Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
At lunch you can enjoy a few items off the Nobu menu along with the more casual fare
at Kailani, the poolside cafe. Get a table with a view of dolphins in Manele Bay.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Keomuku Road
The best drive on Lanaʻi, Keomuku Road (Hwy 44), heads north from Lanaʻi City into
cool upland hills, where fog drifts above grassy pastures. Along the way, impromptu
overlooks offer straight-on views of the undeveloped southeast shore of Molokaʻi and its
tiny islet Mokuhoʻoniki, in marked contrast to Maui's sawtooth high-rises in Kaʻanapali
off to your right.
The surprisingly short 8-mile road gently slopes down to the coast in a series of
switchbacks through a mostly barren landscape punctuated by eccentrically shaped
rocks. The paved road ends near the coast and you are in 4WD country. To the left, a dirt
road leads to Shipwreck Beach, while turning right onto Keomuku Road takes the adven-
turous to Keomuku Beach or all the way to Naha.
Shipwreck Beach
Unlike many worldwide places named Shipwreck Beach, where the name seems fanciful
at best, you can't miss the namesake wreck here. A fairly large
WWII tanker
sits perched
atop rocks just offshore. Unlike a metal ship (which would have dissolved decades ago),
this one was part of a series made from concrete. It was dumped here by the navy after
the war.
Start your beach exploration by taking the dirt road that runs 1.4 miles north from the
end of Hwy 44, past some beach shacks. Often there seems to be more sand on the road
than the beach. Park in the large clearing overlooking a rocky cove, which is known loc-
ally as Poʻaiwa and has good
snorkeling
among the rocks and reef, as well as protected
swimming
over the sandy bottom. The wreck is about 440yd to the north, and you can
stroll for at least 9 miles along the shore while looking for flotsam and taking in the Mo-
lokaʻi and Maui views. Close to the parking area is the site of a former lighthouse on a
lava-rock point, though only the cement foundation remains.
Sights & Activities
Kukui Petroglyphs
HISTORICAL SITE
