Kaunakakai Molokai Island Hawaii
Frequently Asked Questions
Ships anchor offshore and tender passengers to Kaunakakai Wharf. This roughly 800-metre pier is the longest in the Hawaiian islands, and walking it is part of the experience.
Yes. The main street begins almost at the end of the wharf: Ala Malama Avenue is three blocks long and takes only minutes to cover. No shuttle is needed for the town itself.
Walk the wharf, wander Ala Malama Avenue and stop at Kanemitsu Bakery, then continue to the Kapuaiwa royal coconut grove on the western edge of town. If your call runs past five hours, the Palaau lookout is worth a taxi or shore excursion.
The deliberate absence of mass tourism. Not a single traffic light on the island, no building taller than a coconut tree, no shopping centres and no resorts. Residents want it that way, and that is exactly what visitors come for.
No, not on a port call. This former place of exile for people with leprosy, now a national historical park, is reachable only on foot, by mule or by plane, and requires a permit. The Palaau lookout, open to everyone, does overlook the peninsula and its sea cliffs approaching 1,000 metres.
On the island's west side, Papohaku Beach runs nearly five kilometres of pale sand and is almost always empty. It does require a car or an excursion, though: this is not a beach you walk to from the pier.
Yes, if you plan to leave town. The outlying sites — Palaau, Halawa Valley, Papohaku — have no public transit and rental supply is very limited. Book ahead or take a ship's excursion.
Yes, for families who like things quiet. Children love the long wharf and the clear lagoon water, and shopkeepers welcome visitors warmly. There are no attractions or organized entertainment, however: Molokai runs slow on purpose.
The US dollar and English. Cards work in the shops, but carry cash: several Saturday-morning farmers' market stalls and some small family grocers take cash only.
A century-old main-street institution, known for hot bread sold in the evening through a back-alley door. If your call ends in late afternoon you will miss the famous evening sale, but the daytime shop is still worth the stop.
