What do you think the shape of Molokai resembles?
Some say it looks like a wooden shoe, while others think the island resembles a fish. I think the fish one seems more plausible; wooden shoes were sooo yesterday’s fashion.
If you get a chance to see Molokai from outer space (or on Google Earth), then imagine that the head of the fish is facing east, its blunt tail faces west and a dorsal fin rises from the fish’s back on the north shore. That dorsal fin is actually the Makanalua Peninsula, which juts into the Pacific and is placed below some of the highest sea cliffs in the world.
This flat section of land is pided into three districts: Kalawao district (eastern edge), Kalaupapa (western edge) and Makanalua (center). Kalaupapa is where people with leprosy were forced to live in exile during the 1800s. They lived under the care of Father Damien de Veuster and Mother Marianne Cope. Both have since become Catholic saints.
Two distinct shield volcanoes make up the island of Molokai; they’re known as East Molokai and West Molokai. The highest point on the island is located in East Molokai, standing at 4,970 feet tall. But the most distinct geographic feature of the island are perhaps those tall sea cliffs we often see in movies, like Jurassic Park III. They’re the tallest in the world and are a result of a catastrophic collapse millions of years ago.
Whether the shape of a shoe or a fish, Molokai will always remain the friendliest of the Hawaiian Islands. I can’t wait to one day be able to visit this magical place.
