Molokai - The Friendly Island
alohacyberian
"Molokai is a sanctuary, a human time capsule where the pendulum swings
inexorably forward, but more slowly than in the rest of Hawaii. It has
always been so. In ancient times Molokai was known as Pule-oo, "Powerful
Prayer". The small, underpopulated refuge was protected by the chants of
its supreme chiefs, not through legions of warriors. This powerful,
ancient mysticism, handed down directly from the goddess Pahulu, was known
and respected throughout the Hawaiian archipelago. Its mana was the oldest
and strongest in Hawaii and its practitioners were venerated by nobility
and commoners alike -- they had the ability to "pray you to death". The
entire island was a haven, a refuge for the vanquished and kapu-breakers of
all the islands. It is still so today, beckoning to determined refugees
from the rat race."
~ J. D. Bisignani, _Hawaii Handbook_
Molokai lies only 22 miles east of the Oahu shoreline and at night the
lights of Waikiki can be seen shimmering in the distance. Molokai is home
to the largest number of Hawaiians and like Niihau, the "Forbidden Island",
the Hawaiian people comprise more than 50% of the residents of the island.
Only 18% of the residents are white. The Hawaiians on Molokai have
fiercely fought the forces of developers for decades. The population of
Molokai is less than 8000. Molokai is also inhabited by small,
white-spotted deer originally imported from the teardrop shaped island of
Ceylon [Sri Lanka] off the southern tip of India. They were a gift to King
Kamehameha from the consul of Hong Kong.
Molokai resembles a track shoe which is only 38 miles long from the western
heel to the eastern toe and it's about 10 miles wide. There are 88 miles
of coastline. Four Hawaiian Islands are larger than Molokai: The Big
Island of Hawaii, Maui, Oahu and Kauai. In spite of its small size,
Molokai boasts a wide variety of geographical features. The western side
of the island is much lower than the east, its highest point being 1,381
feet in elevation. The west is mostly dry rolling hills, natural
pastureland and more sparse vegetation than the other side. The eastern
part of the island has lush vegetation, heavy rainfall, moss-covered,
craggy, narrow valleys and the highest seacliffs in the world filled with
precipitously steep chasms that run inland from the coast. The highest
point of Molokai is Mount Kamakou peak at 4,970 feet in the forest preserve
on the east side of Molokai.
The northeastern coast of Molokai is an unspoiled sanctuary filled with
remarkably steep-cliffed valleys that slope down to the sea. Beyond the
reach of roads and away from the influence of modern civilization, they are
the home to spectacular seacliffs with stunning waterfalls. With the
exception of one family, all the settlers of the isolated valleys abandoned
them over a hundred years ago. The valleys can be reached only by
traversing dangerous, unmaintained hiking trails, by helicopter or by boat
in the calmer summer months. Kahiwa Falls (The Sacred One) cascades 1750
feet downward and is the longest waterfall in Hawaii. The largest feature
on the island is the Molokai Forest Reserve which covers most of the
northeast portion of the island. Halawa Valley and Halawa Beach Park are
on the eastern tip of the track shoe. Halawa Valley is a pristine gorge of
breathtaking beauty. The houses in the town of Halawa and most of the
surrounding taro fields divided by stone walls were washed away by a 30
foot tsunami in 1946 and most of the residents moved away. Kalaupapa
Peninsula is on the north central coast and is home to the town of
Kalaupapa, remote and isolated from the rest of the island. Kalaupapa was
home to the famous leper colony of yesteryear. West of the Kalaupapa
Penninsula lies the 240 acre Palaau State park which is located on the
north central section of the island in a cool, heavily forested upcountry
area. The northwest coastal area features large, rolling sand dunes.
Hoolehua is in the center of the island where the Hoolehua Airport is
located. South central Molokai has many swamps. Southwestern Molokai is
dominated by the Molokai Ranch. Its wildlife safari park has more than 400
species of animals brought from around the world, but predominantly from
Africa.
On the Western end of Molokai, Papohaku beach is one of the the most
massive white sand beaches in Hawaii. Unfortunately, the Molokai Ranch
dredged an enormous amount of sand from the area and shipped it to Oahu.
The activity ceased only after the Office of Hawaiian Affairs brought legal
action against Molokai Ranch. Recently Molokai Ranch sold 7,000 acres of
their land to the Louisiana Land and Exploration company for development.
The agricultural activity centers on two large ranches, 14,000 acre Puu O
Hoku (hill of stars) at the eastern end of the island and the 70,000 acre
Molokai Ranch and Wildlife Safari Park on the western end. Puu O Hoku is
known widely for their distinctive white French Charolais cattle. The two
control most of the arable land on the island. Molokai was formed by 3
shield volcanoes. The first two erupted from the sea and finally connected
to form the island. Later the third volcano formed the Kalaupapa
Peninsula, the tongue of the track shoe and home of the town or Kalaupapa.
KM
You are invited to visit my Molokai webpage where there are no ads and
nothing for sale at: http://keith.martin.home.att.net/vMolokai.html - KM
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