Touring Molokai

Molokai is a small island.  Doesn't take long to explore.  Feels more Hawaiian and less commercial than the other islands.  Hopefully there will never be a Costco here however saying that it is very expensive here.

We first head to the east part of the island.  It tends to get more rain and is more lush.  There are some beautiful beaches, some of them protected by reefs so you can swim/snorkel there.

We stop by and view a few churches.  Father Damien built several buildings on the island when he arrived here in the 1800's to help the people that had been literally dumped here because of having leprosy.

This is the Kalaupapa peninsula in the north where the people first settled and developed the 'leper colony' in a town called Kalawao.  Later they moved to the other side of the peninsula which was more sheltered and named the town Kalaupapa.  People still live in this town who suffer from leprosy or Hansen's disease.  Access to the area is limited to protect their privacy.

The cliffs dropping down to the water are dramatic at this point.  This is the side of the original volcano.  The front of it fell away forming the cliffs and the peninsula in front.  This also caused huge tsunamis but this was thousands of years ago.