Conscious Choice: Moloka‘i Island

May 2008 | Escape the Pace

Moloka‘i Island

A well-kept floating secret

By Crai S. Bower

Few Hawaiians ever visit Moloka‘i, but plenty of Washingtonians travel to Hawai‘i. In fact, Seattle is Hawaii’s third largest market. The reason? (Do I really need to spell it out?) Three words: eighty degrees, sunny.

Once I added myself to the statistic and arrived on Maui, the locals I asked knew little of Moloka‘I, the 260-square-mile island, beyond the stunning 3,000-foot cliffs and the infamous leprosy colony that was closed several decades ago and now attracts tourists as a national historic park. Moloka‘i floats among the last secrets found in this majestic archipelago of volcanoes, subtle trade winds and 500-plus-room resort towers. an oasis even from Polynesian pace, where the most casual traveler can retreat from the buzz of modern-day connectivity for a time.

Before making the short and very convenient flight to Moloka‘i (there are inter-island flights every 45 minutes), we spent a few days doing plenty of nothing in Maui. Laptop tucked away (save an edit of last month’s ETP), a little bit of staked beach, snorkeling and a whale sail, during which we watched a humpback complete a full breach and roll within 75 yards of our bow, provided ample entertainment and time to unwind. The “Escape the Pace” leads began teasing me as I settled in for another evening punctuated only by the sunset, resigned to the reality that this really was paradise, at least American-style.

A few, well-rested days later, we made our way to Molaka‘i.

The state of Hawai‘i is working diligently to preserve its cultural heritage. There are numerous opportunities to visit the farms and artifacts, even to lend a hand preserving native habitats from the invasive plants that wreak havoc on an island’s ecosystem. Moloka‘i presents every visitor with the opportunity to depart from the resorts and delve into the reason people inhabited Hawai‘i in the first place.

I realized that this tiny island would be different the moment our 37-seater descended through the cloud cover, revealing sparse foliage populating red earth. Each island in Hawai‘i contains several microclimates: ecosystems can range from lush rainforest to volcanic desert in mere miles. Moloka‘i is no exception; the arid scrub yielded to the banyan trees and palms only during the last 500 meters of our 40-minute drive to the sea.

Unlike nearby Lanai’s Four Seasons resorts, rustic opulence this is not. But who cares about amenity brands when the sonorous breaking waves wrestle with the rustle of fronds for your attention. One visits Moloka’i for its isolation, not amenities.

Finding isolated beaches is tough on Maui, but there are plenty of solitary sand stretches to entice you here. Moloka’i also takes pride in being the most Hawaiian of islands, a combination of cow (and cowboy) culture, agriculture and vast regions of vacant space. There are plenty of opportunities for visitors to horseback ride the cliff trails, a dude ranch experience, island style.

Since 1897, the Moloka’i Ranch has owned more than 30 percent of the island. The ranch has hosted panoply of enterprises ranging from sheep husbandry to honey production to a large pineapple plantation.

The Lodge and Beach Village at Moloka’I Ranch, the finest accommodations on the island, has recently been “moth-balled” as the ownership group is still trying to get its master plan approved by the community.

Yet, who has time to contemplate local politics when the azure sea beckons from spectacular beaches like Papohaku, at three miles the longest white sand beach in Hawai’i? In fact, while I wrote this column (on a waning battery), I looked out from my deck to spy a humpback adult breach in unison with a calf. The whales appear (I am absolutely thrilled to write) like crows. These marine giants, who arrive in December and stay until late April, while away their days frolicking, mating and teaching their young. They don’t even eat here, as these waters host neither krill nor other favorite foods. It’s all play, all the time for marine as well as terrestrial mammals.

The next morning, we boarded the plane early for our return flight to Kahului. We weren’t really surprised to discover that every other person on the flight knew every other person. It suddenly made perfect sense why many of the people we met on Moloka’i were natives who had returned here after extended hiatuses. The island’s isolation may have been the reason they left, but Molokai’s virtue as paradise undisturbed drew them home.

Editor’s Note: As ETP went to press, the ownership of Moloka’i Ranch appears to be in transition. Consult website for updates.

Crai S. Bower received a 2008 “Northern Lights Award for Excellence in Canadian Travel Journalism” this April. Check out the winning story: www.flowingstreamwriting.net

Recommend this page to a friend

Top Ten pages recommended to friends: