LIFE UNHURRIED IN MOLOKAI
Try visiting the lesser known ‘Friendly Isle’ on your next trip to the Aloha state
Molokai may only be a 30-minute hop ( by air) from Maui, but it’s truly a world away. With only one hotel, two gas stations and no traffic lights, it’s like stepping back in time.
If it’s hustle and bustle (or even a morning latte from Starbucks) you’re after, this isn’t the place for you. There are no shops, fast food restaurants (the island’s only Subway and KFC now long closed), or nightclubs — and the locals, all 8,000 of them, like it that way. Nature abounds, as does a fascinating history which unfolds the more you explore the fifth largest island in the chain, nicknamed “The Friendly Isle.”
So if it’s a getaway from the mainstream that you’re craving, laid back Molokai may be just the ticket.
SOUP-ER STARTER
Kick start the day with a bowl of a local breakfast favourite — steaming ramen soup known locally as saimin — at Maka’s Corner in Kaunakakai. The miso saimin with shumai (dumplings) and hot mustard is divine. Closed Sunday.
BIG KAHUNA
Explore the sacred Halawa Valley for a true cultural experience with the last Hawaiian kahuna (elder) living in the area. Seventy eight -year-old Anakala Pilipo Solatorio will regale you with stories and history at the island’s oldest settlement, where he and son Greg keep their cultural traditions alive. A guided hike further into the valley rewards you with the natural beauty of the jungle and a swim in the pond beneath Mo’oula Falls.
GET ‘LEI’D’
Try your hand at lei making at the Molokai Plumaria Farm. Owner Dick Wheeler lets you roam among the rows of trees to hand-pick the flowers (known as frangipanis) and then walks you through the traditional method of making a lei. “When you make your own lei, there’s more aloha in it,” Wheeler says.
NUT CASE
Visit Purdy’s Natural Macadamia Nut Farm where you’ll learn all about the popular “Na Hua o ka’Aina” (fruit of the land), which contrary to popular belief, is not actually native to the Hawaiian islands (macadamia nut trees were first brought to Hawaii in 1882 from Queensland, Australia). Smashing open the nut and tasting it right out of the shell is the real deal — no factory processing here. Owner Kammie Purdy, a colourful local, relishes questions so make sure you come with plenty.
HOT STUFF
Molokai’s famous Hot Bread has been an island institution since the 1980s. Locals and visitors alike line up in the lane behind the Kanemitsu Bakery in Kaunakakai nightly to get their fix of this gigantic fluffy sweet bun (and the toppings that go with it) hot from the oven at 8 p.m. Try the classic with butter, cinnamon and cream cheese — and just try to eat the entire thing. Tuesday through Sunday, 7:30 to 11 p.m. Closed Monday.
MORNING WORKOUT
Local paddlers gather every Thursday morning at the Wa’akapaemua Canoe Club for their weekly outrigger canoe ride. Guests are welcome to hop in and join the two-hour paddle past giant sea turtles and whales, as they swim close to shore. A great way to work off all that Hot Bread from the night before.
SLEEP
Hotel Molokai is pretty much the only game in town, or on island, but there is an authentic charm to its Polynesian village, reminiscent of old Hawaii. The property is currently updating all its rooms and suites — be sure to request one of the renovated ones when booking. The writer travelled as a guest of Hawaii Tourism Canada, who did not review or approve this article before publication.