On Tuesday we got up early and took a ferry from Lahaina to the island of Lanai. We were very excited to see what this island was like since we’ve been staring at it all week from across the ocean! We knew there wasn’t a lot on the island but I think we overestimated what we thought we would see in terms of commercialism and we underestimated what we thought we would see in sheer beauty. The ferry dropped us at Lanai Harbor and we met up with a man named Jeff who rented us a Jeep for the day. Jeff was very laid back and almost mesmerizing with his stories of his life on Lanai. Greg joked that he had to slow his speech down when speaking to Jeff on the phone as Greg is used to a fast paced business conversation and Jeff could care less how long it takes to have a good conversation. Anyway, after a short lesson on how to get around the only two streets that Lanai has, we were on our way. This island was recently purchased by Larry Ellison of Oracle fame and he has sunk huge amounts of money into making this island sustainable and improving the infrastructure. Work that he has begun was evident all over the island.

Our first stop was Shipwreck Beach. When I tell you that it felt completely surreal to swim in the water while looking at Molokai to the left and Maui to the right and have a turtle swim past you, I mean it was SURREAL. The beauty was show stopping. There was no way that you could be there and not thank God for all that was around you.

This beach got its name from this ship that ran aground and has been there ever since. These days people snorkel around it.

The beach had loads of turtles which made Leah happy. She was working hard here to try to get a coconut open!

Our next stop was a trek in the clay colored dirt to find the Garden Of The Gods. The legend goes that this garden was created after two Hawaiian priests (one from Lanai and one from Molokai) had a contest to see who could keep a fire burning longer on their respective island. They used every piece of vegetation for burning and that caused the land to be barren. The rocks piled up from years of erosion. It was fun to climb around on these boulders. The clay color is what much of Lanai looks like along the sides of the island.

This was from the roadside and gives you an idea of what the colors of the island look like. The island across the way is Molokai. I liked looking at it since I read the book, Molokai, and it was soooo good.

We ended our adventure with a dinner back in Lahaina.
I’ll have pictures soon of the damage I did in Maui Quilt Shop today. Tomorrow we head to Hana to do the Road To Hana in reverse!

Be well!
Sandi