After exploring the Garden of the Gods and almost getting blown off the island, we watched the Hula Girl dance all the way back to the crossroad where we took a left towards Shipwreck beach.

We couldn’t’ just sit at the Ritz Carlton on Maui for five nights, so we went for a few day trips including biking down the side of 10,000 foot tall Mount Haleakala and checking out the Garden of the Gods on neighboring island Lanai.

As with the first part of our trip to Lanai, we’ve included a soundtrack to the off road day trip. Simply click play on the song below if you’d like to follow along with our soundtrack during the island tour.

Drive To Shipwreck Beach

I had convinced Mrs. Weekly Flyer that our time on Lanai would be spent sipping Mai Tai’s at the Four Seasons, but so far it wasn’t working out like I had promised, it was much better.

The drive from the Garden of the Gods to Shipwreck beach wasn’t that far in distance, but it felt like another world.

We drove back to the Garden of the Gods entrance and then hooked a left towards the shore with a view of Molokai.

The road was winding and twisting. Mrs. Weekly Flyer knows it’s not always a direct path to where we are going so she was happy to hand over the wheels for the next few hours.

We knew we had hit pay dirt when we turned towards the ocean. Take a look at that view of Molokai.

It only got better with each twist and turn of the winding road.

As we approached the shore we didn’t know what to expect. Would it be rocky water, clam waves, or something else.

The signs to the beach were obvious. Anyone can do this day trip.

It did get fun for a while. Once we turned off towards Shipwreck beach, we hit a rough patch that required a bit of navigating over a dirt road filled with holes and tire tracks. A couple of times we had to hug the trees with the jeep while another jeep would pass.

The end result was well worth the effort. First, we saw a bit of rocky beach, but we kept going to the left until we found the sweet spot.

The sweet spot was just around the corner. Can’t recommend this enough if you’d like to “get off the resort” while on Maui or Lanai. There was literally no one on the beach for a few hours except us.

About here, we decided to take a dip into the ocean. It was the best decision we had made all trip.

About 50 yards off the beach we ran into our first, and then our second sea turtle. We ended up swimming with them for a bit. You can see the coral in the picture below which guided our swimming patterns.

After a while, we headed back to the shore for a longer walk to see the wreck.

At this point we encountered the most friendly locals we’ve ever met. Obviously Mrs. Weekly Flyer and I were not “locals” and that was clear when we started to walk on the trail bare foot. It turns out, the brush on the island will give you a nasty sore if you don’t wear protective gear on your feet. No less than one step onto the trail, a local suggested we turn back and put our shoes on our feet. I couldn’t have thanked him enough.

The wreck is nothing special, other than you are on a beach alone, on a protected island, in Hawaii, looking out towards Molokai. I guess you can call that special.

After hanging out at the beach for a while, we decided to head back to the Four Seasons to grab that drink I had promised Mrs. Weekly Flyer before catching the ferry back to Lahaina.

Bottom Line

Our time on Lanai was filled with some of the best moments from our time on all of the Hawaiian islands. It was so calm compared to the hustle of Maui. We explored the Garden of the Gods, Shipwrecked beach and then caught the ferry back to Maui.

If you have a spare day and an adventurous heart, consider taking time away from Maui and exploring the neighboring island of Lanai.

Related Posts

Check out our other Hawaii Day Trip tips and ideas here.

• Maui Day Trip to Lanai’s Garden of Gods – Many Pictures
• Kauai Day Trip – Queen’s Bath & Secret Beach
• Kauai Day Trip – Waimea Canyon Lookout
• Kauai Trip Report – Exploring Kauai’s North Coast
• Kauai Trip Report – St Regis Princeville
• Kauai Day Trip – North Shore Beaches
• Maui Day Trip – Biking Mount Haleakala
• South Shore Kauai Surf, Sand And Pool At Grand Hyatt Resort & Spa

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