Island Hopping Part 2 : Exploring Lanai By A 4WD Jeep

After a good nights rest, we took the early ferry from Maui to Lanai! Overall, it takes about 45 minutes. The island of Lanai is known as the “Most Secluded Island.” The local population sits around 4,000 people.

Lanai is small in size, filling out at about 140-square miles for the whole island. The best part of this small island is, that it is only made up of about 30 miles of paved roads and over 400 miles of dirt roads. The many miles of dirt roads make it a necessity to utilize a 4WD vehicle to get around, especially if It rains! You might even want to consider renting two so you can pull yourself out if you get stuck!

Make sure you are on the lookout to spot the famous Puu Pehe, also known as sweetheart rock. It is an iconic landmark between Manele and Hulopoe Bay that rises 80 feet out of the water. Not only does Lanai offer sweeping ocean views, it has a rich history as well. Located on the East side of the island is the Ka Lanakila Church. It was originally built in 1903 in the sugar plantation town of Keomoku.

If you look past the church, you will see the remains of the Lahaina passenger boat which acted as the ferry between Maui and Lanai until the 1920’s. The towns now sits abandoned with little left to remind you of the history that revolves around this place.

On the Northern side of the island lays Shipwreck Beach or Kaiolohia. Pictured below is the WWII tanker, “Liberty”. If you lookout across the ocean you will be pleasantly surprised with views of the Molokai and Maui Islands.

If you watch the shoreline between December and April, you might happen to see a Humpback whale! While we didn’t get to see any whales, we were able to witness the rare sighting of an endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal. These seals can weight up to a whopping 500-600 pounds! The population of these earless Seals is dwindling down and sightings are become more and more less common. If you get the opportunity to visit any of the Hawaiian Islands and see one of these cute mammals please report your sighting to (808) 220-7802 (Oahu) or email pifsc.monksealsighting@noaa.gov. Any Information you can gather about markings or tags will be helpful to them.

The local deer population outnumbers the actual human population, so you always must be on the lookout for deer in the road ways! We had a delightful day exploring Lanai and seeing the different areas of the island! What a beautiful place! We took the ferry back to Maui so we could tackle the Road to Hana!