Moloka’i to O’ahu Canoe Race - NA WAHINE O KE KAI

NA WAHINE O KE KAI  – Moloka’i to O’ahu Canoe Race takes place this Sunday, September 26, 2010, in Molokai.   There is a history of wins from local Hawaiian crews.

The Outrigger Canoe club won in 1979 finishing in six hours, 35 minutes, 14 seconds, and has won four times since.  The Hui Nalu Canoe Club has won twice, and the Offshore Canoe Club has won the event 9 times, and set a new course record of five hours, 24 minutes, 32 seconds in 1995.

In 1954, two years after the first men’s Molokai to Oahu Canoe race, Waikiki Surf Club’s Senior Women’s crew propositioned for a women’s rate.  After some years of insistence that the channel was too treacherous for women, in 1975 the first unofficial crossing was made by 2 crews. Today crews from all over the world are attracted to this world-class event.

We at Discount Hawaii Car Rental, have personally talked to many of the women coming to race this weekend, as they have called us to book their rental cars.

We all wish them great success in this event, and hope for another victory from a local crew.

Getting Lei'd in Hawaii

The Aloha spirit is alive and well on the Islands in Hawaii.  Visitors (Malihini in Hawaiian) can be greeted with beautiful floral lei on their arrival.  The lei are almost iconic as a symbol of Hawaii, and many visitors look forward to their first introduction to the Islands when their greeter presents them with their lei.

The lei originated as a tourist greeting gesture in the early 1900’s, when all guests were greeted as they disembarked from the luxury liners of the time.  The beautiful fragrance delighted passengers and helped welcome them to the islands.  It was almost a tradition as well for the departing visitors to throw their lei into the sea as their ship passed Diamond Head, in a symbolic gesture that announced their hopes to return to the Islands again.

Alas, as tourism increased to the millions, and the ships turned into airplanes and airports, the tradition became a thing of the past.

Today the custom can still be celebrated, although you must make the arrangements yourself before you arrive.  There are various companies that will provide greeters at the airports complete with the fresh flower leis, and they also help with the transition from the plane to baggage claim, answering questions and being helpful with tips about Hawaii.

If you are interested in having a lei greeting, research the companies online and place your order before you leave home. 

Also remember to book your vacation car rental ahead of time to save you money and guarantee a vehicle on arrival.  There have been many times we have received phone calls from customers at the airport trying to find a vehicle during a sold out period.  Your vacation should be relaxing, and this includes your car rental experience.  Give us a call early, or go to our website www.discounthawaiicarrental.com and fill out a form, and let us do the hunting for you.  We promise to provide you with a vehicle at the lowest possible price available to us, and we will work for you with the same Aloha Spirit as your Lei Greeter.

A One Day Trip While Visiting Maui - A Cruise to Molokai

Visiting the Island of Maui and looking for a one day adventure . . . possibly wanting to experience the waters, maybe go for a cruise?

Molokai is not that far away, and is known as the most “Hawaiian” Island.  There is an adventure waiting for you.  Board the Molokai ferry for an hour and a half cruise to the beautiful Island of Molokai. The Cruise ship has open air decks as well as air conditioned inside areas. 

You can rent a car for the day-we can get you a good rate on your rental car. When you arrive on the ferry, you will proceed by taxi to the car rental location at the airport.  

Molokai has a lot of history dating back to about 650 AD when the Island was first know to be inhabited. This island is shaped like a fish, complete with a dorsal fin located on Molokai’s north shore.  This area is known as the Makanalua Peninsula.  About 10 square miles in diameter, this peninsula is divided into three separate districts: Kalawao to the east, Kalaupapa to the west, and Makanalua in the middle.

Because of the difficulty in getting there, as it is surrounded on three sides by the Pacific Ocean and separated from the rest of Molokai by shear cliffs, this area became a somewhat ideal location for a leper colony establish in the 1860’s, and is accessible only by mule, or on foot, with a small airstrip used to transport in needed supplies.  Other supplies are delivered by barge from Oahu.

A Catholic missionary priest from Belgium names Father Damien deVeuster served the lepers here from age 33 until his death from leprosy in 1889.

The Molokai Mule Ride is the the most popular attraction on Molokai.  The gentle, trained mules will transport you roundtrip down the 1,700-foot trail negotiating the hairpin switchbacks on the trail.  Each direction takes about 90 minutes.  Included with the tour is a 2-hour tour of the Kalaupapa leper colony.    Minimum age for visitors is 16 years.

The Pala'au State Park and Kalaupapa Overlook  - located at the end of Highway 470, this park overlooks the Kalaupapa Peninsula.  A couple minutes walk from the parking lot to the overlook area.  Here you can view the entire peninsula.

Saint Damien Church, Molokai - formerly known as Saint Joseph’s Church or Father Damien Church, is located in Kamalo on Molokai’s south shore.  This is where St. Damien served and nurtured his ministry. Later, he contracted the disease himself and passed away in 1889.  Father Damien had built four churches on Molokai, two of which are still standing today, the other being St Joseph Church in Kamalo, which has a statue of St. Damien which can be adorned with flower leis at times in his honor.  Although the door to the church is usually closed, it is not locked, so visitors can peek inside as well.  This particular church is listed on the National register of Historic Places.

Purdy's Macadamia Nut Farm is located two miles west of Kualapu'u, on Lihi Pali Avenue, above the high school. This five-acre, all natural, 70-year old, macadamia nut farm is located on Hawaiian homestead land. The Purdys will personally take you on a tour and tell you everything you wanted to know about the macadamia nut. The tour will provide hands-on demonstrations on how to crack this extremely hard nut complete with samples of nuts, macadamia honey, and other nut products.           

Coffees of Hawaii.  A 500 acre plantation and mill in the village of Kualapu‘u is the only source of 100% Moloka‘i coffee.

Kaunakakai is the main city on Molokai. Located only minutes from the airport off of Highway 450, this "city" is only about three blocks in size. The restaurants, shops, tourist information, and grocery stores are off the main street of Ala Malama. There are no traffic lights on Molokai. The town closes up early so do any shopping before the dinner hour. Many of the buildings in the town are original structures.

At the end of the day, you can return you car and taxi back to the harbor to catch your return ferry to Maui.

If you are renting a car on Maui, you can just park for the day near the ferry dock, and return to your vehicle at the end of your amazing day. 

Ziplining Adventures in Hawaii

Sometimes we may want to have an unbelievable adventure, with some heart-racing activity, yet still remain in a somewhat safe zone.  What about zip-lining in Hawaii?  There are quite a few different locations on the Islands to experience this kind of an adventure.  We at Discount Hawaii Car Rental (www.discounthawaiicarrental.com) have quite a bit of information on each of these locations in the news blog on our company website.

“How would I know if this is something I could do?” is often the question asked.  There are some age and weight restrictions which vary by location and company, and some health considerations that may restrict you from being able to participate.  Other than that – it looks like any normal healthy individual can go!!!  There is often a bit of hiking required to get from one zipline to the next, and each company describes their own situations/requirements quite well.

Long pants and stable shoes for hiking, possibly rain gear, and a swimsuit for the secluded pools along the way are some of the clothing/gear recommendations.  A camera and/or a video camera would be ideal, as long as it could be secured firmly to your person, as I doubt it would ever be found if it was dropped along the way.

This could be a great way to entertain the older kids and provide an experience not necessarily available back home.

It is always important to remember not to leave valuables in your rental car while you are away experiencing any adventure.