Perfect Day #42 — Kaunakakai to Halawa Valley

This Perfect Day begins in the port town of Kaunakakai and heads east on Hwy. 450 along the coast, paralleled by a 28-mile long barrier reef, passing numerous ancient fishponds and a huge heiau, several father Damien churches, beautiful sandy beaches, possibly beach walks and snorkeling, and up into ranchlands with great views to the road’s end at Halawa Valley.

Kaunakakai

Especially coming from Maui, and especially for repeat visitors, it’s a relief that little has changed in Kaunakakai over the years. Dusty pickup trucks still fill the diagonal parking spaces in front of essentially the same Old West storefronts, markets and eateries along Ala Malama Street.

If you happen to arrive on in Kaunakakai on Saturday morning, you'll see what really busy on Moloka’i means. The weekly market sets up stalls on Ala Malama and you may encounter a church barbecue or maybe a soccer game. The real action, however, Saturday or any other day in the morning is at Kanemitsu's Bakery, starting at about 10am, when cars arrive and the hot-bread line forms between Imamura Store and Mango Mart. Locals haul away their favorites among 19 kinds of bread, if they haven't already picked up night orders anywhere up to 1-2:30 am.

Call Steve or Barbara Shonely at Island Kine car rental (553-5242) and see if they will meet you at the ferry dock with a car. They will meet you at the Molokai airport. After arriving on the morning ferry from Lahaina, the first stop should be Kanemitsu's for pastry, coffee and a fresh loaf of onion-cheese bread for the road or a sandwich for the road. Pick up free copies of the Moloka’i Advertiser News and the Moloka’i Dispatch and information from the Molokai Visitors Association (553-3876) in preparation for one of the next Perfect Day’s journeys to Pala’au State Park, Kalaupapa Peninsula or Waikolu Lookout in Central Moloka’i or to West Maui.

Another way to get a feel for Moloka’i is to head forBig Daddy’s Store & Restaurant in the heart of Kaunakakai, where the locals go for fresh island fish, Hawaiian, Filipino, Japanese and Big Daddy's American-style "plate-lunch" cuisine.

Since there's not much food served east or west of Kaunakakai, I suggest that you get some of Daddy’s tasty dishes to go: fresh-daily ahi poke (raw, cubed yellow-fin tuna mixed with sea salt, onions and kukui nut spices); Daddy's very special butterfish prepared either fried Filipino style or Hawaiian laulau style (baked in a ti leaf wrapping); and don't forget a salad made of sweet-potato leaves, tomatoes and onions dressed in fish sauce. Before you leave the store, even though it's kind of early in the morning, you may want a taste of Big Daddy's shave ice, since it's the only place that serves it on the island and the place closes early in the afternoon (open M-Sat., 10am-4pm, 553-5841).

Heading to a vacation rental, your first stop might be the grocery aisles at:

• Misaki’s, Kaunakakai’s oldest grocery store, sells liquor, fresh fish and gifts, Mon.-Sat. 8:30am-8:30pm, Sun. 9am-noon;
• Moloka’i Wines and Spirits Unlimited, featuring an extensive beer and wine selection. Sun.-Thurs. 9am-10pm, Fri.-Sat. 9am-10:30pm;
• Friendly Market Center, Ltd., sells meat, groceries, local produce, liquors and sundries. Mon-Fri. 8:30am-8:30pm, Sat. 8:30am-6:30pm, closed Sun.

Other options for groceries while your on the road include:  Neighborhood Store N Counter, carries beer, videos, groceries, and sundry products, and also serves a complete breakfast & lunch, 8am-6pm daily, closed Wednesday; and in Kualapu’u, Kualapu’u Market, a full service general store, including gas, Mon.-Sat. 8:30am-6:00pm.
 
At the heart of Kaunakakai, Maunaloa Hwy. (Rte. 460) intersects with Ala Malama Ave. where a Chevron station, two banks, located in the Moloka’i Center and several more blocks of businesses on Ala Malama provide all of the practical business, shopping and restaurant services that the town and its visitors need. Ala Malama becomes Wharf Rd. leading to Kaunakakai Wharf where you may have landed on the ferry from Maui. Maunaloa Highway continues east about a block below Ala Malama and its name changes to Kamehameha V (Rte. 450) as it leaves town.

It’s hard to imagine that roughly a century earlier Kaunakakai was the royal summer residence of King Kamehameha V or to visualize Kaunakakai as a busy port bustling with pineapple and sugar shipments. Instead of sugar and pineapple, today coffee trees grow between Kaunakakai and the upland green forests that lead to the awesome sea cliffs of the north coast.

For those of you who stay overnight on Molokai in the vicinity of Kaunakakai or along Kam Highway, plan to have dinner at the Oceanfront Dining Room at the Hotel Moloka’i (553-5347). Especially in the evening, with tiki torches burning, its very pleasant, casual and comfortable to dine here, with or without children.

Moloka’i Outdoor Activities

Located in the lobby of the Hotel Moloka’i (877-553-4477 or 553-4477), Molokai Outdoor Activities offers sunset tours of ancient Hawaiian fish ponds and kayaking along inshore reefs for beginners ($250 per person); a coastline tour for more experienced kayakers with snorkeling ($50 per person, $25 for children under 16 years, including rental of snorkeling equipment for 24 hrs.); and sea kayak and zodiac tours of north shore cliffs, ocean and weather permitting. They also rent kayaks: $10 per hour single ($25 a day) and $15 per hour double ($40 a day).

Moloka’i Fish & Dive

Even if you think you know exactly what you’re going to do on Moloka’i, stop at Moloka’i Fish and Dive, talk story about Moloka’i with owner Jim Brocker, and while you’re there buy the kids (and yourself) one of Jim’s famous Moloka’i Fish & Dive T-shirts. Jim started his business in the early 1970s. No one knows Moloka’i better than Jim who also has authored the two most outstanding photography books on Maui: The Lands of Father Damien and a Portrait of Moloka’i. Buy the book about Father Damien and Kalaupapa and you have all the background you need to prepare for a visit to the former leper colony. Jim also rents a condo out in Kaluakoi.  

Jim may suggest an unguided kayak trip along Moloka’i’s southeast shore, following the same ocean route that you’re planning to drive on land. Seeing the very scenic southeast coastline from a kayak beats driving and the kids probably will be quite enthusiastic. Jim also has guided kayak tours that include instruction for novices and even some exploration on the southeast coast of Hawaiian fishponds and other coastal pre-historic sites.

There’s no better place in Hawaii for mountain biking and no better way to see Moloka’i. Jim’s staff knows every trail that you can ride for your own enjoyment or guided bike treks, including challenging up hill rides to incredible views of sea cliffs on the north coast. After discussing the options for kayaking, whalewatching, mountain biking and guided hikes with Jim and his staff, there should be no question in your mind that you and the kids made the right decision to stay on Moloka’i for at least a week. East, Central and West Moloka’i provide a compact playground and adventure travel destination that include all of the challenges on land and sea of different levels of difficulty that you could desire for adults and children.

East End

The drive from Kaunakakai to Halawa Bay is a two-hour journey past ancient fishponds, white-sand beaches, tiny churches, lush valleys and rocky headlands. The journey east to Halawa really starts between MM 10 and 11, at Kamalo. Once the economic center of the island, the Kamalo Wharf was the island's main unloading dock. Just a ¼ mi. farther down the road is the simple, one room, St. Joseph's Church (1871), one of two remaining churches built by Father Damien outside the Kalaupapa peninsula, where a bronze sculpture of Father Damien watches over the church and graveyard.

Another ½ mile farther, keep your eye out on the right for the Smith-BronteLanding Site, where the first civilian flight from the mainland to Hawaii ended in a safe crash-landing in 1927 after a 25-hour flight that was supposed to end at Honolulu. About a ½ mile past MM14, Our Lady of Sorrows Church (1874), a reconstruction of the original built by Father Damien, still has an active congregation.

Across from Our Lady of Sorrows Church, the restored Ualapu'efishpond is one of more than 70 fishponds, some dating from the 13th century, along East Moloka'i’s shoreline. Soon the road climbs from sea level past rocky headlands through acres of ranch lands to the overlook at Halawa Valley before winding down to Halawa Bay.

East of Kaunakakai, Moloka’i becomes more lush and green the further toward Halawa that you drive past golden pocket beaches and a handful of vacation rentals that provide some of the best deals in Hawaii. Expect more rain in the winter from January to March, but most of the rainstorms that create this tropical wonderland are brief and leave as quickly as they come. When the sun comes back out, the peaceful coastal road exudes serene beauty as it curves along the East Coast, past palm groves and pastures, ancient fish ponds, an extraordinary heiau, and the lovely churches built by Father Damien more than 150 years ago.

From about MM20 onward the road changes to one-lane and keeps you quite alert with a series of hairpin turns along the cliff's-edge that reveal spectacular view after view amply rewarding your intrepid decision to make this journey back in time. Besides impressive sea cliffs, a string of secluded beach coves invite you to stop and take a dip in the crystal clear water just as you are getting more impatient to see what’s around the next tight corner and curve.

Just before MM19 you’ll probably see local kids jumping off the highway bridge into the stream below to rinse off from their day at Wailua Beach. After beautiful Murphy’s Beach and, around the next bend, Rock Point, several small, unnamed beach coves are all that will distract you as the road winds its way upward into the cattle pastures of the Pu'u O Hoku Ranch. After a startling view of Halawa Valley and Bay, the road makes its final descent, into a magical forest that conceals Halawa Valley.

Fishponds
While en route to Halawa Valley, you’ll pass the island's ancient fish ponds that perfected aquaculture at the turn of the 15th century.  The Hawaiians built gated, U-shaped stone and coral walls on the shore to catch fish on the incoming tide and then raised them in captivity to ensure a steady supply of fresh fish. These ponds can be seen for a stretch of about 20 miles along Moloka’i's south shore. As many as a thousand people were required to tend just a single fishpond and more than 70 ponds once existed on this coast. This means that a very large local population managed a fish industry that could feed and even larger population. To get an idea of the magnitude of these fish ponds, see the largest, 54-acre Keawa Nui Loko I’a Pond, surrounded by a 3-foot-high, 2,000-foot-long stonewall; Kalokoeli Pond, 6 miles east of Kaunakakai next to the highway; and one across the highway from Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church.

'Ili'ili'opae Heiau
Watch for the Hawaiian Home Lands marker on the right, just after Mapulehu Bridge, about ½ mi. past MM15. It’s difficult to find a place to park since all of the shoulders are narrow (and privately owned). Turn around and park on the mountainside of the road just before of the bridge where at a small expanse of grass to the right of a mailbox and dirt road. Across the street from the Home Lands marker is a dirt road and a sign on the gate that reads, "No Hunting, Private Property, Keep Out, Keep Gate Closed."

You can disregard this sign because property owners now allow visitors to walk around the gate and on this road. Walk for more than 10 minutes until you come to a narrow path on the left with a crude sign and an arrow that says “heiau.” This path bring you to the four-tiered temple that, according to legend, was built in only one night by a chain of workers passing stones from over the mountain to Wailau Valley. In order to see the colossal size and engineering of this heiau, walk up the trail to the right that leads up a hill. The second-largest heiau in Hawaii, 'Ili'ili'opae actually may have been twice as large when it was in use as a temple for human sacrifice and a training site for Kahuna from all the islands.

For more than a decade, a horse-drawn wagon has hauled visitors from one of the world’s largest mango groves and a kiawe forest along the dirt trail to Ili’ili’opae Heiau and also offers guided horseback rides. Contact Moloka’i Wagon & Horse Rides, King Kam Hwy., MM15, in Kaunakakai, 558-8132.

MM 20 to Pu’u O Hoku Ranch & Halawa
Moving on from the village of Puko’o past Waialua Beach, Pauwalu and MM 20, you’ll pass some very pretty little beaches (that are hard to see while driving east). Kam Hwy. narrows to one-lane and the spectacular East End scenery begins. Your destination is beautiful Murphy Beach Park for a snack lunch and possibly snorkeling or even windsurfing (expect no shower or restroom). Maui Fish & Dive can set you up with windsurfing equipment or surfboards (which you might want to use at Halawa Beaches). Past Rock Point, a popular surfing spot, and the golden sands of little Sandy Beach, at MM 21 the road begins to wind its way upward into the cattle pastures of the Pu'u O Hoku Ranch.

Around MM24, you can see Moku Ho'oniki Island about a mile offshore, originally used for target practice by WWII bombers and now a bird sanctuary and Moloka’i’s best diving spot. (If you want to dive here, make arrangements with a Maui dive operator.) The road continues to climb and twist up the hillside to the headquarters of the 14,000-acre Pu’u O Hoku Ranch that also doubles as the Last Chance Store (558-8109; fax 558-8100, store and offices open daily approximately 9am-4pm.), literally the last chance to buy snacks and drinking water (there is no drinkable water at Halawa Bay). Soon a hairpin turn leads to a fantastic view of Halawa Valley, Halawa Bay Beach, Hipuapua Falls and Moa’ula Falls. From here the road descends to lovely Halawa Valley.

If you stay overnight or for a couple of nights and Perfect Days at the Ranch -- which is a great idea if you’re on a honeymoon, romantic trip or you have kids that love horses or surfing (yes, surfing at Halawa’s beaches) -- ask the Ranch manager where to find the grove of sacred kukuitrees that mark the grave of Lanikaula, a very powerful kahuna whose spirit still haunts the grove even today, and you’ll believe it when you walk into the site. An even better reason for staying at the Ranch and near Halawa Valley and the beautiful coastline is its two large, completely private, marvelous, inexpensive guest cottages, set in lovely pastures, including Grove Cottage, a 4-bedroom, 3-bath house with fabulous views of the ocean, Moku and Maui.

Halawa Valley

The first place on Molokai to be inhabited by Hawaiians, early in the 7th century, forested Halawa Valley retains a mysterious and magical quality that surely your kids will detect if they are fans of the Hobbits and Harry Potter. Not just one but two tidal waves (1946 and 1957) wrecked the agricultural value of the valley’s rich earth. Before the road to Halawa ends, you’ll pass Jersalema Hou Church, a wooden church from another era and ruins left by one of these tsunamis. You’ll still find many taro terraces, both abandoned and still farmed, along the way to Moa’ula Falls.

As for surfing, Halawa’s beaches – Kama’alaea and Kawili – are safe for swimming in summer and great for surfing. You can camp on the beach, which locals do, and you’ll find a campground restroom and shower near the church. Park and lock your car (and don’t leave any valuables in it).

Hike to Moa’ula Falls
On the hike up to magnificent Moa’ula Falls you will have to cross private property. Please be respectful of the trail and the privacy of its owners. Also be cautious on the roughly 1½-hour hike up to Moa’ula Falls. The river may be running strong from the base of Moa’ula Falls and you have to walk in streams and through muddy areas, scramble over river rocks made slippery by algae, and climb steeply through areas where the trail becomes difficult to find and follow. Otherwise, you need to know that the Moa’ula Falls hike is not extreme adventure hiking, just a bit tricky, tiring and challenging depending on whether you’re a hiker and in decent condition. Wear hiking boots, sturdy shoes or running shoes. Bring along an extra pair of socks and plenty of DEET mosquito repellent. Bring your camera and extra film.

The dirt road in front of the little church will take you to a bridge over Halawa Stream and a "no parking" sign on a fencepost just after the bridge where the trail to the falls begins at a plank that crosses a stream. Since you have to pass a house, walk on a trail that runs through a taro farm, and follow a white pipe on the ground for quite a distance, it should be very clear that you’re passing through private land. In order to avoid wandering in the wrong direction, keep the river on your left, listen occasionally for the sound of the falls and, when you are forced to walk through the riverbed from rock to rock, take it slow and carefully.

Hike to Hipuapua Falls

When you finally arrive at the falls, you’ll be delighted to discover that the pool beneath the falls is larger and deeper than you may have expected. After enjoying the cold water and beautiful views, you have to decide whether to hike up to Hipuapua Falls. There is no trail up to Hipuapua Falls so don’t bother to look for one. Simply backtrack a few minutes to the stream (Hipuapua) that you crossed (where the water pipe crosses), and simply head up the stream, from boulder to boulder until you see, and then hear, the waters of Hipuapua cascading as much as 500’ from the towering cliff into its pool below. Soak your fatigue and cares away in the cold water and don’t leave this gorgeous fantasy behind too quickly because it will be a long time before you experience a more Perfect Day.