Lāna‘i: The Quiet Island of Hawaii 2023 — Carol & Scott On The Road

We took a short trip in February to explore Lāna‘i island’s nature and to relax! Turns out we did a good job exploring nature with island activities… we still need to work on the relaxing part!

Lāna‘i is for the most part (98%) privately owned by Larry Ellison, founder of the company Oracle. Its history of ownership includes being under control by Maui’s early inhabitants and then, conquered by King Kamehameha. Ultimately, the island changed hands several times and finely became the world’s largest pineapple plantation developed and owned by the Dole pineapple company. More recently, the island was owned by David H. Murdock and finally, in 2012 owned by Larry Ellison. Ellison’s objective is to maintain the natural beauty of the island while building a 100% Green community which houses wellness/health resorts.

The island has a population of approximately 3,200 people and is 18 miles long and about 8 miles from Maui’s coast. The northern side has Shipwreck Beach, which is known for its offshore wreck of a WWII tanker and views of Molokai and Maui islands. Throughout the island, the terrain varies from mountainous to desert to rocky fields/towers and beaches and cliffs.

Our island adventures included: A drive around the island in a Jeep 4-wheel drive with a hike to the beach to view the shipwreck, a mountain trail hike to Koloiki Ridge, horseback riding in the valley and forest, and mountain biking to Keahiakawelo, Lana’i’s Garden of the Gods which has views of Molokai and Oahu.

Mahalo!