As a resident of Hawaii, I have never had a chance to visit Lanai and I wonder how many other kama'aina (residents) have not been there. Lanai is one of eight islands. It has a total area of 6.9 square miles and is located between Moloka'i and Maui. Lanai was a sovereign land until King Kamehameha 1 united the Hawaiian islands into one royal monarchy in 1810. On April 28, 2009 the National Trust for Historic Preservation named Lanai City one of the 11 most endangered historic sites in the U.S. that has been threatened by urban development and now has two lavish resorts. The population is about 3,200 as of the 2010 census. I was invited to visit Lanai City by resident Lambert Castillo who was born and raised there and is also my guide for this trip. I wanted to see for myself and learn some history of the island with its beautiful coastal scenery and its Mouflon Sheep (photo bottom right).
Lanai City is located in Lanai's central highlands and is about 10 minutes from the airport. It was developed and founded by James D. Dole in the 1900's and had the largest pineapple plantation in the world who employed thousands of workers, mostly Filipino immigrants in the 1920's. It remained a booming industry for many years, but it is now history. Today, Castle & Cooke still owns much of Lanai and still plans to make way for commercial improvements. Today there is a debate on wind power, because most of the generated power will be diverted to Oahu as I was told. There are still no traffic lights on Lanai, and still no shopping malls. The cost of gas is almost $6.00 a gallon, and there is only one gas station, fire station and police station.
The main income comes from the tourism industry which includes their famous and luxurious resorts such as The Manele Bay Hotel, The Lodge at Koele and the Championship Golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus and Greg Norman. Other activities include deer and mouflon hunting, deep sea fishing, mountain biking, horseback riding, sporting clays, archery, kayaking or just create your own enjoyment. I was able to watch a baseball game between Lanai High & Elementary School and Molokai High School (2-5).
This trip was a great adventure, like going back to the 1800's. This place if I didn't know any better, I would say is uninhabited and the scenery is "awesome" and hard to describe until you arrive and see it for yourself. I would like thank my guide, Lambert Castillo for being such a great host. I would also like to mention that he works for Island Air and was recently awarded the Po'okela Award which is presented to recognize and acknowledge excellence. In this case, it reflects Lambert's dedication of 17 years with Island Air, he plays an important part in their ramp operation, refueling the aircraft, his perfect attendance, his great attitude, willingness to help others, willingness to train new employees and willingness to work when understaffed. I also hear that many of his co-workers address him as "the governor" and I have to admit, he really is a "local boy" with a lot of aloha. I would also like to thank Roderick O. Sumagit, Athletic Director Lana'i High School & Elementary School and Leticia "Letty" Castillo, Lambert's mother. "Click here" to see photos.
Lanai City is located in Lanai's central highlands and is about 10 minutes from the airport. It was developed and founded by James D. Dole in the 1900's and had the largest pineapple plantation in the world who employed thousands of workers, mostly Filipino immigrants in the 1920's. It remained a booming industry for many years, but it is now history. Today, Castle & Cooke still owns much of Lanai and still plans to make way for commercial improvements. Today there is a debate on wind power, because most of the generated power will be diverted to Oahu as I was told. There are still no traffic lights on Lanai, and still no shopping malls. The cost of gas is almost $6.00 a gallon, and there is only one gas station, fire station and police station.The main income comes from the tourism industry which includes their famous and luxurious resorts such as The Manele Bay Hotel, The Lodge at Koele and the Championship Golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus and Greg Norman. Other activities include deer and mouflon hunting, deep sea fishing, mountain biking, horseback riding, sporting clays, archery, kayaking or just create your own enjoyment. I was able to watch a baseball game between Lanai High & Elementary School and Molokai High School (2-5).
This trip was a great adventure, like going back to the 1800's. This place if I didn't know any better, I would say is uninhabited and the scenery is "awesome" and hard to describe until you arrive and see it for yourself. I would like thank my guide, Lambert Castillo for being such a great host. I would also like to mention that he works for Island Air and was recently awarded the Po'okela Award which is presented to recognize and acknowledge excellence. In this case, it reflects Lambert's dedication of 17 years with Island Air, he plays an important part in their ramp operation, refueling the aircraft, his perfect attendance, his great attitude, willingness to help others, willingness to train new employees and willingness to work when understaffed. I also hear that many of his co-workers address him as "the governor" and I have to admit, he really is a "local boy" with a lot of aloha. I would also like to thank Roderick O. Sumagit, Athletic Director Lana'i High School & Elementary School and Leticia "Letty" Castillo, Lambert's mother. "Click here" to see photos.
No comments:
Post a Comment