Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [352]
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LANA’I SURF BEACHES & BREAKS Jake Howard
When it comes to surfing, Lana’i doesn’t enjoy quite the bounty of waves as some of the other islands. Because rain clouds get trapped in the high peaks of Maui and Moloka’i there’s very little rain on Lana’i, and therefore far fewer reef passes have been carved out by runoff.
Yet on the south shore the most consistent surf comes in around the Manele Point area (Click here), where the main break peels off the tip of Manele and into Hulopo’e Bay. Shallow reef and submerged rocks make this a dangerous spot at low tide or in smaller surf conditions; it’s probably ideal on a double overhead swell. Not too far away from here, located in front of a deserted old Hawaiian settlement, is a spot called Naha (also known as Stone Shack; Click here). It offers a fun two-way peak, but does close out when it gets bigger.
Across the island, the north shore’s wide-open Polihua Beach (Click here) is the longest and widest sandy beach on Lana’i. Be careful of the current here, affectionately dubbed ‘the Tahitian Express.’ The water flowing between Moloka’i and Lana’i in the Kalohi Channel has driven many a ship into the reef, and it could easily take you on a trip to Tahiti if you’re not careful.
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DRIVING DISTANCES & TIMES FROM LANA’I CITY
Also pricey is gas (sold at, you guessed it, Lana’i City Service) which can cost up to $5 per gallon, a hefty charge for the gas-guzzling Jeeps.
Shuttle
The resorts run a shuttle that links the Four Seasons Resort Lana’i at Manele Bay, Hotel Lana‘i and the Lodge at Koele, as well as to the airport and ferry dock. Shuttles run about every 30 minutes throughout the day in peak season, hourly in the slower months. The first usually heads out about 7am, the last around 11pm. Fares may be included for guests and others pay $5 to $10, depending on the length of trip.
Taxi
Rabaca’s Limousine Service (565-6670) charges $10 per person between the airport and Lana’i City, and $10 per person between Manele Bay and Lana’i City, the latter with a two-person minimum. Custom runs islandwide are available.
LANA’I CITY
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Are you transported back in time or simply to another place in the Pacific or both? Pausing to get your bearings is perfectly all right in cute little Lana’i City. In fact you may need to pause to understand that it’s really just a village, albeit one with irrepressible charm.
Lana’i City’s main square, Dole Park, is surrounded by tin-roofed houses and shops, with not a chain in sight. It looks much the same as it did during its plantation days dating back to the 1920s. If you’re not staying at one of the two resorts, you’re probably staying here and that’s all the better as you can wander between the surprisingly rich collection of eateries and shops, all with an authenticity not found in more touristed places. At night stroll the quiet streets and watch the moon rise through the pine trees.
HISTORY
Lana’i is the only Hawaiian island where the largest town is in the highlands and not on the coast. Not only is Lana’i City the largest town, but for the last eight decades it has been the only town.
The village was built in the 1920s as a plantation town for the field workers and staff of Dole’s Hawaiian Pineapple Company. The first planned city in Hawai’i, Lana’i City was built in the midst of the pineapple fields, with shops and a theater surrounding the central park, rows of plantation houses lined up beyond that and a pineapple-processing plant on the edge of it all. Fortunately it was done with a little pizzazz. Dole hired New Zealander George Munro, a naturalist and former ranch manager, to oversee much of the work, and he planted the tall Norfolk and Cook Island pines that give the town its green character and help suck some moisture from passing clouds.
ORIENTATION
The town is laid out in a simple grid pattern, and almost all of the shops and services border Dole Park, which marks the center of town. Most tourist activities take place about a mile north of the park at or near the