walk it for $30, but remember you do have to walk up.
Dinner was at the Hotel Molokai, one of the few places on the island where you might see anything that could generously be described as a crowd. The food was decent, which is about as good as it gets on Molokai.
We headed east the next morning checking out the sights out to the 20-mile marker, one of the best beaches for swimming and snorkeling because it's protected by a reef. Conditions were less than ideal, however, so we grabbed a bite at the Neighborhood Store, one of the last vestiges of civilization on the East End. They make a nice loco moco there (egg over a hamburger over rice with the whole thing slathered with gravy) for those not watching their cholesterol.
We then headed to the West End to Papahoku Beach, the second-longest white-sand beach in Hawaii, after Polihale in Kauai, and we pretty much had the three-mile strand to ourselves. Indeed,when you saw other people you almost felt like they were trespassing. But there was more than enough sand to share.
Much of the West End is taken up by the barren open range of the 53,000-acre Molokai Ranch, which includes a 22-room lodge and canvas bungalows on the beach. The lodge building was inviting and we grabbed a bite at the bar. But the room we saw was small, as was the otherwise-handsome infinity pool. The main dining room had entrees starting at $25 or so, very un-Molokai and has a local-unfriendly attitude by not accepting checks (many people don't use plastic here). And with rates starting at $275 a night, it was little surprise the place was virtually barren the night it was there.
The Sheraton is located in the former company town of Mauna Loa, whose sole form of nightlife is a surprisingly large three-screen cinema with first-run flicks. Hopefully, it will last despite being 15 miles from the main population center in Kaunakakai.
Our final day found us back on the East End, twisting and turning to the end of the ever-narrowing Highway 450 and the Halawa Valley. We met up with Daniel, who would guide us 2.1 miles to Moomomi Falls. When I was here, landowners concerned about liability had cut off access to the falls. Thankfully, that has changed. Daniel grew up in these parts and taught us much about the local fauna while keeping a lookout for any wild pigs, which he hunts with his eight pit bulls (which he loves about as much as his four kids). He spoke of the valley with pride and devotion to the land. Taking people to these parts was more than just a job.
The falls were an easy walk aside from two slippery stream crossings and its torrent fueled by a recent rain was a treat to see up close. A bonus: Daniel's boss, Lawrence Aki, showed up with another honeymooning couple. Lawrence is a legend in these parts, leading a variety of hikes on the island and serving as a cultural conscience of Molokai. Afterwards, he took us to Halawa Beach Park to talk a little story and recount a touching story of a recent family reunion where more than 150 people camped out and renewed their ties to the land. (See more about Lawrence at http://www.molokai-aloha.com/hikes/).
Dinner was at the Molokai Pizza Cafe, good for what it is, though you might be disappointed if your pie cravings are more esoteric than what's on offer at Pizza Hut. But dinner pickings are slim on the island. You either have to adjust or make it yourself, which is what many people who rent a condo do anyway.
On the way to the airport the next day, we stopped at Purdy's macadamia nut farm, which I had missed the first time around. Tuddie Purdy prides himself on harvesting and selling macadamias that don't look or taste anything like the ones you buy in the store. No oils or chemicals are added, and he claims that makes them a healthy, cholesterol-free food with half the fat of the canned version. He gave us a short lecture on how nuts are grown and harvested,then showed us how to crack a nut. Only then would he actually sell us some of his delicious roasted nuts and honey. "You need to know the story," he told us. We did, and were at the end of a rewarding trip.
Molokai is a great place to visit, especially if you're in Maui. It's an easy ride on the Molokai Princess ferry for one. But it also serves as a stark contrast to the Valley Isle. It's Hawaii before it was discovered by tourists en masse and will likely stay that way.
Time slows to a crawl. You can make your own fun. You can get Lawrence or Daniel to take you around and show you the unspoiled beauty of Molokai. Or you can do nothing at all. If you find yourself in Hawaii, take a detour here and you won't be disappointed. Consider it a vacation from your vacation. Enjoy.
One nice thing about Molokai is things change rather slowly, or not at all. I was there four years ago, and the place was much the same. Which is a good thing. No traffic lights, no traffic and an atmosphere that lives up to Molokai's moniker as the Friendly Isle. In fact, the first night, my wife and I were standing on the pier watching the sun go down, when a local drove up to us and said, "Aloha, Welcome to Molokai." I guess the Dodge Neon rental gave us away. Still, that greeting pretty much summed up the essence of the trip.
The Island Air trip over from HNL was uneventful into the pint-sized airport at Hoolehua. Cheryl, who with her husband Jack, owns our B&B Ke Hale Mala, was waiting for us with a hug and to guide us back to the B&B, which is the bottom floor of the house. It was four rooms, larger than most one-bedroom condos. Hardly luxurious, but very comfortable nonetheless, after we moved the two single beds together (it was a honeymoon, after all!).
Cheryl cooked up some delicious variations on pancakes each morning, along with fruits direct from their garden and copious amounts of coffee. You can stay there w/out breakfast for $10 off the $80 tab, but it would be a case of being penny wise, pound foolish. And since you won't need a big lunch afterwards, you can actually save money in the long run.
After settling in, took the wife up to Palaau State Park, to walk through a pine forest to see the appropriately named Phallic Rock (see picture at http://www.hawaiiweb.com/molokai/htm...llic_rock.html), where women still come to give offerings and pray for fertility. My wife demurred. Nearby is a lookout for the Kalaupapa Peninsula, where the former leper colony is located. That was as close as we were getting, as the $149 tab to ride a mule to Kalaupapa was steeper than the hill down there. You could walk it for $30, but remember you do have to walk up.
Dinner was at the Hotel Molokai, one of the few places on the island where you might see anything that could generously be described as a crowd. The food was decent, which is about as good as it gets on Molokai.
We headed east the next morning checking out the sights out to the 20-mile marker, one of the best beaches for swimming and snorkeling because it's protected by a reef. Conditions were less than ideal, however, so we grabbed a bite at the Neighborhood Store, one of the last vestiges of civilization on the East End. They make a nice loco moco there (egg over a hamburger over rice with the whole thing slathered with gravy) for those not watching their cholesterol.
We then headed to the West End to Papahoku Beach, the second-longest white-sand beach in Hawaii, after Polihale in Kauai, and we pretty much had the three-mile strand to ourselves. Indeed,when you saw other people you almost felt like they were trespassing. But there was more than enough sand to share.
Much of the West End is taken up by the barren open range of the 53,000-acre Molokai Ranch, which includes a 22-room lodge and canvas bungalows on the beach. The lodge building was inviting and we grabbed a bite at the bar. But the room we saw was small, as was the otherwise-handsome infinity pool. The main dining room had entrees starting at $25 or so, very un-Molokai and has a local-unfriendly attitude by not accepting checks (many people don't use plastic here). And with rates starting at $275 a night, it was little surprise the place was virtually barren the night it was there.
The Sheraton is located in the former company town of Mauna Loa, whose sole form of nightlife is a surprisingly large three-screen cinema with first-run flicks. Hopefully, it will last despite being 15 miles from the main population center in Kaunakakai.
Our final day found us back on the East End, twisting and turning to the end of the ever-narrowing Highway 450 and the Halawa Valley. We met up with Daniel, who would guide us 2.1 miles to Moomomi Falls. When I was here, landowners concerned about liability had cut off access to the falls. Thankfully, that has changed. Daniel grew up in these parts and taught us much about the local fauna while keeping a lookout for any wild pigs, which he hunts with his eight pit bulls (which he loves about as much as his four kids). He spoke of the valley with pride and devotion to the land. Taking people to these parts was more than just a job.
The falls were an easy walk aside from two slippery stream crossings and its torrent fueled by a recent rain was a treat to see up close. A bonus: Daniel's boss, Lawrence Aki, showed up with another honeymooning couple. Lawrence is a legend in these parts, leading a variety of hikes on the island and serving as a cultural conscience of Molokai. Afterwards, he took us to Halawa Beach Park to talk a little story and recount a touching story of a recent family reunion where more than 150 people camped out and renewed their ties to the land. (See more about Lawrence at http://www.molokai-aloha.com/hikes/).
Dinner was at the Molokai Pizza Cafe, good for what it is, though you might be disappointed if your pie cravings are more esoteric than what's on offer at Pizza Hut. But dinner pickings are slim on the island. You either have to adjust or make it yourself, which is what many people who rent a condo do anyway.
On the way to the airport the next day, we stopped at Purdy's macadamia nut farm, which I had missed the first time around. Tuddie Purdy prides himself on harvesting and selling macadamias that don't look or taste anything like the ones you buy in the store. No oils or chemicals are added, and he claims that makes them a healthy, cholesterol-free food with half the fat of the canned version. He gave us a short lecture on how nuts are grown and harvested,then showed us how to crack a nut. Only then would he actually sell us some of his delicious roasted nuts and honey. "You need to know the story," he told us. We did, and were at the end of a rewarding trip.
Molokai is a great place to visit, especially if you're in Maui. It's an easy ride on the Molokai Princess ferry for one. But it also serves as a stark contrast to the Valley Isle. It's Hawaii before it was discovered by tourists en masse and will likely stay that way.
Time slows to a crawl. You can make your own fun. You can get Lawrence or Daniel to take you around and show you the unspoiled beauty of Molokai. Or you can do nothing at all. If you find yourself in Hawaii, take a detour here and you won't be disappointed. Consider it a vacation from your vacation. Enjoy.
Nov 26th, 2003, 07:14 AM
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OK...that does it! Next year, back to Molokai!!!
We went there for a few days during our first few trips over in the late 80's-early 90s and loved the place.
Unfortuneatley, the Kaluakoi Resort was shut down shortly thereafter so we just "settled" on Kauai. darn
Great trip report. I can't wait to get some bread/pasties from Kanemitsu Bakery.
I take it the Midnight Cafe was never rebuilt?
#39;(
The N/E portion of that island rivals the NaPali Coast.
Mucho Mahalos for the memories.
Kal
We went there for a few days during our first few trips over in the late 80's-early 90s and loved the place.
Unfortuneatley, the Kaluakoi Resort was shut down shortly thereafter so we just "settled" on Kauai. darn
Great trip report. I can't wait to get some bread/pasties from Kanemitsu Bakery.
I take it the Midnight Cafe was never rebuilt?
#39;(The N/E portion of that island rivals the NaPali Coast.
Mucho Mahalos for the memories.
Kal
Nov 26th, 2003, 07:40 AM
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We tried to muster up the energy to go to the Kanemitsu Bakery at 10:30 and go around to the back door and get some piping hot bread, have it cut open and slathered with butter and jam. But we usually found ourselves asleep by then. Molokai will do that to you!
One thing I didn't mention if you stay at Ke Hala Male: Local roosters aren't afraid of letting you know they're nearby. Of course, those are hardly a novelty on Kauai. But somehow, none of them disturbed my sleep in five nights on the Garden Island. I merely had to avoid running them over.
Mahalo!
One thing I didn't mention if you stay at Ke Hala Male: Local roosters aren't afraid of letting you know they're nearby. Of course, those are hardly a novelty on Kauai. But somehow, none of them disturbed my sleep in five nights on the Garden Island. I merely had to avoid running them over.
Mahalo!
Nov 26th, 2003, 05:22 PM
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Murrayhill,
Reading your report brings back wonderful memories of our Molokai visit a few years ago. We didn't go to the Hansen colony because 2 kids were younger than 18. We saw Phallic Rock and love Papohaku beach. When we were there, there was a couple at the far end of the beach. We had it all to ourselves. Strong currents, though, so no swimming.
We also hiked with the Nature Conservancy people. One of the most beautiful hike that we've been to. We went to one in Oahu, one in Maui and enjoyed the one in Molokai the best.
We hope to come back to Molokai some day. Thanks for a wonderful trip report.
Hanalei
Reading your report brings back wonderful memories of our Molokai visit a few years ago. We didn't go to the Hansen colony because 2 kids were younger than 18. We saw Phallic Rock and love Papohaku beach. When we were there, there was a couple at the far end of the beach. We had it all to ourselves. Strong currents, though, so no swimming.
We also hiked with the Nature Conservancy people. One of the most beautiful hike that we've been to. We went to one in Oahu, one in Maui and enjoyed the one in Molokai the best.
We hope to come back to Molokai some day. Thanks for a wonderful trip report.
Hanalei
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