SHL

Hello all,

I've gone through all threads about Molokai on this site but don't seem t find one that fits my exact scanrino. My friend and I will take a ferry from Maui to Molokai for a day trip. I know most of you probably will say that a few hours in Molokai is just not enough, but for this trip, this is all the time we have. I've been to Hawaii over 10 times and have visited almost every corner of all other islands (except Molokai and Hilo side of Big Island).

I am not crazy about seeing "everything" on Molokai since I've seen enough beautifual canyons, waterfalls, beaches etc. I am really hoping to just get a taste of the true Molokai. I am thinking about renting a car, and just drive toward the east end and take our time to absorb everything about Molokai, If we make it to the east end, great, if not, it's OK. Spend sometime in town, I heard there is a Sat farmer's market, get to interact with the locals etc.

I really appriciate all you experts out there who can tell me what you think about my idea?

Thank you !
Stella

okoshi2002

Do you have enough time to hike down to Kaluapapa and back ? It's beautiful, and gives you a glimpse of a special part of Hawaiian history. You will need to arrange to join a guide once you arrive to the sanctuary.

sunbum1944

I would suggest a day trip to Kalapapa - the leper colony -
something different - and definatly a taste of the true Molokai
You can visit Fr Damiens church, see the stone hovels where the the lepers were dropped off and left to figure out a way to survive

I spent a weekend there once - because I knew one of the residents - very interesting weekend

you can even take a mule ride down into the village

SHL

Hello okoshi2002 and sunbum1944,

Thank you so much for your reply. I did research on the hike to kalapapa...or even the mule ride...I read the story about the colony and is truly moved by it...my concern is that I am there with my bff to really relax and sort out some of our own life situations and I am not sure if I want to feel "sad" and I am thinking the story of the colony will make me feel that...do I worry too much?

sunbum1944

Well you shouldnt feel too sad - the people who live there have chosen to live there, they have found a cure for leprosy
and the people I met who lived there seemed pretty happy-

It would give you a chance to do a lot of talking and reflecting on how greatful you are for what you have

okoshi2002

Kalaupapa is breathtaking and the hike is invigorating. I do not think of it as being a sad setting.

dusty56438

I have not been to Molokai, but these sites may help:

http://www.molokai-hawaii.com/ You can order a free brochure.

http://www.gohawaii.com/molokai/

http://visitmolokai.com/

http://www.hawaii.com/hawaiian-infor...me/tourism.php

dusty56438

Lots of Molokai threads:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum...ai_Hawaii.html

TravelGram

We took a tour to Molokai the last time we were in Maui. We took the ferry from Lahaina and met up with a small tour bus when we got to the island. I normally don't like to take formal tours, but one of the advantages is that the driver will tell you many things about the island that you won't see in a book. Ours was a native Hawaiian and a lot of fun. We had plenty of time to visit and viewed Kalapapa from the tops of the cliffs. You couldn't schedule the hike down on this tour. Hint: take a towel to wipe off the seat on the ferry. It's constantly going back and forth and the spray from the ocean gets everywhere.

carolyn

I highly recommend the book Molokai by Alan Brennert. It is a wonderful novel about Kalaupapa from the 1890s to 1970. It's touching but not sad as one would think it would be. The main character starts out as a 7-year-old feisty little girl. I just loved the book.

albertboyce

Stop by and visit our coffee plantation in Kualapu'u. Take a tour or just sit on our deck and sip a "Mocha Mama". It's right on the highway to the trailhead for Kalaupapa. I too would highly recommend visiting Kalaupapa.

Albert Boyce
Owner
www.coffeesofhawaii.com

gyppielou

Visiting Kalaupapa was one of life's great moments. We took mules, but would consider flying in next time. Fr Damien is entering the sainthood soon!

We stayed on the very east end and enjoyed the long ride back and forth. It rivals the road to Hana and the West End Maui drives. You are literally driving beside the ocean for much of the way. Oh I would grab a car and just do that drive and then have a complimentary coffee on Albert for advertising here! And we did love the Cookhouse and Thursday entertainment...

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...rip-report.cfm

FrankS

I spent 2 weeks in Molokai. The best memories are the mule ride, cliffs, followed by the fish farms and waterfall hikes. Gyppie is right, the drive is special. You can drive through a number of microclimates in just a short time, I doubt any road can offer as much in such a short distance. Lastly, there is a reef on the west side near the kaluakoi resort that offers some fantastic snorkeling.

MelissaMorgan

Like SHL, I also can check off "more than 10 times" on the visitor form upon arrival in the islands. I've often considered Molokai for a day trip but everyone has warned me away. Primarily, people complain that the boat from Maui is long (2 hrs or so each way) and extremely rocky. As in, seasick rocky. I've also been told that there isn't much to see for seasoned Hawaii travelers and that the locals don't appreciate the visitors. I've heard this so many times that I always seem to get dissuaded from going. Sounds like folks here have had good experiences. Any idea why there are so many naysayers about Molokai?

FrankS

Melissa,
Considering all that Maui has to offer, I understand people that dont want to spend precious hours of their vacation on a bumpy trip to Molokai. Molokai lacks the tourist infrastructure that people want when going to Hawaii, and what few people that come quickly just to say they were there. I think that since tourists are so busy and want to experience Molokai in a few hours it insults some locals. It takes time to get to know people on Molokai. It may sound strange, but you have to show them that you do have 'breath.' A sincere connection with eye contact , no handshakes, and respect for the land will lead to friendship there. After you establish that, you will rarely meet such genuine people.

SHL

Thank you for all of your inputs.

Hello Albert, I will definitely make a stop to your coffee plantation! So from a local's perspective, I take it that you recommend going to Kalaupapa over "renting a car, and just take our time to explore the island, stop when we want, sunbathing a little, and not rush to see everything" idea?

THank you again,
SHL

gyppielou

I know you asked Albert, but. . . Kalaupapa is one of the most breathtaking landscapes of all the islands. But make no mistake, whether you educate yourself on the history of the land in advance or not, there is no free pass to this land. Anyone who is lucky to visit is required to be accompanied by a guide. There's no hiking in and hanging out on your own. Instead one is welcomed to understand the history of the area, the people before the epidemic, those tossed off of ships to swim or sink, the bones, the many bones of those who suffered on this little piece of land.

To visit Kalaupapa is a privledge to not be taken lightly. For some it is a religious pilgrimage and for others it simply embodies what is great and what is not so great about mankind and its history and blood and hope and glory make up the land - for now.

Soon, when the last resident passes, this too shall pass. Kalaupapa is not for tourists. And actually Molokai is not really for tourists. To get there and try to see all there is to see in a few hours - well there isn't much to see that I found, other than the land and the people and the pace.

So as a visitor, I would either decide that it was important to capture Kaluapapa and its history by either flying in, muling in or hiking in. If that experience does not call you %100 then fly in rent a car and travel the east end road, maybe take a horseback ride at the ranch I stayed at. It's in the trip report I added earlier.

I have great respect for the people of Molokai. They have paid a price protecting their land and water and they have paid a hefty price. The closing of the biggest employer in recent years, the Molokai Ranch. It is all so bittersweet, but I believe that the heritage of this island is in better hands because of it. When the last resident passes, there is ganna be one hell of a fight for some of the most preicious and gorgeous land in all the pacific.

okoshi2002

You sound ambivalent so I would say stay on Maui if you want to drive around and sunbathe, no need to make your way to Molokai to do that.

DawnCt

Gyppsielou, I just want to say that my experience on Kaulapapa was, as you said, far more than a "tourist visit". There was something very spiritual about it. We chose to take the mule ride down. It added to the isolation of Kaulapapa for us. Sheriff Richard Marks met us and gave us our tour. He was taken to Kaulapapa at the age of 14 for his "crime" of having leprosy. He escaped a few times and returned to be a patient advocate and sheriff for a very special group of people. Our trip there inspired me to read a lot about the colony. The personal stories are impressive. They highlight courage, acceptance and resolve. I would recommend a visit to Kaulapapa for anyone with the slightest interest in history. I wish I could have spent more time looking at the artifacts, reading the documents, etc.

gyppielou

Bless him, Mr Marks had taken ill when we visited and has since passed.

I've read a number of books, both fiction and non fiction. I liked Richard Stewart's "Leper Priest of Moloka'i -The Father Damien Story.

I know that the residents were not pleased with the book "The Colony"