There are no stop lights on Moloka’i, and that should tell you quite a lot about this serene and beautiful place. Everyone knows everyone else, and the pace of life is much slower than on all the other islands except, perhaps, for Lāna’i. Moloka’i’s population of less than 7,000 congregate around the principal town of Kaunakakai. The island offers spectacular scenery, quiet island life, and is just a 15-minute flight from Maui. Lāna’i is even smaller – just 13 miles wide and 18 miles long, with a population of less than 3,000. It has served as a penal colony, ranch, pineapple plantation, and now as a luxury resort destination. The idyll can be reached via a short ferry crossing from Lahaina.
Ili’ili’opae Heiau
Lāna’i City house and Cook Island pines
Hulopo’e Beach, Lāna’i
-
Morning
Take a leisurely drive – there’s no other way on Moloka’i – to the spectacular Hālawa Valley on the island’s far eastern end.
Begin in Kaunakakai with a breakfast of sweet bread from Kanemitsu Bakery (see Kanemitsu Bakery). Stock up in town with snacks and drinks for a picnic.
From Kaunakakai, take Route 450 heading east. Be sure to notice all the ancient fishponds still intact along the coastline. About 11 miles from Kaunakakai you’ll see, in quick succession, St.Joseph’s and then Our Lady of Sorrows (see Our Lady of Sorrows Church)– both built by Father Damien in the late 1800s. Step inside to experience the history.
The road to Hālawa is winding, narrow, and extraordinarily scenic. Take your time to enjoy it – pull over, stop for a picnic or a snack, or to snap some photos, and immerse yourself in the glorious surroundings and clean, fresh air.
Afternoon
Hālawa Valley is absolutely perfect: a high waterfall cascades into the stream that winds through the valley and eventually reaches the ocean. The base of the valley is a great place for a picnic if you haven’t already eaten, or to kick back and feast on the views.
Once you’ve luxuriated in the tranquillity of the valley, retrace your journey back to Kaunakakai in time for an afternoon swim and dinner at the Oceanfront Dining Room (see Oceanfront Dining Room).
-
This is small-town U.S.A., Moloka’i style. On Saturdays, take a leisurely look at the farmers’ market, which is also part swap meet, part social gathering.
-
You can buy handmade kites and windsocks, and view the owners’ collection of drums, baskets, jewelry, and textiles.
-
A throwback to simpler times, this casual eatery, for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and home-baked bread, is probably the most popular restaurant on the island with locals.
-
Big breakfasts, lunch specials such as fresh fish and baby back ribs, and considerable Hawaiian aloha (warmth).
-
In typically laid-back Lāna’i style, the owners of this whimsical shop, which now specializes in merchandise to “enhance your home and your soul,” decided to keep with the store’s previous name.
-
Small eatery offering salads, sandwiches, saimin, and of course, rich, delicious coffee. Try the signature “Mocha Mama.”
-
This plantation offers walking tours of its coffee processing and roasting operations twice a day. Brands produced on-site include Malulani, Muleskinner, and Moloka’i Gold Estate.
-
No verdant oasis of foliage and flowers, Garden of the Gods is an eerily beautiful, windswept landscape of red, purple, and ocher rocks, sculpted by the raging forces of nature into irregular pinnacles and buttes. Sunsets are particularly spectacular here.
-
Owners Kim and Phoenix Dupree seek out unique, locally handmade art and craft items for their shop. You’ll find wonderful gifts, ranging from food produce to wooden vases, and soaps to books.
-
Restaurant price categories
Price categories include a three-course meal for one, a glass of house wine, and all unavoidable extra charges including tax.
-
Advertisement
-
-
Lake Como Aug08
jasmin
-
Barcelona guide
capule
-
Amsterdam guide
bhaims
-
anna's Venice guide
annanz
-
Sydney guide
bekiba
-
HannahGray's Sydney guide
Hannah
-
-
-
Amisha Gupta's Cyprus guide
Amisha
-
sarojpatel's Rome guide
sarojp
-
Paris guide
ori
-
Rome guide
Travel
-
Crete guide
lizzie
-
-
Maui Writers' ConferenceThe Maui Writers' Conference, held over Labor Day Weekend, is one of the most important in the world for both the publishing and film industries. Over 50 top agents and editors and 150 presenters... Read more
-
Aloha Classic Windsurfing ChampionshipsHo'okipa Beach Park, near Paia in Maui, hosts top windsurfing action at the Aloha Classic Windsurfing Championships. Read more
-
International Festival of CanoesThe International Festival of Canoes is Maui's main annual event: a two-week celebration of Hawaii's rich heritage honouring the voyaging canoe which united all of Polynesia. Read more
-
Maui Film FestivalThe annual Maui Film Festival, held at the luxurious Wailea Resort, offers film and digital cinema premières and a handful of filmmakers' panels, while social events and galas help keep up the... Read more
![[+]](/images/button-addtoguide.gif)
symbol, to start adding attractions to your
tailor-made travel guide.
