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Molokai is Hawaii's least populated and developed island. It also has very minimal tourist activity. Compared to the Na Pali Coast on Kauai, which at times can be inundated with exhaust-spewing tour boats and noisy helicopters, the "back side", as the locals call it, of Molokai is relatively free of tour boats. There is an occasional helicopter, but are rare in comparison to the other islands. |
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As we flew to Molokai "International" on the early morning Aloha Island Air flight from Honolulu, we noticed the white caps on the ocean - an indication of strong winds on the surface. We were hoping that the conditions would be different on the far end of Molokai. Our outfitter, Claire of Molokai Outdoors, was there with her vans to transport us and our supplies. We stopped at Molokai's largest town of Kaunakakai (population 2648) for lunch and some last minute provisions. The ride to Halawa Bay, located on the far north east corner of the island, was about a 90 minute ride passing quaint, peaceful communities along a turquoise coastline. |
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Halawa Bay
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The weather that day was clear and your typical Hawaiian day of moderate temperatures, blue skies and passing cumulonimbus clouds. The road down into Halawa Valley provides a birds eye view of the valley and a first look at the ocean conditions that we had to deal with which looked relatively calm and reasonable. Our kayaks were there waiting for us. After the outfitter completed her inventory of equipment, we were free to load our kayaks. Most of the members of the party had to share a two person kayak. Unfortunately the two person kayaks have minimal storage capacity and all equipment needs to be secured on top of the kayak. The challenge is to secure the equipment on to the kayak at a low center of gravity so as to prevent the kayak from capsizing. After a an hour or so of packing and securing, one by one we waded across the Halawa Stream with kayaks in tow. We mounted our craft and assembled in the middle of the bay. Mishi chanted a traditional Hawaiian prayer to guide us and protect us in our journey. |
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Loading the kayaks, Halawa Stream
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The North coast of Koolau Molokai's endless boulder beaches and complicated bays are perfectly angled to accept the full force of the powerful "Molokai Express" and therefore cannot be approached lightly. August is usually the calmest month on this most rugged of all Hawaiian coastlines, but even "normal" 4-6 foot seas with 15-25 knot trade winds can be testy. Although most of the crew were experienced kayakers, for most of us in this group of 12, this was our first adventure along this coastline. We put our trust onto our leader Tomas, one of three psychologists on this trip, who had traversed down the coast two years previously. Fortunately the seas were calm, the wind moderate with minimal chop. There were your typical large ocean swells but they were nothing to worry about. |
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Our first destination was Papalaua Valley. Rounding Haka'a'ano Point, one's breath is taken away at first sight of this valley and its magnificent waterfall. Papalaua has been carved by the Kawai Nui Stream. Papalaua Falls cascades 1644 feet from the the top down 5 tiered drops with an average volume of 50 cubic feet a second. |
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Papalaua Falls
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The intention was to set up camp at Junior's Hakahano fish. Junior had built a shelter in a protective cove at the mouth of Papalaua Valley. Upon arriving, Tomas landed his kayak on the boulder beach to survey the situation while the rest of us waited in the bay. Unfortunately, Tomas discovered that the shelter was occupied. There was a strong desire in the group to explore the valley and not move on, so Tomas traversed the beach boulders and looked for a suitable camp area at the mouth of the stream. He was unable to find an area large enough to accommodate 12 campers comfortably. There were too many large boulders and uneven ground. So on we went to Wailau Valley. |
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Just west of Papalaua Valley is Kikipua Point. Just past the point is a series of flattened ledges along the coast, we noticed a man made structure on one of these ledges. There are no land routes to it from the rest of the island and therefore only accessible by sea. John F.G. Stokes, former curator of Polynesian Ethnology at the Bishop Museum, wrote about this heiau (Hawaiian place of worship) on the east side of Kikipua. Legends said it was built by Alapai, a great shark hunter of Molokai who captured their decomposing bodies on a dish, which were taken out to sea, the drip of the decomposition attracting sharks. Stokes thought that the Kikipua area might have been used as a training site, a college for priests because of its isolation. |
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This shot, along with the other aerial shots on this page are courtesy of a neighbor who was flying from a training mission on the Big Island. He happened to be flying over the beach and took this shot as we were landing on Wailau Beach.
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Wailau translates into "Many Waters". When the valley first comes into view, the abundant waterfalls and fluted cliffs verifies the name. Its width is broad and its depth goes back four miles. It is the largest of north Molokai's valleys. Unlike Papalaua, Wailua has a fairly wide sandy beach to land on. The east side of the shore where the river mouth is located, is made of boulders. Curiously, there are several man made structures that are mysteriously abandoned on that side of the beach. These structures are mostly made of bamboo and tarps. Some are surprisingly complex in their design and have amenities such as gas stoves and queen size beds. According to the "locals" we came across, the inhabitants are usually there in the summer then leave when the kids need to go back to school in the fall. Nevertheless, there was a certain eeriness to the scene. |
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Wailau Valley structures
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Upon landing, the waves were a smallish one to three feet, breaking away before the shore, enabling us to ride them in without to much trouble. Most of us decided to camp in a small open field just beyond the beach. The mosquitoes were a little too much for us to bear, my wife and I decided to set up camp near the shore. |
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It was decided that a small team of cooks would be responsible for dinner each night with a different team cooking each note. The first night cooks decided on a Thai theme for dinner. A wonderful feast where fresh MahiMahi in Thai sauce and oriental eggplant were the highlights of the meal. Our resident sommelier Frank provided us with fine Pinot Noirs and Syrahs. |
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Dinner at Wailau
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As we watched the sun go down and as the stars made their gradual appearance, Tomas entertained us with melodic East African melodies played on his kalimba. As the the evening passed, meteors became more frequent. The Perseid Meteor showers was making their way across the heavens. Unfortunately, the meteor activity peaked at around 2:30 AM. Most were two tired and retired early to wait for the climax of the show. |
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Wailau sunset
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Since we initially planned to spend one night on Papalaua and one night in Wailua, it was nice to get up and not worry about packing for the next destination. Breakfast was dominated by the ritual of coffee production. Most of the group decided to explore the valley. I decided to try my hand at fishing. My wife and I went out on the kayak and cruised the coast and tried everything from dunking, trolling and bottom fishing. I obviously need more experience in the sport. I'm glad I packed a backup supply of Mahi for the fish tacos we were preparing that night. |
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Mountain apples in season
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Upon returning to the beach, Monica decided to join the rest of the group that was exploring the rest of the valley. I decided to stay on the beach, explore and try some shore casting. It was nice to enjoy the solitude and serenity of the deserted beach. |
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The group followed the river up the valley. They discovered that the river was very wide and serene at some sections. They also found sections where rapids were strong enough to ride and took turns riding the water down stream and even creating trains while riding down as a group. They returned to camp with arms full of delicious mountain apples. |
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Because of the sporadic but heavy showers, I decided to build a shelter to protect our cooking crew from the occasional surprise shower. Our menu theme was Mexican. For appetizers, I whipped up my Guacamole recipe, Monica and Mishi made cheese quesadillas while Tim mixed up margaritas for everyone. We followed that with fresh mahi tacos. Michi closed the show with her delicious baked smores. We gathered again on the shore to observe another spectacular sunset. Great conversation, story telling, Tomas's kalimba and more of sommelier Frank's fine spirits were the fare for the rest of the evening. |
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Left: Wailau Valley; Right: Umelehi Point
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Our next and last destination was Pelekunu Valley. Pelekunu is now "owned" and managed by the Nature Conservancy. This 5,759 acre preserve was established to protect the free-flowing Pelekunu Valley Stream System which is one of the best in the State. It is also part of a larger regional management effort that provides protection to over 22,000 contiguous acres on Molokai. Pelekunu contains nearly all the native Hawaiian aquatic fish, crustacean, and mollusk species. In addition, 27 rare plant, 5 endemic forest bird, and 2 endemic land snail species have been reported from the area. |
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Like Wailau, Pelekunu has a nice sandy beach and what appeared to be relatively calm waves. Our kayak along with another kayak had flipped over upon landing. One person had strained her neck on the landing, it seem serious at first, but thankfully she came out of it okay. |
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Since we arrived fairly late, there was only talk of exploring the valley. Perhaps the sign at edge of the valley that read "WARNING Wild dogs present. You are at risk of attack" may have been a deterrent. I think the sign fulfilled its intended purpose. |
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In the mid to late Seventies, several families were able to acquire homestead property in this valley. They lived as a community for several years and created a home schooling program for the children. Most of the families were able to stay for several years and one family lived there for eight years. Because of the children's awareness of the outside world, it was difficult for the parents to restrain their teenaged children's desire to be part of that world. The last family left in 1984. These families occasionally get together for a large reunion at the valley. Just a week before we arrived, they built a large shelter on the beach for this purpose. We were very fortunate that the shelter was still up when we arrived at the bay. |
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Thanks to the Sawyer family we were able to cook and eat in the relative comfort of dry conditions. The menu this evening was middle eastern. The team prepared a large selection of tasty dishes such as couscous, falafel, tabbouleh and salted meats. And of course more of Franks great wine. Live entertainment was provide by Laura's dance performance, lighting by Monica and all choreographed to 70's covers provided by Franks iPod. |
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Left: Haupu Bay; Right: Okala and Mokapu Islands and Kalaupapa Peninisula
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Tyicaly, the prevailing winds and waves move from east to west along this coast. It is rare that you can paddle against it. In the past, kayakers were able paddle around Kalaupapa Peninsula and land beyond it and arrange for somebody to pick you up. Hawaiian activists have made this difficult by limiting commercial activities along this coast. The only option for us to return was to arrange for boats to pick us, our equipment and kayaks up at Pelekunu Bay and transport us back to Halawa. Simple enough right. No so. When the boats arrived the next morning, we were surprised to see that they were two twenty foot Boston Whalers. We looked at each other and said "They are bringing us back in those!" We really didn't have a choice, So one by one we paddled out to the boats and loaded them one by one. Amazingly they were able to fit all of the kayaks and the equipment and all the people into those seemingly tiny boats. Our boat captain look a spin around to valley to ensure that everything was secure. I'm glad he did because we had no idea of what the conditions were in the open ocean. |
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Loading kayaks at Pelekunu Bay and heading out to the open ocean
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Hurricane Flossie was tracking its way west just south of the Hawaiian Island. The conditions we encountered may have not been a direct result of Flossie, but it sure looked like it. By far this was the worst sea conditions of the trip. The wind was blowing at 40-50- knots and the seas were white capping with swells of 12-18 feet. The peaks of the waves were steep and the troughs deep. Going against the wind and waves that big in a small boat packed to the gills with personnel, equipment and kayaks was probably one on the most fearsome experiences of my life. Because I was sitting on the bow, my derriere was taking a beating and as I gripped on the side railing for dear life I noticed my knuckles were pale for lack of circulation. I managed to maintain my sanity my "being with the waves" and moving with the rhythm and not against. This visceral intensity was juxtaposed with this visual view of a spectacular coastline with cascading water falls spilling out of the sky. After about an hour of this joy ride, we finally made it into the safe confines of Halawa Bay. I looked at my wife and she said "I can check North Coast Molokai off my list, never again in those conditions". |
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Captain Walter was nice enough to have some cold beer on us. As I sat on the beach enjoying my beer, I wondered if I will do it again. Maybe, maybe not. |
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We unpacked the kayaks, loaded the van and took the long ride back to Kaunakakai. We stopped at the Hotel Molokai to shower, take a dip in the pool, ate lunch and relaxed before we headed for the airport. We arrived in Honolulu early that evening. It was nice to say goodbye to all our fellow kayak adventurers. |
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