Molokai Facts

Moloka'i is often called the most Hawaiian of all the islands. There are a few reasons it has this reputation. First of all, a higher percentage of full-blooded Hawaiians live here than on any other island except Ni'ihau. Second, the way of life on the island remains almost untouched by modernization or commercialization. Time marches on in Moloka'i, but it does it so slowly and gracefully as to be almost unnoticeable. The third reason has to do with the attitude of people on the island. Almost all of them display a genuine "Aloha Spirit" that is impossible to find in any other place in the world. People aren't just polite on this island, they're warm. Shopkeepers aren't professional; they're...

...remains a time capsule on the dawn of the 21st century. It has no deluxe resorts, no stoplights, and no buildings taller than a coconut tree. Molokai is the least developed, most "Hawaiian" of all the islands, making it especially attractive to adventure travelers and peace seekers.

Molokai lives up to its reputation as the most Hawaiian place chiefly through its lineage; there are more people here of Hawaiian blood than anywhere else. This slipper-shaped island was the birthplace of hula and the ancient science of aquaculture. An aura of ancient mysticism clings to the land here, and the old ways still govern life. The residents survive by fishing and hunting wild pigs and axis deer on the...