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Even as a Maui local, I was surprised by how familiar, yet new, Molokai felt.
The island’s slow pace and tight-knit community reshaped how I think about travel in Hawaii.
Molokai’s history, environmental realities, and quiet landscapes left a lasting impression.
Growing up on the west side of Maui, I could always see Molokai, but I never made the trek across the channel.
For years, it was easy to visit, with a ferry running between my hometown of Lahaina and Molokai’s main town, Kaunakakai.
When the ferry was discontinued in 2016, a short commuter flight on Mokulele Airlines became the primary way to access Molokai — one reason it’s considered the least touristy Hawaiian island.
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After 30 years, I finally visited Molokai. Here are the nine things that surprised me most about my trip to the so-called Friendly Isle.
Parts of Molokai looked and felt similar to Maui.
Molokai has some similarities to Maui. Ashley Probst
Flying in, Molokai’s rugged mountains reminded me of Pu’u Kukui on Maui, with deep ridges layered in countless shades of green.
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Patches of iron-rich earth felt familiar, too. As a kid, I always called it “red Maui dirt,” but traveling throughout Hawaii taught me it isn’t exclusive to my home island.
At Molokai Airport and Pala’au State Park, towering ironwood trees instantly transported me back to Kapalua.
These similarities aren’t a coincidence: Over a million years ago, Maui, Molokai, Lāna’i, and Kaho’olawe were once a single landmass known as Maui Nui.
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Kindness wasn’t surprising, but being remembered was.
Many locals I encountered were very kind. Ashley Probst
Molokai’s nickname, the Friendly Isle, quickly proved accurate. Everyone I met was warm and welcoming — even before they knew I was from a neighboring island.
A man who worked at the Molokai Museum and Cultural Center invited me to the town’s monthly First Friday market. When I arrived, he greeted me by name, remembering it from the museum guestbook.
At Molokai Hot Bread, the woman behind the counter offered to store my bread in her personal fridge to keep it fresh until my flight home.
When I returned to pick it up, she greeted me by name, too.
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Driving without traffic lights was relaxing, not chaotic.
I didn’t mind not having traffic lights. Ashley Probst
I expected the absence of traffic lights to feel chaotic, especially in downtown Kaunakakai. Instead, driving here felt calm and intuitive.
There were still speed limits, stop signs, and road etiquette. Using your indicator felt even more important than usual.
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One exception was the east side of Molokai, where oceanfront roads were largely empty, and some stretches didn’t even have guardrails.
Though locals occasionally passed my rental car, I never encountered any traffic.
I kept running into familiar faces — people I already knew from Maui and new connections I made on Molokai.
I stayed at Hotel Molokai during my trip. Ashley Probst
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Running into someone I knew on the flight there felt like a coincidence, but seeing another familiar face on the return trip reminded me just how interconnected Hawaii’s island communities are and how easily they intersect.
As I met new people throughout my trip, I kept seeing them elsewhere on the island.
My favorite moment came after a guided hike through Halawa Valley, where the only other participant turned out to be a fellow Hotel Molokai guest.
When we parted ways, she said, “Have a nice life,” but I reminded her there’s no Hawaiian word for goodbye — only a “hui hou,” meaning “until we meet again.”
Sure enough, we saw each other again at sunset back at the hotel, and we both laughed when I said, “I knew I’d see you again!”
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Learning from a cultural practitioner changed how I think about Hawaiian language and identity.
I learned a lot about Molokai’s history. Ashley Probst
My guided hike through Halawa Valley included stories rooted in oral tradition, offering insight into Molokai’s history and Hawaiian culture at large.
One surprising takeaway was that many Molokai residents don’t use ‘okina or kahakō in everyday language. According to my guide, this supports pronouncing the island as “Molo-kai” rather than “Molo-kuh-e” — a debate Iʻd heard many times growing up.
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He also shared that, in his family’s teachings, anyone born in the state is Hawaiian, while Native Hawaiian refers specifically to those with Hawaiian ancestry. That distinction stood out to me, especially since I’ve often corrected people who assumed I was Hawaiian simply because I was born and raised here.
Importantly, he emphasized that beliefs vary by family and region, and the best practice is always to ask and listen.
Finding litter and plastic debris on a remote beach brought a major global issue into perspective.
I spent some time on the beach picking up debris. Ashley Probst
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After my hike, I walked down to Halawa Beach and was struck by the dramatic beauty of the valley meeting the ocean.
Once on the sand, I noticed countless pieces of trash and plastic embedded throughout the shoreline. Instead of swimming or sunbathing, I spent about 30 minutes picking up the multicolored fragments, eventually filling my hands with a rainbow of debris.
It was a sobering reminder that even Hawaii’s most remote places aren’t untouched by global environmental issues.
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Kalaupapa Lookout felt deeply grounding, both historically and spiritually.
I saw a beautiful rainbow in the area. Ashley Probst
Kalaupapa’s history has stayed with me since childhood. This peninsula was once used as a forced quarantine for people with Hansen’s disease before a cure was discovered.
Seeing it in person was heavy and humbling, especially knowing access remains limited, even today.
What surprised me most was the spiritual energy of the place. I initially explored other parts of the park, but strong winds seemed to guide me toward the lookout, and I arrived just in time to see a vivid rainbow stretch across the cliffs.
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I knew hunting was a popular pastime, but I didn’t expect to see so many wild game birds and bones.
I saw more bones on the island than I had expected to. Ashley Probst
I didn’t expect to see wild turkeys roaming near the road, or so many bones scattered across the island.
My Halawa Valley guide explained that game birds like turkeys, pheasants, and quail were introduced for hunting. I also learned that while Maui has a large axis deer population, the species was first introduced to Molokai.
During various hikes, I spotted everything from small joints to full skulls, and even a naturally shed deer antler.
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A slow pace was expected, but it felt surreal to experience so many empty spaces.
I had a lot of roads and places to myself throughout my trip. Ashley Probst
I expected Molokai to move slowly, but I didn’t anticipate just how empty it would feel.
From beaches and roads to entire towns, I often had places entirely to myself. Visiting in early December may have played a role, but the quiet seemed intrinsic to the island.
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That stillness is part of Molokai’s allure — and a testament to it being Hawaii’s least touristy island.
Seeing Maui from a distance gave me a new appreciation for home.
It was interesting to see my home from afar. Ashley Probst
Not only did I get to see my home island from an angle I’d never experienced before, but returning from Molokai also made me appreciate how much there is to do on Maui.
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Any hint of island fever I’d been feeling quietly faded, replaced by gratitude for the pace and variety of home.
Most visitors think Oahu’s North Shore stops at Haleiwa because that is where traffic builds to pandemonium, where beach parking fills earlier than you can imagine, and where sitting in your car between the familiar lineup of surf breaks and food trucks largely defines the experience. Once people have crawled through and found a place to stand at Waimea or Sunset, the mental box gets checked, and the car points back toward Honolulu fast, as if everything worth seeing has already been seen. But it hasn’t.
Instead of turning around at Haleiwa, we continued west on Farrington Highway and watched the storefronts fall away in the rearview mirror. The line of rental cars thinned fast as the road narrowed and the mountains got closer to the pavement. On the ocean side, long stretches of sand opened up, and within a few miles, we were seeing more wind in the ironwood trees than cars on the road or people on the beach.
Most visitors leaving Haleiwa head east toward Sunset Beach and Pipeline, where traffic stacks up endlessly and parking lots overflow. We went the other way. Out toward Mokuleia, the commercial North Shore disappears fast, and what replaces it is space. There are no visitors circling for stalls and no steady lines at food trucks. You can pull over without searching for the one open spot in a packed lot, and entire sections of beach sit quietly without the usual cluster.
Dillingham Airfield and the working North Shore.
One of the first landmarks after Mokule’ia Beach (which we will write about soon) is what most people still call Dillingham Airfield, though its official name is Kawaihapai Airfield. It is owned by the U.S. Army and managed by the State of Hawaii Department of Transportation under a 50-year lease, and it has been operated as a military installation since the 1920s, with HDOT taking over management in 1962. HDOT leases 272 acres of the 650-acre Dillingham Military Reservation and operates the single 9,000-foot runway, with the civilian side used heavily for gliders and skydiving while the Army retains first priority for air/land operations and uses the field for helicopter night-vision training.
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As we drove past, it did not feel like a visitor attraction at all, even though you can spot the roadside signs for glider rides and skydiving. A small single-engine plane rolled down the runway and lifted off against the Waianae Mountains, then a glider followed, towed upward before separating and moving almost silently above the coastline. It is one of those North Shore scenes that makes you slow down without thinking about it, because it looks like real working Oahu rather than the marketed version, with runway, mountains, and open water all in the same frame and very few people around to make it feel like a production.
Camps that have been here for generations.
Close to the airfield are two oceanfront camps that rarely enter any typical Oahu visitor’s plans. The first is Camp Mokuleia, which sits along the shoreline and is owned by the Episcopal Church. If you’re not on a retreat, you can rent a campsite or tentalo on the beach. A little farther west is YMCA Camp Erdman, which opened in 1926 and is approaching its 100th anniversary, still renting oceanfront cabins and yurts to the public.
The accommodations are straightforward, with sand steps away from the doors and long views of the horizon. This is not a resort strip, and you won’t find any valet stands or infinity pools. Families gather around grills, kids move freely between cabins and the beach, while the ocean feels part of the daily backdrop more than it is an Instagram photo opportunity.
Camp Mokuleia tentalos start at $100 a night. Camp Erdman yurts and cabins range from $250-$450 per night for up to 6 guests. For context, the average vacation rental in the Mokuleia area lists above $500 a night.
The shoreline here is not known for calm, protected swimming, and currents can be strong without lifeguard towers stationed every few hundred yards. The beach also has a lot of coral, which keeps swimmers more limited than some other beaches. And that fact alone keeps casual beach traffic lighter, and it helps explain why this stretch feels so different from busier Oahu North Shore stops. The camps and the character of the water belong to the same landscape, shaped more by geography than by commercial branding.
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Parking at Kaena Point State Park – Oahu
Where the pavement ends.
Eventually, Farrington Highway reaches a gravel lot where the pavement stops and a locked gate marks the entrance to the Mokuleia section of Kaena Point State Park. There is no visitor center funneling people through an entrance plaza. Instead, there is open sky, steady trade winds, and a handful of parked cars facing a dirt road that continues on foot toward the westernmost tip of Oahu, where you can meet the road that comes from the other side. This is truly a part of Oahu that most visitors never see.
Hikers follow the old railroad route for roughly 2.7 miles to Kaena Point itself, where seabirds nest behind protective fencing and monk seals are sometimes seen along the shore. The trail is exposed, hot, and largely flat, with no services and little shade, which naturally limits casual foot traffic. Consider not trying it in the middle of the day. But, standing at the end of the paved road, with the Waianae Mountains behind you and nothing but raw coastline ahead, feels less like arriving at any Oahu attraction and more like standing at the literal end of the island.
What stood out most was how little competition there was for space. There were only a few cars in the lot when we arrived, and long portions of the beach were untouched compared with the chaotic churn nearby at Haleiwa. It was a bit windy, the mountains anchored one side of the horizon, and the coastline extended westward without any indication that you were sharing it with scattered other people.
If you have been to the North Shore more than once and believe you have already seen it, have you ever kept driving past Haleiwa until the pavement runs out? It’s worth the drive.
Tonight: Cloudy. Scattered showers in the evening, then isolated showers after midnight. Lows 59 to 66 near the shore to 48 to 54 at 4000 feet. Southeast winds up to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40 percent.
Monday: Cloudy with isolated showers. Highs 75 to 80 near the shore to around 65 at 4000 feet. East winds up to 10 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.
Monday Night: Cloudy with scattered showers. Lows 59 to 65 near the shore to 48 to 54 at 4000 feet. East winds around 10 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.
Kona
Tonight: Cloudy. Isolated showers in the evening. Lows around 69 near the shore to 45 to 52 near 5000 feet. Light winds. Chance of rain 20 percent.
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Monday: Cloudy. Highs 81 to 86 near the shore to around 67 near 5000 feet. Light winds becoming west up to 10 mph in the afternoon.
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Monday Night: Mostly cloudy. Lows around 69 near the shore to 44 to 51 near 5000 feet. Northwest winds around 10 mph in the evening becoming light.
Waimea
Tonight: Cloudy and breezy. Isolated showers in the evening. Lows 59 to 68 near the shore to 53 to 59 near 3000 feet. East winds up to 10 mph increasing to up to 20 mph after midnight. Chance of rain 20 percent.
Monday: Cloudy and breezy. Isolated showers in the morning. Highs 72 to 78 near the shore to 67 to 75 near 3000 feet. East winds up to 20 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.
Monday Night: Mostly cloudy. Breezy. Isolated showers in the evening. Lows 59 to 67 near the shore to 52 to 58 near 3000 feet. East winds 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.
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Kohala
Tonight: Cloudy and breezy. Isolated showers in the evening. Lows 59 to 68 near the shore to 53 to 59 near 3000 feet. East winds up to 10 mph increasing to up to 20 mph after midnight. Chance of rain 20 percent.
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Monday: Cloudy and breezy. Isolated showers in the morning. Highs 72 to 78 near the shore to 67 to 75 near 3000 feet. East winds up to 20 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.
Monday Night: Mostly cloudy. Breezy. Isolated showers in the evening. Lows 59 to 67 near the shore to 52 to 58 near 3000 feet. East winds 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.
South Big Island
Tonight: Cloudy. Isolated showers in the evening. Lows around 71 near the shore to around 51 near 5000 feet. Northeast winds up to 15 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.
Monday: Cloudy and breezy. Highs around 83 near the shore to around 64 near 5000 feet. East winds up to 20 mph.
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Monday Night: Mostly cloudy. Breezy. Lows around 70 near the shore to around 50 near 5000 feet. East winds 10 to 20 mph.
Puna
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Tonight: Cloudy. Scattered showers in the evening, then isolated showers after midnight. Lows 59 to 66 near the shore to 48 to 54 at 4000 feet. Southeast winds up to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40 percent.
Monday: Cloudy with isolated showers. Highs 75 to 80 near the shore to around 65 at 4000 feet. East winds up to 10 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.
Monday Night: Cloudy with scattered showers. Lows 59 to 65 near the shore to 48 to 54 at 4000 feet. East winds around 10 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.
Waikoloa
Tonight: Cloudy. Lows around 70 near the shore to 48 to 54 above 4000 feet. Light winds.
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Monday: Cloudy. Highs around 83 near the shore to 65 to 71 above 4000 feet. Light winds becoming northwest up to 15 mph in the afternoon.
Monday Night: Mostly cloudy. Lows around 70 near the shore to 47 to 54 above 4000 feet. North winds 10 to 15 mph shifting to the east after midnight.
Synopsis
The cold front has dissipated into a trough and remains northwest of the Hawaiian Islands this evening. High pressure will build in from the north and allow the trade winds to strengthen from Monday through Wednesday. Brief passing showers will favor windward and mountain areas in the overnight to early morning hours through Wednesday and then over southeastern slopes and island interior sections from Thursday onward. Winds will weaken and veer slightly from a more east-southeast direction from Thursday on into the weekend. Shower activity will remain limited during this time period.
Short term update
The large band of high level cirrus clouds and mid level alto stratus clouds currently over the islands will continue to slowly diminish through Monday. The cold front approaching the islands has stalled and diminished into a trough just northwest of the island of Kauai. Trade winds blow into the region and strengthen into the moderate to locally breezy range from Monday through Wednesday. A slight decrease in wind speeds and a shift from a more east- southeast direction remains in the forecast from Thursday onward as another cold front approaches the islands from the northwest, weakening and lifting the ridge north of the state. Local scale sea breeze winds will develop along terrain sheltered slopes of each island as the large scale winds weaken. Limited shower activity will prevail into next weekend with only brief showers possible. The afternoon forecast looks good. No evening updates.
Previous discussion
Issued at 302 PM HST Sun Mar 1 2026. Expectations for this afternoon remain on track. The boundary upstream of Kauai has made little to no forward progress today, sea breezes have struggled to establish owing to abundant high clouds, and showers southwest of Kauai and Oahu have essentially remained in place while stratiform elements peel off to the northeast. In addition, regenerating showers over Windward Oahu have dissipated in response to backing low-level flow. All told, an uneventful, cloudy, and mostly dry day across the state. Going forward, building heights over the N Central Pacific will maintain strengthening, but progressive high pressure at the surface. This in turn ensures the return of trades tonight which then become breezy during mid-week. Winds diminish slightly by late week as trades veer to ESE in advance of another round of upstream height falls. Typical trade wind weather anticipated throughout this time with showers focused windward and mauka. High clouds gradually clear from west to east Monday into Tuesday before exiting the area altogether by Wednesday.
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Aviation
A weakening stationary boundary will allow for abundant high clouds and relatively light land/sea breezes to prevail across most TAF sites. This front will also allow for disorganized showers across Kauai and Oahu tonight, however confidence was on the lower end based on weather model guidance, so made use of VCSH and PROB30 where rain chances were felt to be the highest. MVFR conditions may prevail under shower activity, otherwise VFR is expected across most sites for the period. AIRMET Tango remains in effect across the islands due to upper- level turbulence from FL200-400 due to this front, with conditions expected to improve into tomorrow as this system continues to weaken. Patchy mountain obscuration may occur due to the presence of this front, however observations and webcams suggest that the threat is not widespread enough to warrant an AIRMET at this time. Light icing is also possible in cloud layer 120-180.
Marine
Issued at 302 PM HST Sun Mar 1 2026. A dissipated front will linger into Monday just northwest of the area. Fresh to locally strong easterly trades will build in by Tuesday as surface ridge strengthens to the north. Winds will maintain strength but veer east southeast towards the end of the week as another system approaches from the west. Surf along north and west-facing shores will be above seasonal average as a northwest swell (310 degrees) is expected to impact through Monday. Surf should remain small though the week with a small northwest bump expected next weekend. Surf along exposed east-facing shores will be a bit elevated due to a short-to medium-period northeast (40 degrees) swell, then decline Tuesday. However, period and choppy conditions are expected to return by Tuesday as fresh trade winds redevelop and expand upstream of the state. Surf along south-facing shores will remain near the seasonal average into March.
HFO Watches/Warnings/Advisories
None.
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(BIVN) – YAS Fest, aka the Youth Art Series Festival, is returning to Kalākaua Park in Downtown Hilo.
The East Hawaiʻi Cultural Center is hosting the event on Saturday, March 14th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. “Keiki and their families will be treated to an exciting array of performances, craft and information booths, and art activities,” a press release promoted.
From event organizers:
YAS Fest brings together local organizations dedicated to providing arts opportunities to keiki and teens from around Hawaiʻi Island. By spotlighting their activities, YAS Fest celebrates the importance of arts education for everyone.
Booths include the Hilo High School Art Club, Hawaiʻi Handweavers’ Hui, Friends of the Palace Theatre, and over a dozen more.
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Headlining the performers is HAAStile (a teen rock band from Hawaiʻi Academy of Arts and Sciences, directed by Trever Veilleux). Audiences will also enjoy performances by Big Wave Dance Academy, Aloha Teen Theatre, N2 Dance, Hawaii’s Volcano Circus, Prince Dance Institute, and Kona Dance and Performing Arts.
YAS Fest is made possible by support from County Council District 2 and Coldwell Banker Island Properties. EHCC also thanks KTA Super Stores, Kelsey Ito, and Lō‘ihi Studios for their contributions.
Says YAS Fest organizer Kellie Miyazu, who is EHCC’s Youth Education Director, “Last year we had around 300 visitors to the first YAS Fest. There was a lot of nice feedback from visitors, and also from the organizations who were able to network with each other and the community. We’re expecting an even more successful festival this year.”
Visitors are also encouraged to stop by the EHCC patio across the street to learn more about EHCC’s vision for the year and how community support helps keep EHCC’s unique gallery and keiki programs accessible to all.
For more information, visit EHCC online at ehcc.org, call 961-5711, or visit EHCC at 141 Kalakaua Street. Current gallery and office hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, and Friday noon to 6 p.m.
