Molokai Tours and Times from Oahu (Father Damien)

Hi. My husband and I will be on Oahu through February and want to go to Molokai. Will we have to go via Maui, or can we fly direct from Oahu? We have plenty of time but need to know how long a visit to St Damien’s church and site will take.

Hi - you should be able to fly direct from Oahu, but your plane may be quite small

By visiting father Damien’s church - do you mean going down to Kaluapapa where he did all his work? That’s an all day thing because you have to take a mule down, unless you take the air tour.

You can also take your own plane right from Oahu if you want to spend that kind of money.

Where to Rent Camping Equipment In Hawaii; Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Kauai, or Big Island

I am coming to Hawaii in Feb 2010 and would like to do some camping. Can you tell me if there are places on Molokai, Maui or the Big Island that rent camping equipment?

Sorry, but there really is no where to rent camping equipment on any of the islands. You’ll need to bring it or buy it when you get here - on Maui or the Big Island - molokai and Kauai will have the least buying options. Oahu will have the most buying options.

You may be able to rent camping stoves or larger things of that nature, but you will be limited on where you can use such a thing. No one rents tents or sleeping bags that I know of.

New rental places and stores do open up all the time though, so if anyone knows of anything or has a rental company website, please leave a comment. thanks!

Molokai: Where to Stay and What to Do

I’m so glad I came across your website! My boyfriend and I are planning a trip to Hawaii from Dec. 3-7 and have chosen to stay in Molokai because we want to experience the real Hawaii, not the tourist-centered locations of Maui or Oahu, etc. I’ve pretty much got out flights covered but I am a little lost on where to stay. We love Molokai because it’ll afford us the opportunity to go hiking, biking, and just be in touch with authentic Hawaii. We’d love a 1-bedroom accomodation if you can recommend any, as well as any local restaurants in the area as well as any other suggestions you may have.

I stayed at Kalualokoi and it was very nice and quiet: you can find listings for it here: http://www.molokai-condos.com/, 1/2 way down the page

here’s some good recommendations on where to eat

and things to do. One thing we never did was the mule ride down to Kalaupapa - you might want to try it. we hiked a lot and drove around and explored a lot.

Going to Maui for the day is fun.

have fun! Lisa

Maui Vacation Planning Can Be Easy - Maui Revealed Review

The Maui Revealed Book is truly the ultimate guide to Maui. I have the Revealed Guidebook for every island, and I’ve lived here for well over a decade. The two authors must do nothing but circle the islands over and over again, staying at every hotel, doing every activity, and visiting every beach, waterfall, and hiking trail. They even have aerial pictures of hotels and condos so you can see exactly how close they are to the ocean (or how far they are).

The book explains and has maps and directions to practically every single thing on the island that you might want to do or see. It actually was quite controversial a few years back becuase it told the truth about when land was state land or otherwise open to the public and some locals took exception to some things being shared with visitors.

The book opens with sights: West Maui Sights: stuff to see in Maalaea, Lahaina, Kaanapali, and Kapalua. Central Maui Sights: things to do and see in Wailuku, Kahului, the valley of sugar, and Pa’ia, plus shopping and ‘best bets’. Then Hana Highway Sights: answering questions like ‘can a rental car go all the way?’, where are the waterfalls? where is the red sand beach, and where to eat in Hana.

Then there are the southeast Maui Sights: like Kipahulu, Oheo Gulch (7 sacred pools), pipiwai trail, and past the park. Then is Haleakala and upcountry, then South Maui: Maalaea, Kihei, Wailea, Makena, Molokini, and La Perouse Bay.

Then the book talks about Kahoolawe, Lanai, and Molokai.

The next sections are Beaches, Activities, Adventures, Island dining, and Where to Stay. This is one book that truly has everything.

Here’s a particularly telling quote from the book introduction:

We hike the trails, ride the boats, eat in the restaurants, explore the reefs, and do the things we write about.It takes us one to two YEARS, full time, to do a first edition book, and we visit places anonymously.

We recognize the effort people go through to visit Maui, and our goal is to expose you to as many options as possible so you can decide what you want to see and do. We took great pains to structure this book in such a way that it will be fun, easy reading and loaded with useful information.

So, that’s the kind of attitude I want in MY guidebook writers! Buy the book here: Maui Revealed - The Ultimate Maui Guidebook if you agree

What’s Up With Hawaii’s Wet Side and Dry Side Weather?

Also I read that there is a dry side and wet side. That sounds real weird but is it that different on the sides of the island, and why?

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There is a dry side and a wet side of every island - generally east and north shores tend to be wet while south and west tend to be dry. It has to do with the way the wind comes in off the ocean (trade winds, usually comes in from the east). The clouds blow in, get pushed up the mountains that are in the center of every island, and dump all their rain before getting light enough to head to the other side of the island - something like that. If you are really interested read more here at wikipedia.

Generally the more popular destination spots like Waikiki, Kailua-Kona, Poipu, and Kaanapali get very little rain because they are on the dry sides. Puako on the Big Island can get 7 inches or less rain a YEAR - that’s like desert. Great for vacationers cuz they are not looking for rain usually Compare that with Hilo (where I live) where it seems like sometimes we can get 7 inches in a day and still not cancel soccer practice. lol.

I Know Nothing about Hawaii and Want to Plan a Vacation - Tell Me Everything

Our family is considering taking a vacation in Hawaii. Maybe in the next year or so. Being pretty clueless when it comes to Hawaii, what would you suggest? It would be for 6 adult and 1 child. Is one place cheaper to fly into than another? What about hotels and such?

Many people start with Oahu on their first trip, and it is generally the easiest to fly into and cheapest because it is the most popular - of course being the most popular it has really gotten developed and a lot of people complain there are more buildings than trees, but it’s still a beautiful island and has fantastic, easy-to-get-to beaches (that you’ll be sharing with a million other people ) but that’s ok, they are big. You might want to look into Oahu and see if it’s what you want.

Don’t think about hotels till you decide on an island - do you have rewards with anybody like Hilton or Marriott? That might also be a good way to decide where you want to go - you could find the hotel that would get you the best deal and then see what you think of the island it’s on.

my husband and l had some interest some day of traveling to hawaii, he has been reading the lonely planet book about and sounds very beautiful. just wondering if you had any suggestions for me not sure what time of year we would go, but we were thinking of three weeks. we do know someone that lives in kihei - how would we go about setting up an itinerary, where would we start and where would we end? is it best to stay in b&b’s any suggestions for hotels, renting vehicles, what would you suggest to budget yourself per day, any suggestions would be great

Wow, this is a huge question and I’m just not sure I can do it justice - it’s huge and broad and usually I do best with very specific questions, but I’ll try to point you in the right direction here:

1. Decide what island you will visit - if you know someone in Kihei and want to go to that island then start looking into Maui.
2. Decide what area - if, for your first trip, you stick to the very touristy areas you will be ’safe’ meaning you will find great beaches and great weather typically - so on Maui that would be Wailea, Lahaina/Kaanapali, and Kihei.
3. Decide what hotel you will stay at - alternatively, this could be your second item on your list, because if you prefer say, Hilton hotels because you like them or have rewards with them and there is only one Hilton on the island, well then what area choice is pretty much made for you. easy
4. As for should you stay in a hotel, vacation rental, condo, or bed and breadkfast — this is all personal preference. Do YOU prefer hotels or bed and breakfasts. Do you want to eat out every meal or cook your own food? Do you want to have your vacation in a place that feels like home or do you prefer a hotel where everything is done and provided for you? see what I’m getting at here? Me, I like condos because you can save money and eat healthier stuff but I like hotels because you can forget about all that cooking and cleaning cr– and concentrate on playing. I like vacation rentals because you are hanging out by yourself away from all the other visitors but I like hotels because there are lots of other people around
5. As for budgeting yourself per day - well, what is your budget? Do you have $10,000+ to spend on this trip, or only $4500? This will make a big difference. There are books that will show you how to make the most of a budget - Frommer’s Hawaii on $80 a Day is one of them. I don’t know how relevant it is to today since it was written in 2005, but it will get you started I think.
6. As for what to do - you could out your daily itinerary before you go down to the very last activity (this is what my husband does) by doing a google search for Maui activities (if that’s the island you’ll be staying on) and seeing what comes up or you could just fly to Maui and see what looks fun to you (this is what I do)

I hope this helps get you started, write me again if you have more questions. Aloha, Lisa

Hawaii Travel Companions

Ok, I posted a question here from a young woman looking to stay in Hawaii for a few months - I got some great advice for her in comments, but now people keep e-mailing me wanting me to give her their e-mail address or get hers because they want to go with her or are thinking the same thing as her - so here is your OWN page to look for companions to go to Hawaii with.

I will not be able to remove e-mail addresses in the future, so only post it if you don’t mind it up here for everyone to see forever. Please, be safe - I am not responsible in any way if you meet up with someone dangerous or give them your personal information. If you are under 18, you are not allowed to post comments here.

Here’s the first post - taken from a comment I didn’t post on the other page - it was intendended for the original question asker.

My name is Mat and im 24 from Ontario and I am also travelling to Hawaii at that same time. I am also looking for the same opportunity so if you want to figure out maybe a plan together or are looking for someone to travel with email me back. matscully@hotmail.com
Cheers

Best Molokai Day Trip from Maui or Oahu

Brian of Alexandria, Virginia asks

What is the best way to visit Molokai Island as a day trip? I will be in Oahu for a week, then touring Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island as part of a cruise. I am especially interested in the history of the island, including its role as the location of the colony for those with Hanson’s disease (leprosy).

Would it be best to do this as a day trip from Maui?

Hi Brian,

It may be best and easiest to schedule your trip as a day trip from Maui, but I am concerned that you will find it hard to coincide your shore leave times from the cruise ship and the tour times so we’ll look into options from Oahu and from Maui.

Pacific Wings and Molokai Air Shuttle (808-567-6847) and Island Air offer flights from Oahu (Honolulu) to Molokai.

Molokai Outdoors looks to be an outfit that will set up all your flights or transportation from Oahu or Maui and get you started on a tour or with a rental - whichever you want.

The so-called ‘leper colony’ is located on the Kalaupapa peninsula and hard to get to, plus you must either take a tour or be invited by a resident - you can’t just wander wround the area. Here are some options:

Molokai Mule Ride
A ride down the mountain on a mule plus tour.

Molokai Ferry offers ferry-car packages, guided day tour excursions, and a hike and tour, all from Maui.

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