Every island in the Hawaiian chain is beautiful in its own way. We’ve explored the main ones: Oahu, Kauai, Maui, and Hawaii. They all have unique qualities and highlights. Molokai is like no other. After our time in Honolulu for the marathon we flew on a very small plane to “the friendly island.”

We booked a nice condo through Airbnb on the island’s west end. Molokai is just 35 miles long and 10 miles at its widest. So, even though we were out on the far end, it didn’t take more than 15-20 minutes to get to where we needed to be.

Our first big event was snorkeling on Molokai’s 30+ mile coral reef. It’s the biggest in Hawaii and there was no one there! We were the only boat on the water and we had crystal clear calm waters all to ourselves.

The underwater photos didn’t turn out but trust me, we saw LOTS of turtles, along with colorful fish and coral. Few people come to Molokai, so the snorkeling here is kind of a best kept secret.

Following our water-based excursion and a fabulous lunch of fresh mahi-mahi at the local food truck we headed inland to learn about nuts. Purdy’s Natural Macadamia Nuts is the place. Here Tuddie showed us how they harvest, shell, crack, and roast the fresh nuts.

The best part was eating the raw nuts right from the shell! Yum! It was a quirky place and definitely worth a stop.

From Purdy’s we headed to the Kalaupapa Overlook, a point perched high on the cliffs overlooking the peninsula. It’s hard to believe that such a strikingly beautiful place could hold such tragic tales. See our blog post on our visit to Kalaupapa National Historical Site for details. Each evening here in Molokai you can’t help but be mesmerized by the sunsets. Here are a few of our better shots of what Mother Nature shared with us while on the island.

One “must do” on Molokai is to get hot bread in the evening from the bakery in the alley. The local bakery, Kanemitsus only sells this delight from 7:30 -10:00pm and only from the window hidden down an alley off the main street in town. What is hot bread?

We’ll, it’s a large pillow of soft bread stuffed with your choice of fillings, usually with cream cheese. We got one with blueberry and one with cinnamon and sugar.

Like the other Hawaiian islands, Molokai is filled with natural beauty and unique experiences. What makes it different from the other islands is its small population (less than 8,000 residents), its dramatic history, and its very slow pace. If you think you know Hawaii but you haven’t been to Molokai, you really don’t have the full Hawaiian picture. Check it out!