If you master your fear and vertigo, the views on the Kalaupapa Mule Ride are breathtaking. Photo / Jim Eagles
If you master your fear and vertigo, the views on the Kalaupapa Mule Ride are breathtaking. Photo / Jim Eagles
A terrifying mule ride delivers Judy Bailey safely into Kalaupapa, a park with a dark past, now a place of saintly seclusion.
I'm perched nervously on the back of a mule about to launch myself down a terrifyingly narrow path that clings to the side of the steepest sea cliffs in the world.
Welcome to magnificent Moloka'i. The Hawaiian island the tourist brochures say preserves and honours the traditions of old-style Hawaii.
Moloka'i is indeed magnificent. Its towering volcanic cliffs are clothed in the dark green of tropical forest, misty clouds shroud its peaks and dolphins frolic in the pristine turquoise waters below.
I'm heading down the cliffs to the Kalaupapa Historic Park, a place rich in history with a tragic tale to tell.
In the late 1800s leprosy swept through the Hawaiian islands. The authorities at the time, fearing the spread of the disease, began rounding up the victims and shipped them off to Moloka'i.
Patients were separated from their loved ones and loaded into former cattle transporters for the rough passage to the island where they were pretty much left to their own devices. They had to build their own shelter and survive any way they could.
The leper colony remains today, a bleak reminder of those harsh times. Kalaupapa was remote in those days. It is still remote. You can hike in, take a mule, or fly. I recommend the mule for the sheer adventure of it.
The track drops steeply, 5.1km zigzagging down 26 switchbacks, believe me, you're counting them closely by the end. You definitely don't want to be upsetting your mule. Your life is in their hoofs. Mine goes by the name of Elvira and she's not to be messed with. She gives me a knowing look over her shoulder and plunges off into the lead. Word to the wise, watch out for spiders, especially if you happen to be first down the track. I managed to get one down the back of my jeans. The resulting bite wasn't pretty.
If you manage to master your terror and your vertigo, take a look at the view. It's breathtaking.
Moloka'i's towering volcanic cliffs are clothed in the dark green of tropical forest. Photo / Jim Eagles
It takes us a couple of hours to reach the bottom. We emerge from the forest into the manicured lawns of the leper colony. Kalaupapa is still home to a group of elderly patients who have chosen to live out their lives in this peaceful, secluded spot. We meet one of them, Uncle Boogie, at the tiny bookshop.
He's worked there for years, bringing the island's history to life.
This place draws pilgrims from all over the world because the island boasts two saints of its own. A Belgian priest, Father Damien, dedicated himself to helping the lepers, as did American nun Mother Marianne. Both are credited with performing miraculous cures for those suffering terminal illness, and have subsequently been beatified by the Catholic Church.
Damien, from all accounts, was quite a guy. An accomplished carpenter and plumber, he could turn his hand to just about anything.
The tiny churches he built still dot the island, and he is buried beside perhaps the most beautiful, the simple little St Philomena's at Kalaupapa.
Kalaupapa is a poignant reminder of a dark part of Hawaii's history, but it is also a truly beautiful place, at the foot of those remarkable cliffs and bound by the ocean.
The mule ride to get there was one of the most memorable journeys of my life.
Moloka'i is largely untouched by tourism and that's the way the locals like it.
"You need to understand Moloka'i in your heart," they tell me. "This isn't a place for people who want Disney castles."
"You don't come here for the nightclubs," says the lovely bloke who shows me the way to the glorious Papohaku Beach (there are very few signs on Moloka'i). I'd wanted to catch the sunset. He went well out of his way but that's how they are on Moloka'i.
Warm-hearted, generous but not gushy in that brittle "have a nice day" way.
On the mule ride to Kalaupapa Peninsula, Hawaii. Photo / Supplied
The island has a proud cultural heritage.
And not for the first time I'm struck by how similar our Maori culture is to theirs.
I meet the delightful Mervin Dudoit, an island kupuna or elder, at one of the historic fish ponds. Hawaiians built the stone structures in the 15th century to catch fish and breed them.
Mervin is working with a local group, Ka Honua Momona, to restore the ponds and teach schoolchildren, and through them, their parents, about the significance of the ponds and how the island might once again become self sustainable. It's the "college of the great outdoors," he tells me.
Moloka'i, says Mervin, is the place to come when you want to connect with a deeper part of yourself. It's simple, quiet, a world away from the high-rise razzmatazz of Honolulu. Refreshing.
CHECKLIST
Getting there: Fly to Maui on Ohana by Hawaiian, then take a ferry to Moloka'i. (Be warned, although the crossing is less than two hours' long it is likely to be rough, so you may need seasick pills)
Stay:Hotel Moloka'i is right on the waterfront. Spectacular hammocks!
Eat: The Kualapu'u Cookhouse on Farrington Ave, just off the Kalae Highway, has great seafood. For coffee, go next door to Coffees of Hawaii, a little cafe with pastries too. For dinner, try Moloka'i Burger - a modern eatery with a pulled pork burger, speciality of the house.
Play: For more information about the Kalaupapa Rare Adventure Mule Ride go to muleride.com.
