Molokai was unknown to me when we climbed aboard the ferry after a short bus ride from the Maui airport but my soul had felt called there for over a year so I knew it must be something special.
The whole experience from the ferry ride over to the ferry ride back turned out to be nothing short of magical. Fullpower, life changing magical!
The ferry ride over we made by a whisker as our spur of the moment decision meant we hadn’t booked anywhere to stay and had heard the island was so small that finding any sign of life this late in the day would be unlikely, so spent the last 20 mins before departure on the kind ferry ticket booth ladies’ phone on a “find a room” website to save us from beach sleeping. A little look into what could potentially be our home for a night on the very small island we were heading to, on a boat, in the dark!
I found a lady who was cheap and trying to fundraise for her kids and use the money from the room for their education. Cute.
No reply before departure time but worst case we had our sleeping bags and a hope that it wasn’t going to rain!
We boarded.
The ferry ride to Molokai was incredible. A true sign of what laid ahead of us! The sunset was setting over another island we went past called Lanai, the wind was in our hair, and unsteady fun filled staggerings around the top deck that we had to ourselves as we rode the swells filled the journey under the colour changing sky.
Then…
WHALES!
Turns out Hawaii is where the humpbacks go to give birth as the waters are warmer than other areas. Pods of whales could be seen from the ferry. A blast of water shooting up from the sea as they breathed below the surface, appearing suddenly breaching as they fished, or tails flapping in the air as if waving to us as we passed.
So much gratitude alight in me on this journey, the sunset, the whales, the ocean, Hawaii, the warmth of the woman I love with all my heart as I held her in my arms, the wind ruffling my hair and the stars shining bright above the ferry as day turned to night on our trip into the unknown.
When approaching the captain for ideas on where to stay he said he knew a person on the island that did rentals in her spare room. Clare. Turns out it was the SAME Clare I had just messaged through the “find a room” website. He called her and left a message. We were hopeful, the “coincidence” was too unlikely not to work out! And on arrival at Molokai harbor he told us we had a place! He let me speak to her on the phone and we jumped in a cab and headed off to her place. On the way the need for food was a hopeful stop at the local minimart (the healthiest of the pizza, burger, minimart options! Molokai sleeps early!).
We came out with organic crackers, local veg, cheese and organic salsa. Unbelievable.
Our first night on Molokai was a clear sign of all that was to come!
Arriving at Clare’s it turned out that her son was moving out of his room for us for the night as the guest room was already taken. She ran an adventure sport and tour company and was super hospitable, even with the late hour.
While we ate our food she showed us a map of Molokai and asked us what we had in mind. She filled us in on how the island worked. On that its a little different than the usual destination. And on this island its all about forgetting any itinery and just following the flow. That any attachment to plans would mean a less than smooth ride with lessons to be learned, yet if you just allow the island to provide and speak to the locals openly the flow will take you to amazing experiences.
Perfect I thought. It couldn’t be more suitable! A place of yin energy I thought would be a breeze for me and my years of travelling and being in the flow. And what a great place for Greta to really catch on to the idea.
Well, that’s not EXACTLY how it turned out!
The morning followed with me and Greta tag teaming being upset. Greta was worrying about this and that and I was getting all ruffled about it and struggling to stay present. After a little defensiveness, a little open sharing, and some cuddles we shifted from blame into love and set out for the day. Back on the alliance and support train!
We decided to pack from Clares and head out in a hire car to sleep wherever we found. With only 2 days planned on Molokai due to a heavy Hawaii itinery of island hopping I was feeling triggered about the late hour of the day and all the places I wanted to go on the island in our limited time. After being called here for over a year I was urgent to get out and enjoy the sunshine and energy. With a building frustration as we packed all our stuff into the car we had hired to live in for the next 2 days from Clare, headed to town to get our essentials and food, and finally headed out west to where I had wanted to go I was grumpy and moody. We didn’t know where we were going and I was hot and driving when I just wanted to be relaxing and taking everything in. Greta was in contrast laying back in her seat and enjoying the journey, which only made things worst!
Somehow in true Molokai style we ended up on a random road, and driving to the end in a frustrated “now look, we are at a dead end” there was a place to turn around. Something told me to stop and go see what was at the end of the turning circle. So out we got.
What we were greeted with as we came over that ridge was one of the most beautiful beaches I have seen. Crystal clear blue waves were crashing on the shore, the sand was perfect and untouched, the sky was blue and the sun hot on my skin. I even found some red dirt on the walk down the grassy ridge path to the sand so I stopped to breathe it all in, and rub my barefeet into the soil and ground.
We walked along the beach, and sat and ate some food and my frustration faded away. Everything was perfect. I didn’t need to be ruffled. We were at the beach. We had plenty of time before sunset. And it was gorgeous beyond words. I reconnected with Hawaii, with the beautiful nature around me, and felt my soul release all tension.
All that ruffling for nothing!
So lesson learned we continued to drive along the west coast and found beautiful upon beautiful beach and little nooks.
Until the next test….. We got locked out of the car!
On getting out of the car at the last stop I had noticed that the car key didn’t lock the doors, so had left the car open. In my grump I had failed to be clear enough in my communication of this issue to Greta. So at the next stop to explore yet another of the cut throughs to the beach, Greta in her studious manner kindly locked all the doors from the inside after she had changed her clothes and caught up with me.
Needless to say while we had stripped off our clothes and were fully enjoying the beach and all its wildness of Molokai west coast waves and wind, the grey skies had crept over and all of a sudden it started to rain. We grabbed our clothes and ran back to the car, in a rush to get there before it got too torrential.
Just as the heavens opened we arrived back at the car in the car park and were greeted, completely naked, with a fully locked car; and a key that failed to work! On top of that my car window was open and my nice front seat that was to be my bed for the night was getting soaked. I tried some of my old skills of breaking into cars from my younger years’ history of locking myself out, but the twigs and sticks were breaking on the stiff door lock. I stood in the torrential rain defeated, with my arms covering the open window in a hope to block some of the water from getting in. Greta hid under the trees and watched. We laughed at one another. What a situation to be in. In a flash of inspiration/motivation I called Greta out from her tree hiding to come and see if between us we could lift the window manually from the outside. Sometimes on old cars you can just ease them back up with a bit of elbow grease.
You can imagine, two very naked ladies, soaked to the skin, barely able to see with all the water running down our faces, standing in a deserted car park on a tiny island, pulling with slippery wet hands at a window on a very old car in an attempt to stop the seat flooding with water. Needless to say we failed. The window was stuck. But in all the hilariousness and ridiculousness I was inspired to lose all inhibitions and just relax into the situation. I took off around the car park, arms wide out dancing in the rain laughing and whooping. Greta came back out from her tree retreat and joined me. Such a free feeling, and such an amazing sense of presence and wonderfulness. We held hands and kissed in the rain and as it slowed to a stop we had another go at getting in with the key. This time it worked!
Washing down in the beach shower and drying with the towel we had we put on some dry clothes from inside the car and with me sitting on a scarf I had, we headed to find a spot to sleep.
The next beach along gave rise to a beautiful sunset and cuddles, but wasn’t suitable to sleep so we headed back along the west coast to Papohaku. Molokai’s longest beach, with a wild energy that matches only those beaches found on Ko Tarutao.
The next lesson was just around the corner as during our setting up of sleeping bags I ended up dropping into the fear of not having enough and the idea of sharing both sleeping bags so we had a comfortable underneath and a light covering slipped from my mind, so we ended up with me taking my own and Greta taking hers. As you can imagine, I woke up grumpy and wet through from condensation in my minus 10 sleeping bag while Greta slept soundly, in her perfectly suited summer sleeping bag, albeit a little lumpy on the sand. A little reminder that staying present with the feeling of abundance through sharing leads to a wonderful shared life!
Molokai is a place where you are on a constant fast forward of lessons. A bit like being on an ashram but much quicker. Its beauty and softness, its amazing nature and powerful energy, mixes the whole experience into a true roller coaster of pure wonderfulness. We met amazing amazing people and after our initial glitch we both sank so far into the relaxed flowy flow that we ended up day after day staying just one day longer (it became a little bit of a joke when everyday we turned back up at Clares with some extra cash for the next day of car hire). Our island hopping trip round Hawaii turned into a holiday just on Molokai.
We were gifted with some of the most phenomenal experiences of my life, of our life, with synchronicity after synchronicity of meeting exactly the right people at the right time, being given wonderful generous gifts and hospitality, and being presented with the most amazing opportunities. Even finding a local to take us out on a boat (albeit in very choppy waters with only one engine that they couldn’t get started) around to the incredible North Shore. The place my soul had been called to and was feeling and seeing in my meditations while I was there. Like a true scene from Jurassic Park the North Shore was breathtaking. Huge 2000ft vertical sea cliffs dropping straight into the ocean, with temples at the base of some of the massive waterfalls spilling water from the top of the cliffs into the sea below. The local fisherman, us, his wingman, and a random nature photographer fought the waves to connect with this deserted and powerful side of the island. The only life on that side other than pure wild nature was a few surfers who had taken a boat and were sleeping on a wooden platform on a shingle covered area at the base of one of the waterfalls. The break they were catching was huge and from our boat we got a great view of them completely encased in waves as they glided towards us through powerful tunnels of water to crest over the back of the wave as it hit the reef. The North Shore of Molokai is not a place for the faint hearted.
Halawa Valley gave us a taste of the traditional. I was seeking a connection with an old soul who could take us up the valley and on to the sacred land with respect and ceremony. The Eastern valley leads up to the back side of the North Shore cliffs and its wildness and ancient energy demands respect. Molokai provided. A guy whos number we had been given on the bus in Maui on the way to the ferry we had called and he had offered a space in his house. A room to ourselves and a come and go as you want rule with only a donation of whatever we could offer as the ask in return. A wonderful man Thad. Anyway, it turns out that two hours after we arrived at his place he was meeting an elder of the Halawa Valley and if we wanted to we could come and meet him on the ferry wharf once we had settled in and ask him if he would take us up the valley. We went, and he told us we would meet his nephew the next day at 9am at the base of the valley and he would guide us.
Another victory for Molokai flow following.
The guide was a wonderful boy that led us safely and with all due ceremony and respect through the dense vegetation to the intensely powerful waterfalls at the head of the valley. With a greeting on the land from the elder first, sharing stories of the Valley’s past, a hike through some beautiful scenery and temples that line the path, and the experience of pure power standing at the base of a huge waterfall bringing strong winds from the top and so much spray that it soaked you to the skin. A meditation at its base left us cold and soaked on the outside but FULL of life and love. We stripped and dared the freezing waters at the base of the waterfall. I can still feel the energy of the water and of the place as I paddled against the current looking up in the rain and spray at the huge waterfall above me. Pure connection with no boundaries, no time, and filled with pure Divine. It isn’t something that can be described in words.
The number of things that we experienced that were just too perfect or too by chance to be believed I couldn’t even write here or you would be reading for a week (if you are even still reading as it is!). But Molokai is a place that gifts you with pure bliss and the most phenomenal experiences when you stay present and open hearted and yet will give you a firm kick if you don’t have your heart in the right place. Tourism isn’t welcomed, neither is change, so don’t go if you expect to see a resort or line of bars to keep you happy. This is a grass roots, locals only affair, where they live with the land and uphold traditions, so if you can’t respect the old ways then head to one of the other islands as you won’t be welcome. But if you are willing to meet the island with humility, with love, and an open heart, to bow down to it’s power and it’s sacredness, you’ll be treated with some of the most magical moments of your life.
Mine and Gretas journey of the rest of our time on Molokai involved lesson upon lesson as between us we worked through challenges and built a closeness and a support between us that we have never reached before.We stepped out of our comfort zones time and time again and loved, and laughed, and learned. Along with having some of THE most incredible and wonderful experiences on this phenomenal island Molokai was the instigator of a shifting up a gear in our relationship that has stayed with us long since we have left.
We cried when we got back on the ferry to Maui and vowed to be back to see the land and the wonderful people who had become family in such a short time. Terry the lovely man who didn’t have much but makes butterflies and hats from bamboo and would give you the world if he could, Clare the amazing woman doing good for her kids who in all her inspiring heartfelt work supported our needs wholeheartedly (we returned as much as we could in a blitz clean of a sailboat for youths on our last day) and to Thad who opened up his house to us when we needed it the most. Much gratitude is sent to you all.
The energy of Molokai seemed to want to stay with us as we left, as even the ferry journey back to Maui was full of life. The swells were so big on the ocean that the ride back involved clinging with white knuckles to the front of the ferry and facing into the large troughs as we sunk into the sea and riding the big crests as the ferry strained itself back up and over the waves.
We got drowned and whipped with sea spray and wind, we laughed and laughed and the raw humbling experience of the vast power of the sea seemed just the most perfect way to end the most amazing two weeks of our travels.
Molokai we will be back. But you are forever in our hearts.
Much much love
Gayle
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