Hawaiian Airlines – Explore The Peace And Serenity of Lanai

Garden of the Gods
The surreal topography of the Garden of the Gods, a desert-like landscape with boulders and rock towers, looks almost like a spot on Mars than in Hawaii. According to Hawaiian legend, this place is the result of a contest between two kahuna (priests) from Lanai and Molokai. Each was challenged to keep a fire burning on their respective island longer than the other, and the winner's island would be rewarded.

Shipwreck Beach
Since this windy, 8-mile stretch of beach has wrecked numerous ships along its shallow, rocky channel, it is more of a land adventure. A 4-wheel drive is required and visitors need to be careful not to get their vehicles stuck in the sand, so park and walk once you get there. Check out the hull of a ghostly oil tanker from the 1940s, still beached on Kaiolohia Bay’s coral reef, do some beachcombing, or hike up to see the Kukui Point petroglyphs for a day of exploring.

Puu Pehe (Sweetheart Rock)
Rising from the sea between Manele and Hulopoe bays on the southern coast of Lanai is the iconic Puu Pehe, or Sweetheart Rock. The legend goes that a young warrior named Makakehau was so taken by a Hawaiian maiden named Pehe that he hid her in a sea cave at the base of Manele’s cliffs. During a storm, Pehe drowned and a grief-stricken Makakehau asked the gods to help him climb the steep rock island where he eventually buried her.

Manele Golf Course
Imagine a golf course where every hole offers stunning views of the Pacific Ocean. That’s the philosophy behind the Manele Golf Course, designed by Jack Nicklaus. Located above the picturesque Hulopoe Bay, this par-72 course was carved out of lava outcroppings and utilizes the dramatic natural landscape to create a challenging course and unforgettable holes.

Lanai Culture and Heritage Center
This museum covers nearly a millennium of changes—from 1000 A.D., when the first Hawaiians settled there, to the end of the plantation era in 1992.The community banded together to help preserve their island’s story, donating treasures of all kinds from their homes: clothing; furniture; household implements; plantation equipment; bango (workers’ metal identification tags); and adzes, poi pounders and ulu maika (bowling) stones that family members had found when they were working in the fields.