Moloka'i
From Lahaina, Maui, we take a ferry over to the fifth island for a day trip: Moloka'i. Often overlooked, Moloka'i is considered the most traditional and non-commercial of the "big five" Hawaiian islands.
Once we land in the port of Kaunakakai on Moloka'i's south coast, we pick up our rental vehicle and explore downtown Kaunakakai. Driving around the island, we notice something odd: there's a single traffic light just outside of downtown Kaunakakai which is most likely the only traffic light on the entire island! Moloka'i as a whole has an extremely laid back attitude – its nickname as the "Friendly Isle" is well earned! In fact, a ton of locals were convinced I was a local myself and Locke was quite amused! When we stopped by a local eatery for breakfast, the place was busy and the service slow. A rather large man in front of us (U.S. mainland tourist) was quite irritated and you can see the anger manifest within him.
Unfortunately, he was wearing an unbuttoned aloha shirt and the stitches from his open-heart surgery made it apparent to all of us that this guy could just not relax – even in one of the most laid-back places on earth! I opt for a take out coffee and pastry for Locke & I to expedite the process. After chowing down our breakfast, we then peruse the local shops in downtown Kauankakai and stop by a local farmer's market to view the many tropical fruits on sale.
The next stop was Kalaupapa on the north side of the island. There's a state park with interesting Hawaiian artifacts, then a 3000' cliff that steeply descends down to an isolated peninsula jutting out into the ocean. In Kalaupapa State Park, Locke & I hike out into the lush forest full of ferns. In a clearing is one of the most unique features I've ever seen: a large phallic symbol carved from stone by the native Hawaiians. Yup, I had to get on it for a ride!
When planning this vacation, I discovered there is an authorized tour of the colony with a donkey ride that descends down the steep cliffs from Kalaupapa. Unfortunately, given Locke's bad hip, we decide to forego this option. The compromise is that I would hike down one hour to a midpoint for some pictures and then hike back up the cliffs. Because the peninsula is the site of a leper colony, visitors are required to have a permit to enter. This area is intentionally segregated – from a geographical, geological and medical purpose – so that this difficult 3000' trail or the occasional plane flight are the only ways into the leper colony. Also, the leper colony is synonymous with Kalawao County, the smallest, poorest and second least populated county in the U.S.
After our adventures at Kalaupapa, we trek into central Moloka'i to a local organic macadamia farm named Purdy's. Did I mention: Locke is a HUGE macadamia nut fan, so I found this site as a fun activity for him! Purdy's sister, Kammy, greeted us and gave us a short tour of the organic macadamia farm. There were literally hundreds of macadamia nuts that were either ripening on the trees or had fallen on to the ground.
We then got our hands on some of the macadamias and Locke gave it a few tries with a hammer to try and bust open the tough shells...they are much harder than you think! Although cracking the nut required a large amount of physical effort, Locke savored the special reward that was inside...
Fishponds
Since we were on a day trip, we had time left for only one more part of the island to explore. We drove back down to the southern part of Moloka'i to explore the wild coastline and the ancient Hawaiian fish ponds. I initially thought there were only a few ponds, but apparently the ancient Hawaiians constructed a lot of sites – close to 60 – as part of a fishing aquaculture to harvest fish. How the ponds works: during high tide, seawater crests the low retaining wall, flooding into the ponds with the fish freely mingling about. As the tide recedes, the retaining walls eventually cut off access back to the ocean and the fish get trapped in the ponds. During low tide period, the fishermen then harvest the captured fish for Hawaiian royalty.
Father Damien
Father Damien was a Belgium missionary whose leadership and action completely changed the attitude and medical approach towards the Hawaiian leper colony. Through his efforts, the lepers were placed in homes & shelters and treated with human dignity and respect going forward. Sadly, due to an scalding accident, Father Damien also contracted leprosy and passed away in his late 40s. His long funeral procession marked the impact he made on the local populace thru his own actions to fix long-standing attitudes towards lepers.
Rainbow Sighting #4 - along the Moloka'i coast!
>> Al