Theme Week Hawaii – Molokai

Tuesday, 24 December 2024 - 12:00 pm (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination:
Category/Kategorie: General
Reading Time:  5 minutes

Molokai Lighthouse © MahaloMichael/cc-by-sa-3.0

Molokai Lighthouse © MahaloMichael/cc-by-sa-3.0

Molokai (Hawaiian: Molokaʻi) is the fifth most populated of the eight major islands that make up the Hawaiian Islands archipelago in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is 38 by 10 miles (61 by 16 km) at its greatest length and width with a usable land area of 260 sq mi (673.40 km²), making it the fifth-largest in size of the main Hawaiian Islands and the 27th largest island in the United States. It lies southeast of Oʻahu across the 25 mi (40 km) wide Kaʻiwi Channel and north of Lānaʻi, separated from it by the Kalohi Channel.

The island’s agrarian economy has been driven primarily by cattle ranching, pineapple production, sugarcane production and small-scale farming. Tourism comprises a small fraction of the island’s economy, and much of the infrastructure related to tourism was closed and barricaded in the early 2000s when the primary landowner, Molokai Ranch, ceased operations due to substantial revenue losses. In Kalawao County, on the Kalaupapa Peninsula on the north coast, settlements were established in 1866 for quarantined treatment of persons with leprosy; these operated until 1969. The Kalaupapa National Historical Park now preserves this entire county and area. Several other islands are visible from the shores of Molokai, including Oahu from the west shores; Lanai from the south shores, and Maui from the south and east shores.

The tourism industry on Molokai is relatively small, compared to the other islands in Hawaiʻi. Only 64,767 tourists visited Molokai in 2015. For decades, residents of Molokai have resisted private developers’ attempts to increase tourism because of the irreparable changes to community and culture that are associated with a tourism industry. Accommodations are limited; as of 2014, only one hotel was open on the island. Most tourists find lodgings at rental condos and houses.

National Geographic Traveler magazine and the National Geographic Center for Sustainable Destinations conduct annual Destination Scorecard surveys, aided by George Washington University. In 2007, a panel of 522 experts in sustainable tourism and destination stewardship reviewed 111 selected human-inhabited islands and archipelagos around the world. Molokai ranked 10th among the 111 destination locales. The survey cited Molokai’s undeveloped tropical landscape, environmental stewardship, and rich, deep Hawaiian traditions (the island’s mana). The neighbor islands of Hawaii, Kauai, Maui and Oahu, ranked 50, 61, 81 and 104, respectively.

Hula Kahiko performance in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park © flickr.com - Ron Ardis/cc-by-sa-2.0 Molokai Lighthouse © MahaloMichael/cc-by-sa-3.0 Downtown Kaunakakai © Sanba38/cc-by-sa-2.5 East Molokai with a portion of Kamakou volcano and Moloka'i Forest Reserve © Travis.Thurston/cc-by-sa-3.0 Halawa Bay © Forest & Kim Starr/cc-by-3.0 Sea Cliffs on the islands northern side © Jay/cc-by-sa-3.0
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East Molokai with a portion of Kamakou volcano and Moloka'i Forest Reserve © Travis.Thurston/cc-by-sa-3.0
Molokai is believed to be the birthplace of the hula. The annual Molokaʻi Ka Hula Piko festival is held on this island.

Molokai can be reached by plane. Planes fly into Molokaʻi daily from other Hawaiian islands including Oʻahu (Honolulu and Kalaeloa), Maui (Kahului) and Hawaii (Kona), operated by Mokulele Airlines, Paragon Air and Hawaiian Airlines.

A ferry that formerly sailed between Molokai and Lāhainā Harbor, Maui closed operations on October 27, 2016. Sea Link President and Senior Capt. Dave Jung attributed the closure to competition from federally subsidized commuter air travel and declining ridership.

The island contains many parks and other protected areas, but most parks do not have service staff, potable water, or restroom facilities. Parks within the Maui County parks jurisdiction include Palaʻau State Park, Kiowea Beach Park, Kakahaiʻa National Wildlife Refuge, Molokaʻi Forest Reserve, Pelekunu Preserve, George Murphy Beach Park, Hālawa Beach Park, and Papohaku Beach Park (with a 3 mi (4.8 km) beach) in the portion within Maui County. Today Kalawao County is preserved by the Kalaupapa National Historical Park (accessible by guided mule or hiking tour).

Here you can find the complete Overview of all Theme Weeks.

Read more on Wikivoyage Molokai and Wikipedia Molokai. Learn more about the use of photos. To inform you about latest news most of the city, town or tourism websites offer a newsletter service and/or operate Facebook pages/Twitter accounts. In addition more and more destinations, tourist organizations and cultural institutions offer Apps for your Smart Phone or Tablet, to provide you with a mobile tourist guide (Smart Traveler App by U.S. Department of State - Weather report by weather.com - Global Passport Power Rank - Travel Risk Map - Democracy Index - GDP according to IMF, UN, and World Bank - Global Competitiveness Report - Corruption Perceptions Index - Press Freedom Index - World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index - UN Human Development Index - Global Peace Index - Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index). If you have a suggestion, critique, review or comment to this blog entry, we are looking forward to receive your e-mail at comment@wingsch.net. Please name the headline of the blog post to which your e-mail refers to in the subject line.




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