Molokai

 

Molokai- First Impressions

Our Molokai adventure began at the Maui commuter terminal, waiting for our flight on Mokulele airlines. No TSA security lines and no restrictions on liquids. We literally showed up with a grocery sack full of food and beverages as a carry-on. They suggest you arrive to the terminal about 30 minutes prior to the flight. They did weigh each piece of luggage, including our grocery bag. They added the combined weights on a piece of scrap paper next to our names. Then they asked us how much we each weighed, list that also next to our names. This was critical information for our small plane. Apparently based on our combined weight they assigned us seats before walking us out to our plane. We were assigned row four (of four) because the bigger folks needed to balance the plane. Not to worry everyone of the eight seats were both a window and a aisle. They fired up the single prop plane and we were soon soaring along the rugged coastline. Our flight was only about 35 minutes, but long enough to let Maurina's pulse to spike up a bit.

A fun thing about our rental car. We rented through Turo. Basically, with Turo you are renting someone’s personal vehicle at about half the cost of a rental agency. On Molokai this is a bit of a "below the radar" agreement. We were instructed where we could find the car in the overnight parking lot (which is significantly overgrown and littered with cars that have not moved in months). If anyone says anything, we were instructed to said we were friends of Pam (name changed) and not act like tourists. Of course, I am certain that our suitcases and sack of groceries was not a dead give-away lol. It was suggested that we take photos of the exterior of the car, but we should wait until we had driven down the road from the airport. All that said, the 2017 Subaru Crosstrek fit right in on the island.

Molokai has many similarities to Lopez. First, the island seems to go out of its way to discourage tourists. The long row of condos and resorts of Maui has no place on Molokai. When we arrived on Sunday only two restaurants were open on the island and the grocery store had closed at noon.  Molokai has a slogan “slow down, this is Molokai”. Not dissimilar to “Slopez”. From my initial impression it seems to be more impoverished with people living “off the grid”. Again, a similarity. I read that Molokai was the most Hawaiian of all the islands and a good 30 years behind the others. Of course, the lush tropical climate and gentle warm breeze stop the comparisons in there tracks.

We had dinner at Molokai pizza café. Pizza was good and the price much more reasonable than Maui. They even threw in a cup of soft serve ice-cream. Maurina ordered a sugar cone from Dave’s before we headed to the condo- Wavecrest. Sadly, our unit was not cleaned and ready, so they moved us to another unit for the night. They did give us a $200 refund. Oh well, A first world problem that we can suffer through. 😁

Molokai is the fifth most populated of the eight major islands that make up the Hawaiian Islands archipelago in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is 38 by 10 miles at its greatest length and width, making it the fifth-largest in size of the main Hawaiian Islands and the 27th largest island in the United States. It is nicknamed: The Friendly Isle, Aina Momona and is home to approximately 7000 people.

The island's agrarian economy has been driven primarily by cattle ranching, pineapple production, sugarcane production and small-scale farming. Tourism comprises a small fraction of the island's economy, and much of the infrastructure related to tourism was closed and barricaded in the early 2000s when the primary landowner, Molokai Ranch, ceased operations due to substantial revenue losses. On the Kalaupapa Peninsula on the north coast, settlements were established in 1866 for quarantined treatment of persons with leprosy; these operated until 1969.

January 23 - today is Maurina's birthday. Molokai seems like a good place for a quiet birthday. 

Yesterday was warm and relaxing. After spending time near the pool soaking in the morning sun, we went to a beach on the east end of Molokai. We were told one of the best beaches was at the 20. It seems that directions are often given using the mile markers on the Kamehameha Valley Highway (or commonly referred to as the Kam). The beach at the 20 did not disappoint! We set our beach chairs in the sand and spent a couple of hours reading and relaxing. It may have been named Murphy beach, but not really sure. The sea glass hunting was amazing. 

At the 15.5 there is a fun little place called Mama'e Goods & Grindz - Store & Counter. A little mini mart and lunch counter. They advertise hot food, cold drinks, and ice. We split a toasted tuna sandwich and fries to go along with our ice-cold cans of Pepsi. (I think I will head back to get us some birthday breakfast this morning.) If you ever should go, keep in mind they close at 3:30. 

If you ever find yourself on the Kam, a quick stop at The Lady of Seven Sorrows church would be worth it. Built in the late 1800s, we found the doors unlocked and the interior in its original condition. You can find it near the 14.5.

We returned back to the condo, at the 13, and played a little pickleball before heading to dinner in Kaunakakai town. Dinner at Molokai Burger was pretty tasty. Comparable to in-out- burger. Overall a very relaxing day. 

Perspective: Lopez has 3000 residents. Our connection to the mainland is by a ferry that holds 140 cars and maybe 300 people. We do share the ferry with 3 other islands, but with multiple choices throughout the day. If the ferry is late or cancelled people get frustrated. Now compare to Molokai and their 7000 people. Their connection to services on larger islands is a eight passenger plane that has weather restrictions. A local resident told me "the airline causes us many problems". They used to have a passenger shuttle boat to Laheina, but that has been eliminated. No more complaints about a late ferry. 

The Humpback Whales have provided countless hours of sea gazing this trip. They have been plentiful and active this time of year. Lots of breaching and fin (fluke) slapping. 

Breaching for the stars:  A Humpback breach occurs when most or all of a whale’s body emerges from the water. Whales do this by diving down to a sufficient depth, and then, using only their flukes (or tails), they swim toward the surface. While doing so, they need to gather enough speed to propel themselves out of the water. A humpback whale may reach up to 17 miles/hr. to fully emerge from the water. Researchers found that a single complete breach (a jump where greater than 40% of the whale was above water) can cost the equivalent energy required for a 60 kg (132 lb.) runner to complete a marathon. 

Macadamia Nuts, Beaches, and a Fine Birthday Dinner

After enjoying a breakfast from Goods & Grind, we prepared for our day of adventure. Maurina was busy reading all the thoughtful birthday wishes, when she had a surprise delivery of a beautiful bouquet of flowers from Jordan & Eliana. Our first stop of the day was at Hula Bean Coffee in Kaunakakai and she enjoyed a $10 iced Carmel macchiato. 

We discovered Purdy's Macadamia Nut Farm. This is the only working macadamia farm on the island. The owner, Tuddie, gave us a personal tour of the process. In the end, we were allowed to shell and eat some nuts. Tuddie shared some freshly roasted nuts with us. So good! Tuddie was a character. Educating us on the science of the tree. For example, the tree produces fruit for ten months of the year. They don't pick the nuts they allow them to fall and then dry them out. We had read that people on Molokai will "talk story" if given the chance. Tuddie did like to "talk story". Mostly about his view of visitors to the island. He seemed to warm up to us after he learned we lived on a small island as well. Maybe we were kindred spirits. He laughed about how the Molokians had ran the big resorts off the Island a number of years back.

Na Hua 'O Ka Aina
"The fruits of the land"

In the heart of Hawai'i is the friendly isle of Moloka'i, the most Hawaiian of the accessible islands. You'll find our 5-acre, Hawaiian homestead and macadamia nut farm in Molokai's central Ho'olehua district. We are Tuddie and Kammy Purdy and we've been entertaining and educating Moloka'i visitors in the shade of our mac nut trees since 1980. Tuddie, born and raised on Moloka'i, has a wealth of knowledge concerning macadamia nuts, Hawaiian culture and Moloka'i, and he enjoys sharing his insights with folks visiting our beautiful island.

We left Tuddie and the nut farm and headed to the longest beach in the Hawaiian islands, Papohaku  beach. We enjoyed 3 miles of deserted white sandy beach with some very impressive pounding surf. There is so much sand here, that resorts in Waikiki used to come here to barge it out to use it to build up their resort beaches. It is on this beach that The Sheridan built their  now abandoned resort. Much of the resort sits empty and deteriorating today.

Another interesting piece of history about south end of the beach is it was used as a Practice bombing range during WWII. A sign near the beach warned us to report any unexploded arterial shells we might find. Say What?

Makanalua Bombing Range: The former Makanalua Bombing Range, also known as Kalaupapa Bombing Target and Kalaupapa Naval Bombing Range, is located on the north central coast of the island of Molokai, Hawaii. In 1941, the Territory of Hawaii issued a permit to the U.S. Navy to use the area for aerial bombing. Typical aircraft involved in the training were Hellcats, Wildcats, Dauntless, and Corsairs. Active bombing practice took place between 1942 and 1945. In 1946, the land was returned to the Territory of Hawaii. 

It was an awesome beach! 

We celebrated Maurina's birthday dinner at the Hiro Obama Grill. Beautiful waterside table with a great view of the sunset. Perfect end to a wonderful day. Maurina enjoyed a garlic shrimp pasta, and I had Mahi Mahi. It was majestic. 

End of the Road

Today was out last full day on Molokai and of our Hawaiian
vacation. It seemed only fitting that today we chose to drive literally to the end of the road and explore the Halawa valley. The road into the Halawa Valley is not for the faint of heart. My apple watch recorded my elevated heart rate as we drove the extremely narrow road along ocean cliffs. Many tight corners with only room for one car. Meeting a car headed the other direction made for some tight squeezes. It was eight miles of death grip on the steering wheel. 

Our reward - the most amazingly awesome, beautiful, and secluded beach we have ever encountered. Sitting at the very Northeast corner on Molokai, in a majestic valley, is paradise. in the photo here, only our footprints are captured in the sand. 

It seems the Halawa valley has an interesting history. I found this in a quick Google search. 

The Halawa valley extends some 2 miles inland from the sea. At the head of the valley are two waterfalls, the Moʻaula Falls, 250 feet high, and the Hipuapua Falls, 500 feet high.

Hālawa is the site of one of the earliest settlements in Hawaiʻi. The archeological features of the valley date back 1,350 years, the longest period of continuous Hawaiian cultural development. The valley was extensively used for the production of taro, and at one time supported a population of several  thousand. Archeological remains include 17 temples, irrigation channels and ancient walls and terraces.

The traditional Hawaiian way of life continued in

Hālawa well into the 20th century. The valley was flooded by the 1946 tsunami and again by the 1957 tsunami, which destroyed the taro fields. The valley was then abandoned. Only a few families now live in the valley.

Sometimes in life, we need to take the trek to the end of the road. The path that causes our pulse to quicken and our senses to come alive. A less traveled road that leads to a magical beach where we can leave your footprints in the white sand. Maybe in some regards, that is what brought us to Molokai in the first place. To get off the beaten path and see what happens. We are not risk takers or thrill seekers, but we definitely do love a good adventure. Yesterday on Halawa beach, listening to the waves lap the shore, we joined a long list of sojourners dating back 1350 years to the earliest known settlement of people in the Hawaiian islands, to leave our footprints in the sand on this tropical shore. 

As I write the end of this blog, I am sitting on the lanai listening to a gentle rain fall. We fly out in a few hours - most likely taking our place in row 4 again. We will see if our plane leaves as scheduled, as we hold our plans loosely, thankful to the Lord for giving us the financial ability and the good health to experience new things. Our two weeks in Maui and Molokai have been wonderful.  We are returning home well rested and a little tanner. We are excited to see where next we will leave our footprints.

Epilog

We made our flight from Molokai back to Maui. We even moved up to row three for the return flight. 

Because of the way the flights worked out, we had about a nine hour wait for our flight to Seattle. We rented a car and spent our time - not sitting in the airport. We explored a little town called Paia. There are some fun shops to explore, as a lot of artists have reopened stores here after the fires that burned Lahaina. One artist claimed it to be the new Lahaina. Ask Maurina about her beautiful new earrings. 

Parting Shots

Sunrise from our lania and view of Molokai from plane ride back to Maui. 

Maui Adventure

Pineapple Wine

Yesterday was a rainy day on Maui. A real soaker! With wind gales to over 20 MPH, the rain came sideways. We drove about an hour and a half to the only winery on Maui, approximately named Maui Wine. We drove through clouds and torrential downpours along an extremely narrow country road (highway 37) to reach the winery. 

Maui Wines is famous for making a pineapple selection of wine. They also have some traditional wines that are grown on their estate. We waited about 30 minutes for a tasting and some finger food. To sum up my opinion of the wines, let me just say that I understand why they are the only winery on the island. Maui is not conducive for growing grapes. The wines were not very good. This may be one of the first times we did not purchase a bottle of wine after our tasting. We did buy a long sleeve shirt, because we were chilled and wet. 

We had some good laughs and enjoyed the adventure. On the drive home we went in search for the perfect Mai Tai - I have a feeling the search will continue. We ended up at Monkeypod for dinner. I discovered a unique appetizer - lobster develed eggs. Yum.