By Ken Ige, Star-Bulletin
If you've always wanted to be a rodeo star, here's your
chance. This is a ranch, after all. Guide Deanna Keliihoomalu,
left, helps Cami Naehu, center, and Jan Makekau
run these calves through a rodeo course.
So much to do,
so little time
Beyond the trails:
By Tim Ryan
Activities take place on land and sea
Star-BulletinBefore planning the length of your stay at The Great Molokai Ranch Trail, be advised that you'll only be able to get in two major activities a day.
Each activity requires between two and three hours. Morning activities generally start at 9 a.m., afternoon ones at 1 p.m., so unless you arrive early on the first day, you'll probably miss the morning activity.
Take some time to pick out what you want to do in advance. The staff does the rest. Most equipment -- bikes, helmets, surf boards, kayaks -- is provided. All you have to do is be at the pickup point at the designated time and your equipment and guide will be waiting.
Here's a list of available activities and comments on some activities the Star-Bulletin tried.
Cultural/Nature Hikes (1.5 miles, 2 hours): Led by Hawaiian culture expert Lawrence Aki. Participants hike over ranch land viewing heiau, adze quarries, ancient Hawaiian homesites, ku and hina rocks and ahu (shrine).
"Most trails start out at Paniolo Camp and end at either Hale o Lono or Helena beach, about 5-1/2 miles downhill. At the end of the ride, a ranch staffer picks you up in an air-conditioned truck with refreshments ready. Guide and bike coordinator Harley Tancaya, who is part kamikaze -- the guy just loves the jumps -- took me down an intermediate trail that winds through kiawe forests, fields of lantana, wild ilima and waist-high sour grass, and in and out of winding, narrow, compacted red-dirt gullies with bumps and lumps and partially buried rocks popping up like the obstacles in a nutty video game. You set your own pace but don't be surprised if you take a spill. I fell twice the first time out. The trail has numbered markers so if someone is injured all the guide has to do is tell dispatch what number he's at and help arrives shortly. This is definitely a blast!"
By Ken Ige, Star-Bulletin
Hiking guide Gordon Albino, right, explains how ancient
Hawaiians used wedges to crack the huge rocks
that they probably carried to this area.
"Philip Solaterio, whose dad Pilipo manages the ranch's wildlife preserve, drove four of us out to Molokai's southeast side where we paddled a half-mile to the barrier reef. We saw green sea turtles and a whale breaching, rode some tiny waves in our Teflon-like water crafts, then headed downwind and down current about three miles to the pick-up spot. Along the way, colorful fish darted under my kayak -- I even saw a brown-and white moray eel. I almost fell asleep as the current carried me through an enormous Hawaiian fishpond. Tranquil and easy to do. Definitely a good family activity."
"There are several hikes around Paniolo Camp. My favorite is a simple 2- to 3-mile trail that encircles the campground. On this hike, vegetation, Hawaiian archaeological sites and axis deer bones are all identified on small signs. Eventually all the cultural hikes will have signs. The walk accommodates all ability levels. It's a bit rocky in some places, scrubby and thorny in others. The trail ends at a picnic table on a high bluff overlooking the southwest corner of ranch land. A great spot for a picnic or a glass of wine. An excellent morning or late afternoon walk when the sun is low."
These activities have additional fees; long pants and closed-toe shoes are recommended. Paniolo Adventures
"This is City Slickers-Molokai style. On my ride, 12 head of cattle were brought into a ring; I named one Norman. I drove cattle from one corral to another, separated six from the rest of the herd and drove those dogies to a pen on the other side of the ring. My horse, Sugarfoot, a retired cattle-cutting horse, made me look a lot better than I am, though I used to ride extensively. This is worth every buck, buckaroo. And Uncle Jimmy Duvauchelle, the ranch's livestock supervisor and paniolo round-up leader, is as paniolo as they come. He loves seeing city slickers like me enjoy what he's been doing for 31 years. Giddy-ap!"
"OK, you say, you can whale watch anywhere in Hawaii. Well, maybe, but not in a 25-foot, rigid-hull, inflatable boat that glides along the water, barely making a ripple. Capt. Mike Holmes operates the boat out of Hale O Lono harbor, taking up to 10 people west toward Laau Point searching for humpbacks. The boat may be a bit noisy, but it's real smooth riding. If Mike can't find whales at Laau Point, he heads seaward a couple miles, where the currents from Molokai's west and south sides meet. We spotted a whale several times. Then a pod of more than 30 spinner dolphins surrounded the boat for about a half hour, leaping out of the water, even doing vertical spins."Unguided Activities
"Hey brah, there's no surf on Molokai, right? Wrong! The local guys may kill me for telling you this, but the southwest ranch land shore has some primo spots, similar to Oahu's Leeward Coast, and the wind is usually calm or blows offshore. Guide Gordon Albino, himself a surfer, took me to a spot just west of Hale O Lono Harbor that breaks left and right on south and west swells about 100 yards offshore. Our day was pretty small -- about 2 feet -- but the water was bathtub warm and crystal clear and we were the only guys out. Good fun. I'll forever remember Gordon riding a wave and saying, 'I can't believe I get paid to do this.' Psst: There's an even better break a half mile west of Lonos."
