Notice: Function _load_textdomain_just_in_time was called incorrectly. Translation loading for the rank-math domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /var/www/html/hawaiitravelblog/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6114 Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /var/www/html/hawaiitravelblog/wp-includes/functions.php:6114) in /var/www/html/hawaiitravelblog/wp-includes/rest-api/class-wp-rest-server.php on line 1893 {"id":253,"date":"2009-03-29T04:51:29","date_gmt":"2009-03-29T04:51:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaiianbeachrentals.com\/hawaiitravelblog\/?p=253"},"modified":"2022-10-13T11:17:20","modified_gmt":"2022-10-13T11:17:20","slug":"lanai-vacation-information-my-visit-to-lanai-the-private-isle-html","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaiianbeachrentals.com\/hawaiitravelblog\/lanai-vacation-information\/my-visit-to-lana%E2%80%98i-%E2%80%93-the-private-isle.html","title":{"rendered":"Top Attractions on Lanai \u2013 The Private Isle"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today I am staying in a Lanai Vacation Rental<\/a><\/strong> and enjoying the beautiful island of Lanai, an island with a history as rich as its natural environment.<\/p>\n

Beginning in the 1920s, Lanai was dominated by a vast pineapple plantation that eventually became the largest pineapple plantation in the world. The island\u2019s central population lived in Lanai City, a company town situated at an elevation of about 1,700 feet above sea level, and set beneath the hills of Lanaihale.<\/p>\n

Today Lanai City remains the town\u2019s central population area, and early 1900s era homes (many brightly painted) still line the streets. At the center of Lanai is the grassy lawn of six-block-long Dole Park<\/strong>. <\/span>Hawaiian Church<\/strong> is at the corner of Gay and 5^{th<\/sup> Streets. Very few of Lanai\u2019s residents live outside of Lanai City.<\/p>\n}

Lanai City was originally built by James Drummond Dole (1877-1958), a pioneer in the pineapple industry. Dole purchased Lanai in 1922 for $1,100,000 and soon had more than 19,000 acres planted, producing almost one-third of the world\u2019s pineapple crop.<\/p>\n

Dole formed the Hawaiian Pineapple Company on December 4, 1901 and the first harvest took place in 1903. In 1906, Dole constructed a cannery in the Iwilei district on Oahu. At the time, Dole\u2019s enterprise was the largest fruit factory in the world.<\/p>\n

After Dole planted the first pineapples on Lanai in 1922, the pineapple industry dominated Lanai for the next 65 years, producing as many as 250 million of the tasty fruits per year.<\/p>\n

Today pineapple is no longer king on Lanai. The last major commercial pineapple harvest on Lanai took place in 1992, though some pineapple \u201cshow fields\u201d<\/em> still adorn the landscape. A tourist oriented economy has now replaced the industrious company town that was once awakened each morning by the plantation whistle.<\/p>\n

In 1985, 98% of Lanai was purchased by businessman David H. Murdock, who closed the pineapple plantation. The 1990s saw a marked rise in tourism related activities, and Lanai now has two luxury resorts, including the Manele Bay Hotel on the beach, and the Lodge at Koele in the mountains.<\/p>\n

Northwest of Lanai City is Kanepuu Forest Reserve, which offers a self-guided nature trail through a rare Hawaiian lowland forest (the largest preserved native dryland forest in the Hawaiian Islands).<\/p>\n

The 590-acre Reserve is owned and managed by the Nature Conservancy, and provides habitat for many native plants and trees. A fifteen-minute loop trail includes informative signs.<\/p>\n

Also northwest of Lanai City is a volcanic and eroded landscape known (in recent times) as Garden of the Gods<\/strong>. The area\u2019s erosion is due largely to the overgrazing of the land by non-native animals, including deer, goats and cattle.<\/p>\n

In recent times, this barren landscape was given the name, Garden of the Gods. The wind eroded boulders show changing reddish hues as the sun sets, and there are spectacular views of the ocean and Molokai, and sometimes Oahu.<\/p>\n