{"id":56795,"date":"2020-09-15T10:07:21","date_gmt":"2020-09-15T17:07:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/soulofamerica.com\/?page_id=56795"},"modified":"2020-09-16T08:05:29","modified_gmt":"2020-09-16T15:05:29","slug":"exploring-garden-of-the-gods","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.soulofamerica.com\/us-cities\/lanai\/exploring-garden-of-the-gods\/","title":{"rendered":"Exploring Garden Of The Gods"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Garden

Lana’i Garden of the Gods<\/strong>; (c) Soul Of America<\/p><\/div>\n

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Exploring Garden Of The Gods in Lana’i<\/h2>\n

Hit the outskirts of the Four Seasons at Ko\u2019ele Lodge to see reddish-orange rocks at Garden of the Gods in Lana’i. It will make you wonder if you’re on a Hawaiian island. — Jeanette Valentine<\/em><\/p>\n

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On my last day, Garrett Yoshikawa, from Neal Rabaca Tours, takes me on an SUV expedition. We hit the outskirts of the Four Seasons at Ko\u2019ele Lodge to see The Experience at Ko\u2019ele, a golf course co-designed by Greg Norman, formerly number one golfer in the world. Golf great Jack Nicklaus designed The Challenge at Manele at the other Four Seasons property.<\/p>\n

Garrett takes me through scenic woods and up rugged dusty roads, careful to watch for deer that might dart across our path. Just beyond the dry forest Kanepu\u2019u Reserve, he stops at Garden of the Gods, a ruddy, desolate landscape studded by giant rock formations. <\/p>\n

Imagine the moon\u2019s surface coated in reddish-orange. Our shoes crunch gravel and a fierce wind whips around us when we step from the SUV. Boulders of all sizes, worn smooth from years of windstorms and rain, sit everywhere, some perched precariously atop one another. From a cliff, I can just make out Moloka\u2019i through the fog.<\/p>\n

It is eerily quiet, ideal for communing with a higher power or simply meditating. The name \u201cGarden of the Gods\u201d is fitting.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best time to see it is sunset to get the full effect of the place,\u201d says Garrett. \u201cWhen the sun sets, it hits the basin at a certain angle, and it\u2019ll bring out all the colors from the ground, all the different minerals in the soil.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"Lana'i

Shipwreck Beach on Lana’i<\/strong>; Hawaiian Tourist Authority<\/p><\/div>\n

Back in our four-wheel drive, we head over rocky terrain toward Shipwreck Beach. Nasty currents and unforgiving coral reefs make the channel between Lana\u2019i and Moloka\u2019i treacherous for ships, and many have wrecked here, hence, the name. Today, the hull of a 1940s Navy oiler sits like a ghost in the water, its concrete mass wedged onto the reef for eternity. We walk down the beach, with Garrett scouting for sea turtles.<\/p>\n

The last stop on our day\u2019s journey is Kukui Point. We trek inland just 200 yards, past a tree bent 90 degrees from years of gale force winds. After climbing over black rocks, we come across the point\u2019s famous petroglyphs, crude drawings of animals and warriors dating back to between 500 and 900 AD.
\n \u2028
\nSpinning Dolphin Charters of Lana\u2019i<\/strong>
\nTake chartered fishing expeditions
\nLana\u2019i City, HI 96763
\nPhone: 808-565-7676
\nWebsite: http:\/\/www.SportFishingLanai.com\u2028\u2028<\/p>\n

L\u0101na\u2018i Cultural and Heritage Center<\/strong>
\nOld Dole Administration Building, Suite 126
\nLana\u2019i City, HI 96763
\nPhone: 808-565-7175
\nWebsite: http:\/\/www.lanaichc.org<\/p>\n

Neal Rabaca Tours<\/strong>
\nP.O. Box 630304 \u2028
\nLanai City, Hawaii 96763
\nPhone: 808-565-6670<\/p>\n

\"Jeep

Neal Rabaca Tours jeep parked at Lana’i Shipwreck Beach<\/strong>; (c) Soul Of America<\/p><\/div>\n

Golfing at Four Seasons, Manele Bay<\/strong>
\nPhone: 808-565-2000
\nWebsite: http:\/\/www.golfonlanai.com\/manele<\/p>\n

Golfing at Four Seasons, Ko\u2019ele<\/strong>
\nPhone: 808-565-4000
\nWebsite: http:\/\/www.golfonlanai.com\/Koele\/default.aspx<\/p>\n

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