Tlli\\fl:l. TillS Hawaii's Adventure Islands: Lanai and Molokai By Judy Varco, TraveiWorld ooking for a new experience on your next trip to Hawaii? These two islands remain the least touristed of Hawaii's major islands. They're served by regular inter-island flights and have hotels and car rentals , but you won't find any freeways, stoplights, shopping centers or supermarkets. Day trips from neighbor islands can let you sample the pleasures of Lanai and Molokai, but to get to a real feel for the easy pace of life you'll need a few days or more. This will give you time to explore little-traveled jeep tracks and empty beaches , to snorkel in rocky coves filled with a rainbow of reef fish , and to hike through misty rain forests. Lanai , only yesterday was billed as the Pineapple Island. Owned almost entirely by Dole Food Company it was the world ' s largest pineapple plantation. Today, Lanai still belongs to Dole's parent company but the island has blossomed as the Fiftieth State 's newest vacation playground . Two world class hotels have opened the 102-room Lodge at Koele in Lanai's cool, misty highlands and the 250-room Manele Bay Hotel overlooking its most beautiful beach, Hulopoe . A top-rated golf course designed by Greg Norman has debuted to rave reviews, and is already ranking on national top ten lists . This lush , par seventy-two course traverses high island plateaus down through wooded ravines. What really sets Lanai apart is its remarkable sense of seclusion and privacy. From check-in at tiny Lanai Airport to shared guest privileges at the hotels, its an experience that bumped the old "Pineapple Island" nickname aside in favor of: Hawaii's "Private Island."
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To truly appreciate Lanai: 1. Hang out at crescent-shaped Hulopoe Beach, where snorkeling is fine and dolphins often put on a private circus just a hundred yards offshore. 2. Take four-wheel adventure drives to Shipwreck Beach to see several abandoned vessels, to the utterly isolated Lopa Beach , the ultimate fantasy cove with great views of Maui, or take a day jeep trip across the island to remote Polihua Beach. Your reward: Lanai's longest and widest beach, probably all to yourself. 3. Stop in at Club Lanai where hourly ferries bring day guests from neighbor island, Maui. 4. Explore the pineapple fields to find the weird red Lava formations at Garden of the Gods. 5. Tee off at the Greg Norman golf course, or practice on the 18-hole executive putting green. 6. See Lanai up close by bicycle or horseback. Or hike the Munno Trail up to the island's highest elevation, 3370 feet to view all five neighbor islands. 7 . Linger over every fabulous meal at Koele and Manele. Molokai , the "Friendly Island ," is 260 square miles of sheer natural beauty . There are awesome sea cliffs that rise more than 3000 feet above the windward coastline, ancient fish ponds along the southern shore, a tropical rain forest harboring rare birds and plants, a lush valley in the east end, and the sad ghosts of the past which haunt a beautiful peninsula called Kalaupapa where the ocean and 1600 foot high cliffs serve as natural barriers, completely isolating the former settlement for Leprosy patients from the rest of the island. Kaulaupapa was declared a
National Historic Park in December, 1980, and has since attracted thousands of visitors. To experience Molokai relaxation: 1. Experience the daylong Molokai Mule Ride along a cliff-hugging trail that has 26 switchbacks and descends 1600 feet to the Kalaupapa Penninsula. 2. Walk around the hill at the south end of Kaluakoi 's Kepuhi Beach to behold one of Hawaii's most picture perfect beaches. 3. Lunch with a giraffe at the Molokai Ranch Wildlife Park, a one-square mile slice of the Serengeti that's also home to zebra, deer, and more. 4. Follow the coast to the east end 's sparkling-green Halawa Valley and hike the rain-forested trail to Moaula Falls , Hawaii's longest waterfall. 5. Explore an ancient heiau (temple) or fishpool left by early Polynesians. 6. Watch surfers and toast the sunset from the Kaluakoi 's oceanfront patiolounge ; from November to April, whales frequent the waters . More than anything enjoy the freshness of these two unspoiled islands. You will come away relaxed and with a smile.
--=-==~travel world Carlson'lhlvel~
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