Maui Mana - Aloha Molokai

I just returned from three days on Molokai. I must say, I LOVE MOLOKAI! The ride over on the Molokai passenger ferry on Thursday was absolutely beautiful. It was amazing seeing more and more detail of the island as we got closer. We docked at the wharf in Kaunakakai and met family friends of Paul and Amy's Dad...Bill, his grandson Ben, and Ben's girlfriend Kelly. We were to meet Bill's wife, Lynn, later that day. First stop on the way back to Bill and Lynn's was an outlook over Kalaupapa National Historical Park. Kaluapapa was a forced isolation area in the early to mid 1900s for people in Hawaii suffering from Hansen's Disease (leprosy). The peninsula is beautiful and the lookout was breathtaking.

Next it was off to Molokai Coffee Company. We could smell the organic beans roasting as we toured the small store and had one of the best shakes I've ever had.

And finally we were off to Bill and Lynn's. They live very near Papohaku Beach Park, just a burm away from the 3 mile long beach. Wow, now I know what relaxing in Hawaii REALLY is. They have a beautiful home that is completely off the grid thanks to solar power. The house consists of a main living area with two bedrooms and then two pods about 20 feet from the main house accessible via the 2nd story boardwalks that completely wrap around all three buildings. The rest of the day was spent working on crosswords and sudoku puzzles with everyone. The evening ritual of taking wine over the burm to watch the sunset was, of course, observed fully. I chased a few sand crabs at sunset and then saw more stars than I've ever seen before clearing the geckos from our pods and going to bed.

Friday we took a walk up the coast to Kawakiunui Bay. Another incredible experience, especially with Lynn's knowledge of indigenous and endemic plants such as 'akia (Thymelaeaceae), pohuehue (Ipomoea pes-caprae), and hinahina kolo (Vitex rotundifolia). A little snorkeling, a little sun bathing and then it was time to head back already for a late lunch. After lunch we headed in to Maunaloa so Lynn could mail some letters and we could check out a couple small shops and the Molokai Ranch Lodge. We perused the Big Wind Kite Factory and Plantation Gallery (where I snapped the picture to the left), checked out the small museum near the lodge, and then took a tour of the lodge and grounds...REALLY beautiful. The lodge has a mix of Hawaiian and Western (as in cowboy) look and feel. Very cool indeed. The Molokai Ranch has also started an eco-retreat called The Beach Village at Kaopoa Beach. Solar powered, composting toilets, canvas tentalos, etc. It's an impressive project and I hope more developers take note. Then it was back to Bill and Lynns for nap, sudoku, sunset, stars, sudoku again, dinner, and sleep. Nice, very nice.

I spent a bit of Saturday morning trying to keep up with Bill on his tennis court. The heat and my poor condition didn't give us much more than an hour. We then had another great lunch, lazied around for a bit and then it was off for the ferry back to Maui.