I only had a few minutes to fly the drone this morning, but I did get a shot of our ship with Sweetheart Rock in the background.
Of all the tourists that travel to the Hawaiian Islands, very few of them ever make it to the 'Private Isle' of Lana'i. Once called 'The Pineapple Isle', due to Dole creating the world's largest pineapple plantation here, now it is owned almost entirely by the CEO of Oracle, Larry Ellison. There are around 3,000 residents of the island, mostly living in Lana'i City, and working in the two fancy Four Seasons resorts.
Ellison has turned the island into a secluded resort hideaway for the rich and famous. If you want to stay over night here at one of the resorts you will end up paying a pretty penny. But the draw of an almost empty island, no stop lights, no crime, and no crowds, makes it a perfect place for my trips with UnCruise. I want to show the guests places like this. Due to the history of the island being privately owned for the past 100 years, it has such a unique feel compared to the other islands.
Luckily for us, we have partnered with the Lana'i Adventure Center, to offer our guests a chance to explore the island by e-bikes and by hiking. Heavy duty off-road mountain e-bikes give us the ability to head down the old pineapple plantation tracks to beautiful overlooks and to hard to reach places like the Garden of the Gods. The hikers get to follow a ridgeline from the top of the volcano out to beautiful overlooks on the backside of the island.
As I sipped my coffee, watching the sunrise this morning, I knew it was going to be a great day. The southerly winds had died down, the sea was calm, and the sky was clear. I took a few moments to fly my drone overhead for an aerial shot, then gathered up the guests for e-bike adventures on Lana'i. Check out the photos below to see how it went!
There is no better way to get around and explore the island of Lana'i than e-bikes. We started at the Lana'i Adventure Center and biked to the top of the island before descending back into the town for a bit more exploration.
Dole Park stands in the middle of town as a reminder of plantation days of old. There is a certain plantation ghost town feel to Lana'i City, but with an emerging artisan community vibe as well.
Kathy and her son Tommy, enjoying the views from the top of the island. Maui is off in the distance, with lush Lana'i valleys in the foreground.
Sunrise coffee time on the ship.
Our skiff and the Safari Explorer, pictured under the massive lava cliffs of Lana'i, Hawaii.
Standing tall and proud at the top of Lana'i.
Are hard charger e-bike team, ready to roll with their offroad e-bikes.
The artisan community here on Lana'i was in full view as we walked around town. This was the Mike Carroll gallery. They gave us a very nice welcome to the town, with prints of a painting of our ship!
The Mike Carroll gallery is one of the many interesting businesses along the outskirts of Dole Park.
I don't think that rock looks very sturdy.
Beautiful views across Lana'i all the way to west Maui.
We biked past the Lana'i Ranch. You can do horse rides here in a pretty beautiful setting.
This little green Hawaiian church was picked up and moved when the Lodge at Koele was first built.
Sweetheart Rock stands alone, near the tip of the southern coast of Lana'i.
We cruised over to Sweetheart Rock with our skiffs as we waited for the ferry to leave the dock in the morning.
The Hula Hut has always been an eclectic souvenir shop in downtown Lana'i city.
Drone shot of the Safari Explorer looking down the Lana'i coastline. Maui is just visible in the morning light in the far background.
And as always, keep traveling and keep posting!
- Dai Mar