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Lanai City
The City of Lanai was developed by the Dole Company in the 1920’s when the Island was bought by them to start up a pineapple plantation. The houses and infrastructure was built to sustain the plantation workers. The company went on to produce three quarters of the Worlds pineapples. The industry slumped in the mid eighties and the land was sold off. Today, tourism is the main stay for the Island’s economy.
The Dole Park and War Memorial is in the centre of Lanai City and is also known as Lanai City Commercial Square. It was constructed when the City was established and serves as the centre of recreational activities. This grassy park comprises of a pavilion, picnic area, and a community centre. Several Veteran Memorials are sited in the park which commemorates the soldiers that fought and lost their lives in World War Two and during the Korean Conflict. The majority of businesses, restaurants, and the playhouse are situated on the streets which mark the borders of the park.
The Island is the result of a single eruption from Lanai Hale Mountain millions of years ago. The crater walls now enclose the Palawai and Miki Basins. These basins are flat, broad land masses covered in light vegetation, large rocks and boulders. The Lanai Airport is located in the Miki Basin, not far from Lanai City. The walls of the crater are easily observable from Highway 440 West and Highway 440 South.
The Garden of the Gods is located in a remote area around 7 miles north of Lanai City (past the Koele Stables). Unusual rock formations caused by thousands of year’s attrition that created pinnacles and buttes in this remote canyon area. Either early morning or late evening when the sun's rays hit the minerals in the rock and show up their various vibrant colours, is the best time for viewing. Adjacent to this site there is a self-guided nature trail that leads through the Kanepuu Preserve, a distinctive Dryland forest that has some 48 native species, which includes the endangered Hawaiian gardenia.
The Monroe Trail winds through rain forests up mountains to the top of Mount Lanaihale and then back down to the Palawai Basin. The beginning of the Munro Trail starts just past the Old Koele cemetery. The trail is a one lane dirt road that is around seven miles long. The apex of this trail is at an elevation of 3,370ft, if visibility is clear views of six Islands are a real possibility. There are several other hikes that lead off from the Monroe trail; maps are available for details of these. This trail is very popular and can be hiked or driven preferably with a four wheel drive vehicle.
The Old Koele Cemetery is located on Cemetery Road in Central Lanai. There are many graves in this old cemetery that date back to the turn of the Century. Some of the markers are unreadable due to age but the grounds are well kept.
The Kaunolu Village Trail is located in South Lanai, it is a very old Hawaiian fishing Village and it is believed its first inhabitants were in the 15th Century. King Kamehameha the Great selected this site (after conquering Lanai in the early 1800’s) as a favourite fishing area. The King had the Halulu Heiau rebuilt and also had a residence close by. The Bishop Museum gives educational information about the sites and the many ruins located there. There are stone foundations of over 100 Hawaiian homes, storerooms, garden walls, and burial sites. People inhabited this village until the late 1800's. It is considered to be the religious centre of Lanai.
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