Lanai - Hawaii with Kids - page 336

offers everything from sandwiches, pizzas, and even takeaway box lunches and
picnic baskets, to quaint bistro food at dinner, with your gourmet cuisine served
on china and tablecloths—a real dining room! No kids' menu here, but there are
plenty of things that they'll like to eat, like the quesadilla or the 8-inch pizza.
Dole Park, 811 Houston St., Lanai City. & 808/565-9628. Highchairs, boosters. Most lunch items less than
$7; dinner main courses $17-$20. AE, DISC, MC, V. Daily 10am-2:30pm and 5-8pm.
5 Exploring Lanai with Your Kids
You'll need a four-wheel-drive vehicle to reach all the sights listed below. Rent-
ing a Jeep is an expensive proposition on Lanai—from $129 to $179 a day—so
we suggest that you rent one just for the day (or days) you plan on sightseeing.
Otherwise, it's easy enough to get to the beach and around Lanai City without
your own wheels. For details on vehicle rentals, see “Getting Around,” earlier in
this chapter.
You'll find the following attractions on the map on p. 331.
GARDEN OF THE GODS
Whether you have a curious 2-year-old or a worldly 16-year-old, they'll find few
experiences in Hawaii more thrilling than a four-wheel drive into the country.
A dirt road leads out of Lanai City, through the now-uncultivated pineapple
fields, past the Kanepuu Preserve (a dry-land forest preserve teeming with rare
plant and animal life), to the so-called Garden of the Gods, on Lanai's north
shore. This place has little to do with gods, Hawaiian or otherwise. It is, how-
ever, the ultimate rock garden: a rugged, barren, beautiful place full of rocks
strewn by volcanic forces and shaped by the elements into a variety of shapes and
colors—brilliant reds, oranges, ochers, and yellows. Allow at least an hour to get
here, and don't forget your camera, snacks, and drinks (once you leave Lanai
City, there's nothing but wilderness).
OFF THE TOURIST TRAIL: KEOMOKU VILLAGE
If the kids are feeling restless, take a drive to Keomoku Village, on Lanai's east
coast. You'll really be off the tourist trail. All that's in Keomoku—a ghost town
since the mid-1950s—is a 1903 clapboard church in disrepair, an overgrown
graveyard, an excellent view across the 9-mile Auau Channel to Maui's crowded
Kaanapali Beach, and some very empty beaches that are perfect for a picnic or
some snorkeling. This former ranching and fishing village of 2,000 was the first
non-Hawaiian settlement on Lanai, but it dried up after droughts killed off the
Frommer's Favorite Lanai Family Experiences
Exploring Hulopoe Tide Pools (p. 337) An entire world of marine life
lives in the tide pools on the eastern side of Hulopoe Bay. Everything
in the water, including the tiny fish, is small—kid-size. After examining
the wonders of the tide pool, check out the larger swimming holes in
the lava rock, perfect for children.
Listening to Storytellers (p. 341) Check with the Lanai Library, Fraser
Avenue near 5th Street, Lanai City ( & 808/565-6996 ), to see if any sto-
rytelling or other children's activities are scheduled. The events are
usually free and open to everyone.