Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [361]
Hear echoes of Hawai’i’s past while hiking in the Halawa Valley (Click here)
Discover underwater delights at Twenty Mile Beach (Click here)
Kick back at a picnic table with a superb plate lunch at Puko’o (Click here)
Follow in the footsteps of a saint on the Kalaupapa Peninsula (Click here)
Make friends bust a nut by sending a Post-a-nut (Click here) from Ho’olehua
Kayak past the world’s tallest sea cliffs on the remote Pali Coast (see the boxed text, Click here)
Get your skin blasted clean on windswept and untrammeled Papohaku Beach (Click here)
Relive plantation Hawai’i wandering unrefined Kaunakakai (Click here)
POPULATION: 7500
AREA: 260 SQ MILES
NICKNAME: THE FRIENDLY ISLE
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HISTORY
Moloka’i was possibly inhabited by the 7th century. Over the following years it was a vital locale within the Hawaiian Islands and played a key role in local culture. It was known for its warriors, and its chiefs held great sway in the ever-shifting alliances between O‘ahu and Maui. Much of the population lived in the east, where regular rainfalls, fertile soil and rich waters ensured abundant food.
Some of the most amazing historical sites in the islands can be found here today, including the enormous ’Ili’ili’opae Heiau (Click here) and the series of fishponds just offshore (see the boxed text, Click here).
At first European contact in 1786, the population was about 8000, close to today’s total. Missionaries turned up in the east in the 1830s. Meanwhile the possibilities of the vast western plains drew the interest of early capitalists and colonists. By the 1900s there were large plantations of sugarcane and pineapples as well as cattle ranches. All the big pineapple players – Libby, Dole and Del Monte – had operations here but had ceased all production by 1990. Given the large local population, relatively few immigrant laborers were brought to Moloka’i, one of the reasons the island has such a high (50%) number of Native Hawaiians.
Cattle were important for all of the 20th century. The Moloka’i Ranch owns much of the western third of the island but changing investors coupled with some unsuccessful dabbles in tourism (see the boxed text, Click here) caused the ranch to shut down in 2008, throwing hundreds out of work.
Tourism plays a minor role in the local economy and besides small-scale farming, the main employer now is Monsanto, which keeps a very low profile at its farms growing genetically modified (GM) seeds.
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CLIMATE
At Kaunakakai, the average daily temperature is 70°F in winter and 78°F in summer. The average annual rainfall is 14in fairly consistently across the year. Still, these statistics say nothing of Moloka’i’s microclimates. The east coast sees more rain and wind than Kaunakakai, with the most rain falling in the Halawa Valley. Central Moloka’i at lower elevations is pretty sheltered from wind, while upper elevations get the most rain on the island. The West End sees little rain, gets more sun and is exposed to the wind.
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NATIONAL, STATE & COUNTY PARKS
The stunning Kalaupapa Peninsula, and a tour of the leprosy settlement there are reason enough to visit Moloka’i. All are within Kalaupapa National Historical Park (Click here), and should not be missed. Overlooking it all, verdant Pala’au State Park (Click here) has views down to Kalaupapa and woodsy hikes to erotic rock formations.
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MOLOKA’I ITINERARIES
In Two Days
Drive the gorgeous 27 miles east to the Halawa Valley (Click here), including a hike to the waterfall. Follow with lunch and kicking back at Mana’e Goods & Grindz (Click here) and a snorkel at Twenty Mile Beach (Click here). Wander Kaunakakai (Click here) gathering vittles for dinner under the stars at your rental pad. On your last day, let the sure-footed mules give you the ride of your life to the Kalaupapa Peninsula (Click here) and crack open some fun at Purdy’s Macadamia Nut Farm (p456).
In Four Days
After the two days above, spend your third day in the ancient rain forests