La’au Point

I’m blogging after spending 12 days in Molokai, Hawaii (the friendly isle). While there we discovered signs all over the island saying (Save La’au). These signs have been posted in protest to a proposal by Molokai Ranch to sell the land at (La’au Point) which is environmentally significant (for the Monk Seals) as well as spiritually significant (to the locals) of Molokai. They are planning to develop the point into luxury oceanfront housing (the estimated cost per house being about $2 million) and the majority of those who live on Molokai are opposed to this action.

Naturally I became curious about La’au Point and decided that a hike out there was something I wanted to experience. Molokai is famous for being a piece of real, rural Hawaii…where people do not hurry, where you find no chain stores, where you stay awhile and get to know the people and the land. This growth is opposed to this island’s very being…so it is easy to see why people are upset and it’s not just the Hawaiians.

People fall in love with Molokai and it’s way of life which is what sparks this development. It’s become a popular place to have a second house. Many people retire here, but they all have one thing in common…they don’t want to see it change in a way that destroys the spirit of this place.

So there is fear of change, the fear of losing something that offers a connection to the sacred and the fear of the influence and impact the new landowners will have on the rest of the island. Island’s are small communities and want members who will be responsible to the community they are entering. All of this is a natural response to the situation.

The Hike

The hike out to La’au Point starts at Dixie Maru Beach or Kapukahehu. We were dropped off at Dixie and took a small trail from behind this small, gentle beach that leads out to the Southwestern tip of the island. Like many of the trails in Molokai, this trail (I use this term loosely) which was created by foot traffic, winds up and over several fences and would be kinda hard to follow without verbal directions and GPS or the guidance of someone who has been there before hiking out with you. We had the verbal directions coupled with GPS and only got turned around twice!

Rock, Rock Everywhere!

When we got out to the point this is what we saw. There is very little beach of any kind. The surf is large…we watched huge waves coming down on the rocks and almost got our shoes watered in several of them but the large surf, rocks and lack of safe swimming area makes this a less desirable building spot. There are many houses and condos on the island in which a very short walk out of your front door leads you to a beach that you can surf or swim in if you choose. Such is the case at the condo where we stayed, Paniole Hale, which is located right on the Kaluakoi Golf Course and a short distance to Maki Horse beach. Lack of swimming area rules out La’au Point as the future site of my $2 million dollar estate…that and the fact that someone else has made a very fine home of it.

Good for Seals

What fails to make a suitable investment for luxury housing makes an excellent home to the Hawaiian Monk Seal. The Hawaiian Monk Seals are endemic to the islands. Their population is endangered as they need solitude for breeding and the increasing human population has made it difficult for these seals. Molokai is a favorite island for them and La’au Point is a place that the seals are often seen basking on the sand. We made friends with this guy (the tags on his flippers read #36 & #37) and I dare say he was as curious about us as we were about him.

Power Struggles

There is no enemy…only situations. Molokai Ranch owns a huge portion of the island. It makes sense to me that they could easily find an alternative site for the housing they are proposing and I seriously urge the developer to measure the interest in this site. I think it will take them quite a long time to sell. The real wealth out at La’au is not the worth of the land…but lies in the seals, a natural treasure that is rare, and Molokai is fortunate to be home to so much wildlife.

Creating from Truth

There are many solutions out there but the best solutions will come from what Hawaiians have known since the birth of their culture…that spirit infuses everything, and if spirit is honored in the world of form…it can and will transcend all else.