Shot on Canon 5d mark IV with a Tamron 24-70 2.8 and GoPro Hero 5
Intro:
I titled this post “Molokai Mo Bettah” because that's what the locals say and thats what it is! I ended up going to Molokai as kind of a random trip! My friend Heather was doing a photoshoot there and invited me and the girls to tag along! You don’t hear about Molokai very often so we had no idea what to expect. When we looked online, “fun things to do in Molokai” nothing really showed up! We totally winged it and honestly it definitely exceeded my expectations :-) It's fun going into trips having no plan and no idea what to expect because things always pleasantly surprise you! All of our adventures came from making friends with the locals. We quickly learned that the people are so friendly and willing shared with us their special Homeland. Molokai is a very beautiful and sacred Island. We saw, no joke, probably over 25 waterfalls! We saw some of the tallest sea cliffs in the world and relaxed on some the comfiest sand (it seriously felt like a microfiber bed). We saw some of the starriest wide open skies and wild deers and owls. It honestly felt like a whole other world!
Things I learned about the culture:
I learned more about the culture of Hawaii on this trip to Molokai than I have in the seven years I’ve lived on Oahu. The locals radiated love and the true aloha spirit! We were greeted with kisses on the cheek and warm hugs wherever we went. It was amazing how much respect the Hawaiians have for the land! Whenever the locals enter a land that is sacred, they ask God above for permission to enter. And whenever they leave, they say “Mahalo” for letting them enter. We learned when going to waterfalls it's important to put a tea leaf in the water and if the tea leaf floats then you can enter and if it sinks then you shouldn't get in the water and also that you shouldn’t take anything from the land when you visit sacred waterfalls because it is a sign of disrespects and will bring bad luck.There was a royal coconut grove where we learned was the place that King Kamehameha and his Warriors chanted and wash themselves in the freshwater springs. When on the boat tour, we brought bananas (my bad haha!) and had to throw them over board because in ancient Hawaiian folklore there's a superstition that bananas on a boat will not only bring no fish but bad luck. One of the coolest things we learned was about Mana. Mana is considered to be a sacred spiritual force existing in the universe. When on the island of Molokai you can feel the Mana, probably because of the reverence the people have for the island.
Walter’s boat tour:
I know many locals don’t appreciate it when you mention their private special secret spots online because they're worried that it'll get overrun by tourists. However, we met a local name Walter and his friend Ona that run a boat tour and love to give people tours along the sea cliffs! This tour was the highlight of our trip! My cheeks hurt after from laughing and smiling so big and Heather even lost her voice from laughing and being so excited! It was so magical and when we went we literally saw probably over 25 Waterfalls! Walter took us through caves and even let us stop and play at waterfalls along the way! There even is a really dreamy beach that you can stop at to swim. Note, if you’re going to do that you need to book your tour between May and September because when we went the waves were too big. I definitely want to visit this beach sometime though because it looked seriously so gorgeous! Walter even told us that there was a group of people that he dropped off on the beach and they refused to get back on board because they wanted to stay there. Walter said he ended up leaving them and came back the following morning to pick them up. When on this tour, you can tell Walter gets so much joy from taking people on his boat. He said the most magical amazing tour he gave was when he took a couple and the lady's husband was blind. He said throughout the tour she described to her husband everything that she saw and through the smells and the breezes and her words her husband was able to experience the tour! I thought that story was really magical. I definitely recommend everybody going to Walter for a sea cliff tour :-)
