Molokai - Hawaii with Kids - page 312

96748 ( & 800/800-6367 from the U.S. mainland and Canada, 800/553-0404
interisland, or 808/553-3876; www.molokai-hawaii.com).

MOLOKAI IN BRIEF

Kaunakakai
Once an ancient canoe landing,
Kaunakakai was the royal summer
residence of King Kamehameha V.
The port town bustled when
pineapple and sugar were king, but
those days, too, are gone. With its
Old West-style storefronts laid out
in a 3-block grid on a flat, dusty
plain, Kaunakakai is a town from
the past. It also is the dividing point
between the lush, green East End
and the dry, arid West End.
The North Coast
Upland from Kaunakakai, the land
tilts skyward and turns green, with
scented plumeria in yards and
glossy coffee trees all in a row, until
it blooms into a true forest—and
then abruptly ends at a great
precipice, falling 3,250 feet to the
sea. The north coast is a remote,
forbidding place, with a solitary
peninsula— Kalaupapa —
once the home of exiled lepers. (It's
now a National Historical Park.)
Unfortunately, entry to the area is
restricted to children 16 and older.
The West End
This end of the island, home to
Molokai Ranch, is miles of stark

desert terrain, bordered by the most
beautiful white-sand beaches in
Hawaii. The rugged rolling land
slopes down to Molokai's only des-
tination resort, Kaluakoi, a cul-de-
sac of condos clustered around a
3-decades old seafront hotel (which
closed in 2001) near 3-mile-long
Papohaku, the island's biggest
beach. On the way to Kaluakoi,
you'll find Maunaloa, a 1920s-era
pineapple-plantation town in the
midst of being transformed into a
master-planned community, Mau-
naloa Village. The new community
will have an upscale lodge, an
upscale beach “camp,” a triplex the-
ater, restaurants, and shops. The
West End is dry, dry, dry. It hardly
ever rains, but when it does (usually
in winter), expect a downpour and
lots of red mud.
The East End
The area east of Kaunakakai
becomes lush, green, and tropical,
with golden pocket beaches and a
handful of cottages and condos that
are popular with thrifty travelers.
With this voluptuous landscape
comes rain. However, most storms
are brief (15-min.) affairs that blow
in, dry up, and disappear.

2 Getting Around
Getting around Molokai isn't easy if you don't have a rental car, and rental cars
are often hard to find here. On holiday weekends—and remember, Hawaii cel-
ebrates different holidays than the rest of the United States (see “When to Go”
in chapter 2)—car rental agencies simply run out of cars. Book before you go.
There's no municipal transit or shuttle service, but a 24-hour taxi service is avail-
able. (See below.)
CAR RENTAL AGENCIES Rental cars are available from Budget ( & 808/
567-6877 ) and Dollar ( & 808/567-6156 ); both agencies are located at the
Molokai Airport. Non-chain operators include Molokai Rentals and Tours,
Kaunakakai ( & 800/553-9071 or 808/553-5663; www.molokai-rentals.com),
where prices range from $34 a day ($224 a week) for a compact to $70 a day