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Molokai is known as the Friendly Isle of
Hawaii.
The island of Molokai is approximately 260
square miles and has only 6,800 residents. The eastern
side of the island is a tropical rainforest and receives an
average of 240 inches of rain per year, and the amazing sea
cliffs on Molokai's north coast are the largest in the world.
From the earliest times, Molokai was
feared and revered as a center for mysticism and sorcery. The
mana (spirit) was considered to be the strongest there of all
the Hawaiian islands.
Molokai's Kalaupapa peninsula is the site
of the Kalawao colony, which was started in about 1866 to
contain Hawaii‘s victims of Leprosy. The isolated
settlement was said to be like hell on earth until the arrival
of Father Damien in 1873. Damien was a Catholic priest who
treated the exiles with dignity and gave them hope. Today,
Leprosy (now known as Hansen’s Disease) is treatable.
Molokai is very remote and has no
high-rise buildings, no fast food chains and only one or two
stop lights. Attractions on Molokai include the Kalaupapa
National Historic Park (which can be accessed only by special
permission), Halawa Valley Lookout, Molokai Museum &
Cultural Center, Moa'ula Falls and R.W. Meyer Sugar Mill.
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