PERFECT DAY #50 – TOURING LANA’I

When planning a visit to Lana’i it’s important to understand that you can have a Perfect Day-trip, for example, with an Expeditions-guided 4WD excursion (see http://www.tombarefoot.com/maui/expeditions_4x4.html), on a Trilogy ocean and 4WD land excursion (see http://www.tombarefoot.com/maui/trilogy_lana’i.html), or just snorkeling and lunch with Trilogy or The Pacific Whale Foundation ( see http://www.tombarefoot.com/maui/pacific_whale_lana’i.html).

A self-guided tour, on a day-trip or from one of the hotels or vacation rentals on Lana’i, takes a bit of planning to be able to find and get the most out of remote beaches, archeological, historical and nature preserve sites off-the-beaten track, for example: the Bird Man of Lana’i Petroglyphs; the Halulu Heiau located on Kaunolu Bay’s west side along with the home of Kamehameha the Great; Kaena Iki Heiau, largest temple on the island, located down the road from the Garden of the Gods; the dryland forest of Kanepu’u; the Luahiwa Petroglyphs; and others locations.

Both new and experienced equestrians can have a Perfect Day using the Stables at Koele to ride beautiful trails around the Lodge, other trails through what was once an extensive ranch, and across wonderful plains and through forests that open up spectacular views and provide glimpses of deer, wild turkeys and cattle. Hunters can have their Perfect Day as well since they can hunt year-round for axis deer.

Almost any place that can be reached by 4WD can be reached on a mountain bike. Lana’i, like Moloka’i, is a mountain bikers dream, even moreso because the island is smaller and virtually all of the beaches, historical and other sites can be reached by mountain bike. As part of your 4WD or bicycling tour, allow time to explore Lana’i City, do some leisurely shopping, meet and “talk story” with locals, and perhaps have a local-style meal at any of several excellent dining choices.

Besides beautiful Hulopo’e Bay, full of coral and outstanding for snorkeling, you can snorkel at Pu’u Pehe Cove (Shark Cove) and adjacent Coral Gardens, just a short hike from Hulopo’e, and from a boat under the towering cliffs of Kaunolu Bay, at Cathedrals, Turtle Haven, and other snorkeling and diving spots. Ocean kayaking in the waters around Lana’i, snorkeling and diving from shore and boats can keep you busy for any number of Perfect Days. You can take advantage of many of these snorkeling and diving sites on excursions from Maui or as part of Perfect Days on Lana’i.

Unique Historical and Archeological Sites

Luahiwa Petroglyph Field
On Maui we told you about Petroglyph Hill behind the Olowalu General Store and the petroglyphs hidden at Nu’u Bay at MM 30 on Hwy. 31. Compared to the Big Island and Lana’i, Maui has only a few discovered petroglyphs. For travelers fascinated with petroglyphs, Lana’i has a comparative wealth of prehistoric rock art. Some of the best examples are at the Luahiwa Petroglyph Field on the outskirts of Lana’i City. The artwork on 13 boulders includes a deer, bird, turtle, people on horseback, a goat, dog, a running man and others. Wear your hiking shoes, bring water and your camera.

As with so many of our favorite attractions on Lana’i, finding the hidden site is half the fun. From Lana’i City take the highway to Manele Bay/Hulopo’e Beach. About 2 miles out of Lana’i City, after MM 7, take a left where you see the backside of a stop sign on a dirt road (Ho’ike Rd.). Drive a little less than a mile, turn left at a fencepost on another dirt road that crosses abandoned pineapple fields, drive about 1 mile, take a sharp left by some water tanks, drive for another half-mile and then, at the V in the road, turn to the right and stay on this upper road a short way until you come to a turnaround and a group of boulders on the right side. Here you’ll find the petroglyphs scattered over 3-4 acres

Kaunolu and Halulu Heiau 
After you drive (in a 4WD only) on Hwy. 440 (Manele Road) south from Lana’i City and then take a left on Kaupili Road, you have to be alert, count dirt roads, and turn toward the ocean (makai) at the fourth dirt road. This very rough and rocky road takes you about two miles to the ancient hilltop fishing village of Kaunolu, King Kamehameha’s favorite vacation spot atop the island’s highest cliffs, and the excavated remains of Halulu Heiau, named after a mythical man-eating bird.

Used by the earliest residents of Lana'i, probably in the 1500s, long before King Kamehameha the Great’s arrival in the early 1800s, he respectfully rebuilt the heiau and declared it a place of refuge (Luakini Heiau). As late as the early 1800s, some islanders still viewed this site as a place of refuge where lawbreakers would be forgiven if they could reach the site before getting caught. The Bishop Museum has excavated the site and created the interpretive trail that you follow to see King Kamehameha’s house, the heiau and other parts of the site.

In order to get from one side of the gulch to the heiau on the other, hike down to the beach, walk across it and then inland, past the remains of a canoe shed (the former village shrine to the fishing god) and climb up to the heiau. You can still see excavated terraces, stone floors, and platforms where 86 houses and 35 stone shelters once stood on both sides of the Kaunolu Gulch, and also a series of preserved petroglyphs, warrior-like stick-figure carvings on boulders that have been preserved.

Kahekili's Leap is reached through a 5-foot opening in the cliff wall that frames Shark Island, which resembles the dorsal fin of a shark, and is said to be home to many sharks as well a brightly colored tropical fish. Please be extremely careful not to disturb anything in this national historic landmark. Don’t remove or move any rocks and don’t climb the walls of the heiau.

Garden of the Gods

In addition to the Manele and Koele Resorts, Lana’i's unique outdoor attractions are the primary reason for visiting the island. Most of these attractions have some visible and invisible mystery and mystic attached to them, for example: the Garden of the Gods in Kanepu'u where, as the name of the place suggests, rocks and boulders are scattered across a landscape like some divine configuration that must have a cosmic explanation.

Even if you’re no better able to fathom the Garden of the Gods than all the rest of us, you’ll earn a consolation prize for the journey -- nearby a short self-guided nature trail winds through the native Hawaiian dry forest known as the Kanepu'u Preserve where some 48 native species thrive under the watchful eye of the Nature Conservancy (565-7430, provides a free tour on request).

Part of the pleasure and adventure of visiting Lana’i’s attractions is that reaching all of them requires taking a quirky, somewhat challenging route. To reach the Kanepu'u Preserve, turn left past the Lodge at Koele, left again onto dirt Polihua Road between the tennis courts and stables, and right at the sign on a rock that says "Garden of the Gods." That’s only the beginning of the fun. To get to Kanepu’u, pass a series of cattle grates to an the ironwood and pine forest that begins the Kanepu’u Preserve and then walk for almost a mile to a sign for the self-guided trail that provides information about the rare vegetation in the preserve.

Keahi Kawelo, Garden of the Gods, is a beautiful, puzzling place: acres and acres of barren red earth covered by thousands of mainly small rock towers that ancient Hawaiian legend says were dropped from the sky by the gods, but probably have a much simpler geological and non-supernatural explanation, including locals who were inspired by the locale to make their own towers, which has happened in abundance on Maui.

Irrespective of the actual explanation, the result is surreal especially in the late afternoon as rock towers cast shadows across the changing colors and hues of this lunar landscape. In the late afternoon, say an hour or more before sunset, head for the Garden of the Gods and, as the sun sets, enjoy the magnificent views of the Pacific Ocean, Moloka'i and, on clear days, O'ahu, but be sure to leave the site in enough time to avoid driving back in the dark.

Kanepu’u Preserve
Under the protection of the Nature Conservancy, you can only visit this fragile 590-acre nature preserve on a guided hike that is offered only once a month. For most visitors, the unique botanical species found at Kanepu’u – like olopua (native olive), lama (native ebony), mau hau hele (a native hibiscus), and the rare 'aiea trees -- will not especially register but, by the time you’ve finished with a tour, you’ll be ready to rally in defense of these rare botanical survivors. For a reservation, contact the Nature Conservancy Oahu Land Preserve, 537-4508.

Keomuku & Remote Beaches
During the late 19th century, a community of some 2,000 residents lived in the company town of the Maunalei Sugar Company. In 1901, the company failed, killed off by drought. A strange twist of fate, the first non-Hawaiian town on the island had to shut down because well water used to irrigate its fields turned brackish. Keomuku’s modest and stately homes turned to ruins, including the oldest church on the island, Ka Malamalama Church (1903). Built by the inhabitants of surrounding villages after the collapse of the island's sugar industry, this church currently is being restored by volunteers. All that remains of Keomoku is the clapboard church, a graveyard, and crumbling stonewalls.

On this island so full of mysteries, one can only speculate about the perverse fate of the Maunalei Company. Drive about a mile from the ghost town and you'll see a walking trail on the right that leads inland to Kahe'a Heiau. Once the ancient Hawaiian site of human sacrifices, this sacred Hawaiian site was dismantled by the Maunalei Company to build a railroad to move sugar to Ka'halepalaoa Landing south of the heiau. Did this violation of the sacred temple have anything to do with the company’s demise?

In addition to a beach near Ka’halepalaoa Landing, another 4-5 miles further down the road leads to Lopa Beach and then Naha Beach (see Beaches of Lana’i). Except for fisherman, you’ll rarely see anyone on the long white sands of Lopa Beach. Nearby you’ll find the fishpond Loko Lopa that is highly regarded among Lana’i’s four ancient fishponds. Narrow Naha Beach also is near the site of a fishpond.

As a rough mountain bike trek for 12 miles from the Highway, Naha might be a worthwhile trip, but otherwise not. The 4WD trip to Keomuku is only for visitors staying on Lana’i for as long as a week who are adventuresome explorers with an affinity for ghost towns. Follow Keomoku Road for 8 miles to the coast, turn right on the sandy road, and keep going to the end unless it is washed out and impassable. Don’t drive on the beach; it’s illegal and unsafe.

Munro Trail
An 11-mile round-trip adventure, this trail winds through tropical rain forests and up mountains 3,370 feet to and over the top of Mount Lana’ihale (“House of Lana’i”). At its highest point, the trail offers spectacular views of nearly all the Hawaiian Islands. Named after George Munro, ranch manager of the Lana'i Ranch Co., who began a reforestation program in the 1950s, the trail begins at a trailhead about a ½ mile past Lana’i Cemetery along Keomuku Hwy. (Hwy. 44). Take a right on Cemetery Rd. and, when the pavement ends, look for a sign that marks the trailhead. The trail is about 8½ miles long. Also expect to spend about 30 minutes making your way from the end of the trail back to the highway.

Instead of hiking (or mountain biking) you can make a great off-road 4WD trek on the Munro Trail traveling through forests of ironwood and pine and past spectacular views of Maui, Moloka’i, and Oahu as well as Lana’i far below. After driving 2 miles, stop at a sideroad to the left and walk about 50 yards to a lookout over Maunalei Gulch, the source of the island's drinking water. Continue on the road to Lana'ihale and in another two miles, past a communication tower where you’ll have a good view of Ho'okio Gulch, and then on up the ridgeline.

Hikers can climb 1½ miles to the top of the mountain for what may be, depending on the weather, a great view of the islands all the way to Oahu. Otherwise you can retrace your steps to the start of the trail. Another option is hike to the top and then head down the steep south side to the end of the trail.

Polihua Beach
The long white sands of this out-of-the-way beach probably will be deserted, except perhaps for a few endangered green turtles that nest there, although unfortunately their numbers are way down. Polihua means “egg nest” in honor of the turtles that lay eggs on the beach. On the northwest shore, eleven miles from Lana’i City, past the Garden of the Gods, you definitely need a 4WD vehicle to get to Polihua Beach. There are no facilities. Bring your own water. The currents are strong; don’t even think of going into the water. Content yourself with beachcombing, hopefully accompanied by your soulmate, and enjoying the wonderful views of Moloka’i.

Shipwreck Beach & Historic Site
One of the most beautiful (and dangerous) beaches in Hawaii, this 8-mile-long windswept beach on Lana’i's northeastern shore is a great place for whalewatching in season and for beachcombers collecting shells and an assortment of flotsam that, propelled by currents and churning offshore waters, washes up on the beach. The beach was given its name to commemorate a multitude of tankers that have run aground in the Kalohi Channel. WW II tanker Liberty that you can see stuck and rusting on the coral reef offshore was not one of them. It was ditched on the reef as an economical way to get rid of it and, since it’s made of ferrous-concrete, it has managed to survive for over 50 years.

Although Keomuku Hwy. to the beach is paved most of the way, you still need a 4WD vehicle to drive there. The route is beautiful as it winds around hills towards the sea. At the end of the highway you have to turn onto a sandy road. Driving on the beach is illegal and foolish. Park at the turnaround and walk to the ruins of a lighthouse. A ramp toward the shore from the lighthouse foundation happens to point in the direction of some well-preserved petroglyphs. A nearby boulder warns "Do Not Deface.”

On the beach, walk along the coast toward the shipwreck and you'll see a sign for the Kaiolohia-Kahue Trail that heads inland. Built in the late 1800s by the territorial government to link several small coastal settlements, much of the original trail lays under sand dunes and became overgrown with kiawe scrub. Designated a "demonstration trail" by the Na Ala Hele Trails Access Program, the trail was supposed to be cleared out for hiking by now. Otherwise it is poorly marked and tends to attract insects that bite. Bring insect repellent in addition to sunscreen.