Where to Stay in Molokai Hawaii

temple complex and the tarot stains that once flourished there.

The jeep followed a street winding along the shore, embracing the waves before it lifted us into the hills and dropped us off in the bottom of the world. There, we were welcomed by Lawrence Aki, a leader who guided us and six other guests - an exceptionally large group, Mr Aki said later - on the four miles long round tour, a smooth ascent to the remote Moaula Falls.

Halawa Valley is a rag rug of privately owned lands and it is forbidden to walk to the waterfalls without the company of a paying tour leader, usually a typical resident. There was no street within a few mile, and it seemed reasonable to say that at that point our small group made up the whole populace of Eastern Molokai.

The Molokai is an isolated and secluded place far from the resort of Maui or the May Taiwan nightlife of Honolulu. On the Molokai there are no stoplights, no two storey building, an elevators, no Starbucks, only two banks and three petrol pumps, one of which is closing daily at 1 pm.

Rather, it is the product of a determined effort by some people on the island to exclude the very kind of tourist activity that has dominated the local economies and, as many Moloki claim, has spoiled the cultures of other hawaiian isles over the past halfcentenary. Molokai campaigners in 2003 blockaded the landings of ocean liners and sent a few boats to the port in a colourful demonstration that was both remarkable and devastating.

It also seems to give more ownership here announced with characters cautioning" Kapu" -- a premonition "keep out" rule to possible invaders that translate banned as literal, or taboos -- than anywhere else in Hawaii. Whilst the characters are truly focused on the cannabis farmers who have found wealth by crouching in the insulation of the luxuriant sebum jungle, they certainly are adding to the feeling of ban.

"We saw what was happening with Waikiki, we saw what was happening with Maui and Kauai and what was happening on the big island, and we want nothing to do with it," said Walter Ritte Jr., a hawaiian campaigner who ran many of the outrages. 74,082 attendees fled to Molokai last year, down 20 per cent from 2003, in a year when Air of Hawaii discontinued its air services here, according to the Molokai Visitor Association.

The only way to get to Molokai is by propeller airplane or ferry.) In comparison, Maui had 30 fold as many tourists as Molokai last year. You can see the costs of this opposition in the large holiday complex on the north-western edge of this isle, which has been empty since 2000; the anaemic road in Kaunakak, which comes as near an inner city as here; and the all too usual stories of islanders who get up every Monday mornings and have to travel to Honolulu for a whole working day because there are no vacancies on Molokai.

Until recently, Sandy Beddow, the Molokai Visitors Association's principal, smiled as she spoke of the island's great appeal when she recognised that her professional designation was the triumph of hopes over the world. "If" kapu" is the embassy that some folks send, then it is certainly not the feeling of the whole isle.

When Ben and I grudgingly left the isle, we had not only made up our mind to come back, but also that we would stay longer next tick. After considering it, we chose Molokai and Lanai in quest of a Hwaiian travel spot that we could discover with a flood of visitors in Hwaiian jackets and exotic beers.

When we arrived with turboprops on Iceland Air from Maui, after we had gone on board without any safety precautions, our first proposal was that we would resign in due course. The first two overnight stays were at the Molokai in the centre of the isle. We checked in on Monday evening and made our way to our evening meal in the lodge restaurants, by the swimming pools and with a view of the sea.

We got up early the next day and made a six miles long walk along the Kalaupapa Peninsula cliff, a journey that would lead us to perhaps the most renowned institute on the island: a leprosy settlement founded in 1865 by King Kamehameha V. and still in use. There is a limit on the number of people that are permitted to visit the site every night.

There are some folks taking a very brief plane from the other side of the Molokai to a runway outside the settlement. On our second outing we headed to the eastern end of the islands and this walk up the valleys to the Moaula Falls. Aki, a farmer who once grew taros on deserted lands, and a former Molokai Visitors Association manager, has a much more inviting perspective on travel than some of his co-insulants.

Our third overnight stay was at the Molokai Runch on the west end of the village. It is a major mountain farm on the top of the hillside, with spacious rooms with a westerly feel, many of which offer a wide view over the cliffs overlooking the sea.

So we decided to stay in the secluded seaside town, which was a seven nautical miles ride along a very rugged mud-street, 1,200 ft deep and behind a closed-door. The Kaupoa Beaches were seen through the shielded window of the awning, from the decks or from the hanging wood mats.

The last day we stayed on the hammocks and tried to decide if we wanted to do one of the best (if only) sands of the whole archipelago, a wide, sand isolated beach on the western bank or another walk. We' ve decided on a walk, although I'm pretty sure I saw Ben Blasanch on a third one.

We had to take our 4x4 to the Waikolulookout for this trek and walk down into the valleys. Observing the directions on a shield, we rung the doorbell and went inside, where we were awarded with a walk through his study and exhibition room, as well as a hand-drawn card for the best walk from the viewpoint.

When we reached the viewpoint, the bottom of the village was unfortunately covered in cloud. In Hawaii, my personal feeling is that if that happens, even if you've been hiking for half an hours, the best thing to do is to go and just come back the next time. The Molokai is not the first island in Hawaii where you want to snorkel, surf or swim.

There are currently only two guesthouses on the islands, although there are four B&B's and a number of condominiums and rental properties. While in recent years there has been a seasonal increase in grocery qualities in places such as Maui and Kauai, this development has so far circumvented Molokai.

There is no branch here, even Roy's - the otherwise ubiquitous Pacific Rim Restaurant network that has been pioneering in Hawaii since 1988. One of the best evenings I've ever stayed in a room at The Lodge and Beach Village at Molokai Ranch in Maunaloa, (888) 627-8082, wwwmolokairanch.com, at the western end of the islands -- if you called a sailcloth marquee constructed around a Kaupoa Beach framework, with sun energy and a grip for a bathroom, a room in a suit.

Twenty-two large rooms with sea views are available at the more intimate lodge, from $398 to $478 per room per day. Up to June 15, a discounted bundle will offer $138 per head at the Beach Village and $178 at the Lodge, with breakfasts and one of the activities (golf, track riding or round-up, or a selection of treatments at the spa).

Molokai Hotel, on Kamehameha V Hwy (Mile Marker 2), (808) 553-5347, www.hotelmolokai.com, is funk, albeit with better times, if not years. On the Molokai Hotel road, next to a car park, the guesthouse has indoors and out. While the well-lit dinning room is a bit short-breathed, the meal - your default meal with shellfish, steaks and salad - is more than sufficient.

Here you are baking a crispy, lightweight flat cake in different flavours (sesame or cinnamon) and Molokai-Brot, a round piece of whitebread - something to take a long way. For Halawa Valley/Falls Cultural Hike: Contact Lawrence Aki at (808)-553-9803.