Indeed!
High time I returned to earth (and sea) exploring!
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| Hibiscus |
The island of Moloka'i, Hawaii's friendly island, where hula was born, is nestled between
Oahu and Maui, measuring 260 square miles/ 673.4 square km.
(Salt Spring Island is about a quarter of the size at 70.5 square miles/ 182.7 square km.)
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| Mahalo = Thank you |
In comparison to the island where I was born and bred (arguably this point may have been Galiano) Moloka'i has fewer residents (by about 2000), less affluence, lower tourism rates,
way more chickens and far more roosters and of course a completely different climate.
However, there are plenty of similarities in terms of the 'feel' of the environment, mostly in respect to the people... as they are of course responsible for keeping up their friendly reputation!
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| Early morning, looking north across the road from our Condo |
I flew directly to Kahului, Maui from Calgary, on West Jet's B757 Wet Lease (Thomas Cook),
then flew with Mokulele Airlines from the commuter terminal
(just outside the main terminal in Maui - about a 5 minute walk) to Ho'olehua, Moloka'i.
I took only carry on luggage. West Jet let me carry it all on - that's a camera bag and one crew suitcase - while I was permitted to check one 15 lbs bag with Mokulele and carry the rest. I had a beach bag in my case so I emptied all the excess weight into it.
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| Kahului Commuter Terminal |
By the way, I did go for one week and packed as lightly and strategically
as possible - packing is a wee science! And I got it just right on this trip.
If you need help in this area I would be happy to supply you with an itemized list ;)
Lol
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| Out my window, a view of north western Maui. |
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| North eastern Moloka'i, Halawa Valley |
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| Kaluapapa - Site of the one time Leper Colony |
Mokulele operates Cessna Caravans with two pilots. The whole concept works well and there are multiple inexpensive inter-island flights daily, particularly if booked on-line.
However, they could use a few customer service pointers from Salt Spring Air.
I may be biased, but still.
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| Magical shot of the North shore of Moloka'i. This area is wild, protected and almost totally inaccessible. |
I've enjoyed the loveliness of Moloka'i before, but since I hadn't been back in 15 years,when my mom suggested coming for a visit for her birthday (she is holidaying there), I did just that.
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| Carrot Cake! Happy Birthday Mama! |
Different things are noticeable to people of different ages (or, at least to me at different ages).
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| Something wild - Do you know it? |
In a plentiful sun and rich soil environment, plant possibilities are endless and impressive.
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| Something planted - Do you know it? |
Take avocados for example. Or papaya, or passion fruit (lilikoi), or bananas, or pineapple! Yay!
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| Bunch of Bananas |
And the flowers. Ohhhhh the flowers! Plumeria, hibiscus, ginger, bird of paradise,
African tulip tree, wild flowers, and a new one to my repertoire: Pua Kenikeni.
A very fragrant (creamy-like, in Kalae's words) tree with yellowy-orange trumpet shaped blossoms.
Very handy to have a super friendly gardener outside more than happy to offer plant education. Awesome!
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| Spider Lily, possibly? |
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| Most of us grow this inside, on a much smaller scale! |
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| One Hibiscus in a Hedge-Full! |
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| Ginger! |
A smallish lot can produce quite a large amount of fruit,
and still have plenty of room for chickens, rabbits, a pig, goat or cow! Or more.
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| In a State Park |
We decided a small cove, a beach named Dixie Maru, in the island's south west is the best place for snorkelling. There are easily 20 different beautiful types of tropical, colourful fish including the Humuhumunukunuku Apua'a, Hawai'i's fish.
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| The other Adventure Seekers: Jane, Ron and Joyce. Toes in at Dixie Maru! |
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| The soil is very red. This is along the short trail to the beach. |
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| After a successful snorkel. |
The best part for me was a toss up:
Either, the fact my mom got her hair wet (pretty much first time ever)
and enjoyed snorkelling with me,
or, swimming with a sea turtle!
We visited the breathtaking valley of Halawa which is located on the much wetter
north-east end of the island. It's a long but very scenic drive.
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| The Bay at Halawa |
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| The Estuary |
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| The Water Falls |
It's quite a magical place. You may just have to see it to understand. It's a protected area where philodendrons grow thickly up every tree trunk and by the time you slowly decend almost 3000 feet on the single lane, but paved, state highway, down to near sea level you are immersed in jungle.
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| In the lush jungle |
There are two twin waterfalls high up in the hills where you can hike
(and swim but it's rather chilly!) if escorted by a Hawaiian or on a $60 tour.
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| I hope the vehicle helps put the jungle in perspective! |
We went last time with a local friend,
but this time we just went to the beach where we watched some traditional fish netting.
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| View from the beach |
Had I been alone or with Jordan I would have done quite a lot more walking around, exploring and hiking I think. However everything was just the right speed for my Mama.
We enjoyed three evenings of local music. There was a band arranged to play at Wavecrest, showcasing Eddie Tanaka and Norman DeCosta, at the condos where we stayed.
Kalae, the gardener, as it turns out, has more talents than just a green thumb and joined us for a special birthday celebration which included Hawaiian and mainstream songs on his ukulele.
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| A view from the bar at Hotel Moloka'i |
We also went to the music and hula, on every Friday afternoon at Hotel Moloka'i,
where we enjoyed tropical drinks and were given real leis.
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| Plumeria Lei |
These drinks were about all we went out for... No restaurants for us, not that there are many to choose from, but the fresh produce was really something else and not to be missed.
Food is expensive in general, but local produce and meats are top quality and reasonable.
You can't go wrong with great ingredients!
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| One of Hawai'i's longest sand beaches. Here is an interesting rock outcropping. Looks like a mountain range. Fierce Waves! |
My last treat was by chance seeing three grey whales swimming - playing and breaching, while flying back to Maui, in a Cessna Caravan operated by Mokulele Airlines.
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| Sunrise from our Lanai |
The temperature and the views were so pleasant. I will really miss my morning jogs though I do hope to hold on to my sun-kissed skin for a few weeks!
