Island of Lanai Sold

Lana'i - The Pineapple Island

Lana'i, known as "Pineapple Island", is the 6th biggest of the hawaiian isles. Lana'i, the smallest and least frequented island in the Hwaiian archipelago, is an island of fascinating contrast and enjoyable unbelieve. Lana'i has experienced many changes for such a small island, which have a rather tumultuous past behind them.

The Hawaiians have shunned the island for hundreds of years, thinking it was populated by acute as or akua-ino, a particularly mean and evil race of Goblin or ghosts: the god of the nightmare. Lana'i, in the Malawian name, means "Day of the Kaulua'ae Conquest". Kaulua'ae was a gentleman from Maui who was exiled to Lana as penalty for his fierce ways and roguish tricks at his father's lair.

It is said that Kaulua'ae fought and conquered the Akouas and made the island secure for man. Kaulaua'ae started a huge campfire after the destruction of the wicked ghosts, which could be seen on Maui and signaled to the humans that everything was in order. To celebrate the day, folks hopped into their boats and sailed to Lana'i.

Today, the only village of any kind is the small city of Lana'I City with 3,102 inhabitants. Kalohi Canal divides Lana'I from Molokai Island in the north and from Maui Island through the eight-mile-long Au'au Canal in the south. This small island, which is formed like a decimal point, is only 18 nautical mile in length and 12 nautical mi.

1853 Mormon colonists set off for the island with the good intent of building a "city of Joseph", an exemplary fellowship that embodies benevolence and terrestrial serenity. They were unsuccessful and the congregation dissolved when they found out that their chief, Walter Gibson, was a burglar and a rogue who had surreptitiously recorded the island in his own name.

Gibson was not disturbed by the Mormon Church eccommunication, which brought in a new group of colonists and turned the whole island into an open pasture. Only when George Munroe, a New Zealand scientist, was appointed to run the farm did the island begin to be healed.

Commencing an intensive afforestation programme, Munroe planted tens of thousands of Cook Island and Norfolk Pine, now signed by Lana'I City. While George Munroe was working to restore the island's indigenous wildlife, Jim Dole pioneered the drylands.

Dole bought the whole island in 1922 and made it the biggest apple orchard in the atlantic. It was then sold to Castle & Cook, who farmed the island as a pinapple orchard for many years before moving to a more tourism-oriented farm style. Most of the houses over Lana'I City date from 1922 and the city' s roots.

Today Lana'i is the paradise of the mega-billionaire Larry Ellison. Ellison, who bought the island in a property transaction in 2012, has 97% of the island, which includes two resort properties, a local utilities company and a third of the island's apartments. It draws adventure-seeking tourists who want to see the wealth of wild animals that thrive on the island, which includes mouflon and Axis stags.

As Lana'I is the only island without mongooses, wild birds do well. It is traversed by rugged, unpaved road. A 4WD is needed to discover the island.