Things To Do in Lanai

You’ll need an off-road vehicle to reach the sights listed below. Four-wheel-drive rentals on Lanai are expensive—but worth it for a day or two of adventure. For details on vehicle rentals, see "Planning a Trip."

Your first stop on Lanai (perhaps after baptizing yourself at Hulopoe Beach) should be the Lanai Culture & Heritage Center ★★, 730 Lanai Ave. (www.lanaichc.org; 808/565-7177), located in the heart of town. Orient yourself to the island’s cultural and natural history at this tiny, well-curated museum. Learn how indigenous Hawaiians navigated thousands of miles of Pacific Ocean, see relics of the Dole plantation years, and get directions to the island’s petroglyph fields. Even better, ask the docents to recount local legends passed down in their families. A visit is guaranteed to make your explorations of Lanai that much richer.

Off the Tourist Trail: Eastside Lanai

A four-wheel-drive dirt road leads out of Lanai City, through fallow pineapple fields, past the Kanepuu Preserve (see below) to Keahiakawelo. The rugged beauty of this place is punctuated by boulders strewn by volcanic forces and sculpted by the elements into varying shapes and colors—brilliant reds, oranges, ochers, and yellows.

Modern visitors nicknamed this otherworldly landscape “the Garden of the Gods,” but its ancient Hawaiian name, Ke-ahi-a-kawelo, means “the fire of Kawelo.” According to legend, it’s the site of a sorcerers’ battle. Kawelo, a powerful kahuna (priest) noticed that the people and animals of Lanai were falling ill. He traced their sickness to smoke coming from the neighboring island of Molokai. There, an ill-intentioned priest, Lanikaula, sat chanting over a fire. Kawelo started a fire of his own, here at Keahiakawelo, and tossed some of Lanikaula’s excrement into the flames. The smoke turned purple, Lanikaula perished, and health and prosperity returned to Lanai.

Take the dusty, bumpy drive out to Keahiakewalo early in the morning or just before sunset, when the light casts eerie shadows on the mysterious lava formations. Drive west from Koele Lodge on Polihua Road; in about 2 miles, you’ll see a hand-painted sign pointing left down a one-lane, red-dirt road through a kiawe forest to the large stone sign. Don’t stack rocks or otherwise disturb this interesting site; leave everything as you found it.

A perfect activity for a rainy day in Lanai City is the Lanai Art Center, 339 Seventh St., located in the heart of the small town. Top artists from across Hawaii frequently visit this homegrown art program and teach a variety of classes, ranging from raku (Japanese pottery), silk printing, silk screening, pareu making (creating your own design on this islanders' wrap), gyotaku (printing a real fish on your own T-shirt), and watercolor drawing to a variety of other island crafts. The cost for the 2- to 3-hour classes is usually in the $15 to $70 range (materials are extra). For information, call 808/565-7503 or visit www.lanaiart.org.

Luahiwa Petroglyph Field ★★

Lanai is second only to the Big Island in its wealth of prehistoric rock art, but you’ll have to search a little to find it. Some of the best examples are on the outskirts of Lanai City, on a hillside site known as Luahiwa Petroglyph Field. The characters incised on 13 boulders in this grassy 3-acre knoll include a running man, a canoe, turtles, and curly-tailed dogs (a latter-day wag put a leash on one).

To get here, take Manele Road from Lanai City toward Hulopoe Beach. About 2 miles out of town, you’ll see a pump house on the left. Look up on the hillside for a cluster of dark boulders—the petroglyphs are there, but you’ll have to zigzag to get to them. Two dirt roads lead off of Manele Road, on either side of the pump house. Take the first one, which leads straight toward the hillside. After about 1 mile, you’ll come to a fork. Head right. Drive for another 1/2 mile. At the first V in the road, take a sharp left and double back the way you came, this time on an upper road. After about 1/4 mile; you’ll come to the large cluster of boulders on the right. It’s just a short walk up the cliffs (wear walking or hiking shoes) to the petroglyphs. Exit the same way you came. Go between 3pm and sunset for ideal viewing and photo ops. Don’t touch the petroglyphs or climb on the rocks; these cultural resources are very fragile.

Kaunolu Village ★★

Out on Lanai’s nearly vertical, Gibraltar-like sea cliffs is an old royal compound and fishing village. Now a national historic landmark and one of Hawaii’s most treasured ruins, it’s believed to have been inhabited by King Kamehameha the Great and hundreds of his closest followers about 200 years ago.

It’s a hot, dry, 3-mile 4x4 drive from Lanai City to Kaunolu, but the mini-expedition is worth it. Take plenty of water, don a hat for protection against the sun, and wear sturdy shoes. Signs explain the sacred site’s importance. Ruins of 86 house platforms and 35 stone shelters have been identified on both sides of Kaunolu Gulch. The residential complex also includes the Halulu Heiau temple, named after a mythical man-eating bird. The king’s royal retreat is thought to have stood on the eastern edge of Kaunolu Gulch, overlooking the rocky shore facing Kahekili’s Leap. Chiefs leapt from the 62-foot-high perch as a show of bravado. Nearby are burial caves, a fishing shrine, a lookout tower, and warriorlike stick figures—petroglyphs—carved on boulders. Just offshore stands the telltale fin of little Shark Island, a popular dive spot that teems with bright tropical fish and, frequently, sharks.

From Lanai City, take Kaumalapau Highway past the airport. Look for a carved boulder on the left side of the road. Turn left onto a dirt road (Kaupili Rd.) and drive east until you see another carved boulder. Turn right, toward the ocean. Tip: On your way out, turn right to continue on Kaupili Road. It meets with Hulopoe Drive, a shortcut to Manele Bay.

Kanepuu Preserve

This ancient grove on Lanai’s western plateau is the island’s last remaining dryland forest, containing 48 native species. A self-guided hike allows visitors to see the rare trees and shrubs that once covered the dry lowlands of all the main Hawaiian Islands. Elsewhere these species have succumbed to axis deer, agriculture, or “progress.” The botanical marvels growing within this protected reserve include olopua (Hawaiian olive), lama (Hawaiian ebony), ma‘o hau hele (a Hawaiian hibiscus), and nānū (Hawaiian gardenia). Kanepuu is easily reached via 4WD. Head west from Koele Lodge on Polihua Road; in about 1 3/4 miles, you’ll see the fenced area on the left.

The Four Seasons and Hotel Lanai are the island’s two mainstays for nightlife. Before sunset, head to Malibu Farm at the Four Seasons Resort Lanai, 1 Manele Bay Rd. (www.fourseasons.com/lanai; 808/565-2093), for cocktails; after dark, you can shoot pool in the Sports Bar & Grill. Several nights a week, local musicians get together for jams at the Lanai City Bar & Grille ★ at the Hotel Lanai, 828 Lanai Ave. (www.lanaicitybarandgrille.com; 808/565-7212). No trip to the island is complete without an evening spent here, enjoying Hawaiian harmonies under the stars alongside the locals and day-trip golfers. Bring a jacket if you plan to sit outside; the fire pits are cozy, but not quite enough to keep you warm.

Another fun option is the wonderfully renovated Lanai Theater, renamed Hale Keaka ★ (www.lanai96763.com/showtimes; 456 Seventh St., Lanai City). Built in 1926, this iconic landmark shared films, live plays, and musical performances with the community for 80 years. The $4-million renovation kept the vintage feel but added air-conditioning, digital sound, two stages and screens, cushy seats, and more. Two films—an adult and a children’s selection—change weekly. The box office opens 1 hour prior to the start of each movie. And because it’s Lanai, you’ll find furikake and shoyu among the complimentary popcorn condiments.

Throughout the year, HawaiiOnTV.com and JazzAlleyTV.com bring world-class entertainers to little Lanai. These intimate annual festivals are worth planning your vacation around. The Four Seasons resorts even offer discounted room rates in conjunction with festival dates.

*       In February, the 3-day Lanai Hawaiian Culture Film & Musical Festival (www.lanaifilmfestival.com)screens fascinating shorts, features, and documentaries about the people of the Pacific that you’re not likely see anywhere else. Live music and cultural workshops round out the weekend.

*       Jazz greats from as far as Kansas City descend on the island for the Lanai Jazz Festival (www.lanaijazzfestival.com) in March. Live performances pop up throughout Lanai City: Grammy-award-winning saxophonists serenade audiences in the Lodge at Koele’s Great Hall while jazz guitars perform at the local juice bar.

*       The "jumping flea," the quintessential instrument of the Islands, is celebrated during the Lanai Ukulele Festival (www.lanaiukulelefestival.com) in June. This light-hearted musical weekend includes concerts under the stars and free clinics for beginning uke players.

*       Dole Park is the site of fireworks, a parade, and all-day entertainment during the annual Pineapple Festival, generally held on the first Saturday in July

*       The Lanai Slack Key Guitar Festival (www.lanaislackkeyfestival.com) in August is 3 days of superlative concerts and workshops led by Grammy and Na Hoku award-winning artists. Events are free and take place around Lanai City.

*       The Aloha Festival (www.alohafestivals.com) takes place in September or the first week in October, and the Christmas Festival is held on the first Saturday in December. For details on these festivals, contact the Lanai Visitors Bureau.