East Molokai
How to Get to East Molokai
Getting to East Molokai, you will need to arrive in Molokai first. To do this, you must take a flight from the mainland US or outside the US to either Honolulu or Maui and from there, take an interisland flight to Molokai. Hawaiian Airlines and Delta Airlines are two carriers that conduct flights from the mainland to Honolulu. The interisland flight usually takes a mere 20 minutes by Island Air, PW Express or GO! Airlines. Go! Airlines has flights from Kuna, Honolulu, and Kahului daily in 8 to 10-seat airplanes. Another airline that offers flights to the island is Pacific Wings Express, which holds flights from Honolulu and Kahului and lands on an airstrip at the Kalaupapa Peninsula. Island Air also offers flights from Honolulu or Maui.
Tourists who do not want one more airplane flight can also take the ferry. A ferry service is available in between Lahaina, Maui and Kaunakakai, Molokai. At the airport or the docking point, you can take a taxi to any destination in the island. You can find car rentals directly at the airport.
When to go
There is no bad time to go to Molokai. The Island enjoys fair weather all around, although the winters may also become relatively colder. Summers bless the island with perfect weather and calm waters, perfect for wading, snorkeling, scuba diving, and surfing. Heavy duty sunscreen is essential when coming during the summer, as the tropical sun can be quite hot.
Getting around the island
Tourists are advised to rent a car. The island only has a number of eating establishments and even in East Molokai, you will need to travel certain distances to get from one lodging or cottage rental to another. It is therefore important to make sure that you can easily hop in your car when you need to buy food or other groceries to book your cottage rental or condo in East Molokai.
When going around on a rental car in Molokai, you need to ease off the gas pedal. It is best to go slow if you want to take in the sights. There are only a few gas stations in the whole island which is why you must drive with a full tank in order to avoid running out of gas in the middle of nowhere. Gas prices in Molokai are much more expensive than in the larger islands. A good tip would be to rent a compact car to get more mileage for your gas money.
Several car rental companies serve the island. These include Alamo Car rental, the Budget Car Rental, Dollar Car rental, and the Island Kine Auto Rentals. Hele Mai taxi is a taxi company that provides taxi services as well as tour services around the island. For those who want to go around by taxis, there’s the Kukui Tours & Limousine Service and the Molokai Off-road Tour and Taxi service.
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Getting to East Molokai on your rental
With your rental you can head directly to East Molokai by taking Highway 460 going east until reaching the Kamehameha Highway at 450. This is where you will find Wavecrest Resort on Mile 13, Murphy’s Beach and Halawa further up. For your convenience, it is important to note that the Kamehameha Highway (450) starts in Kaunakakai and ends more than 20 miles east of Halawa. This is basically the whole of the east coast of Molokai. It is impossible to get lost on the island, because aside from the fact that the island only has one single highway, directions to both private and public properties are posted all around the island by the side of the road on green sign posts.
