Although it’s one of the smallest of the eight main Hawaiian islands, Molokai is nonetheless big on attractions. Home to the world’s tallest sea cliffs and the state’s longest continuous fringing coral reef, the island is also one of the best for delving into Hawaii’s unique culture, with a large proportion of its population being of indigenous ancestry. Their deep respect for their homeland means they are keen to preserve the sort of rural livelihoods now lost on the larger islands in the Hawaiian chain.
An island of outdoor adventure, central Molokai has forest-covered cliffs soaring an incredible 2000 feet in height and also its biggest town, Kaunakakai. A quaint town of hundreds rather than thousands of people, for much of its existence life has revolved around its attractive church steeple.
Visitors will also want to stop by the bakery and stores of Kaunakakai’s main street – the only one anywhere on the island – before heading to the harbor. Here you’ll find Hawaii’s longest pier structure, and the state’s last remaining royal coconut groves in Kapuaiwa Coconut Beach Park. You can even send a coconut back home, as one of the world’s most unusual postcards, from Hoolehua Post Office.
For more time on the beach, you’ll want to head to the quiet shorelines of western Molokai. Here you’ll find Hawaii’s least crowded yet largest stretches of sand, crowned by the soft white sands of Papohaku Beach. Kapukahehu Beach (also called Dixie Maru Beach) is similarly sublime, and offers one of the best places to step into Hawaii’s warm waters for swimming and snorkeling.
However, it’s the East End of Molokai which boasts the 28-mile-long coral reef, with a similarly diverse array of species found above the waves in Kamakou Preserve, whose moss and lichen covered forests are home to a variety of native bird and plant species.
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