Adventure 10 - The Great Coconut Caper

Whoever heard of sending a coconut in the mail? It turns out that you can send a coconut to anyone you like from the post offices of Molokai. I received this information from my taxi driver on my way to the Hui Hoolana, a retreat centre on the hills of Molokai.  A few short days later, me and a few of the Hui Gang (Blitz, Malika, Kate, Maureen and Heather) set off on a journey to find the post office with the coconuts.

The direct route:
The most direct route to the post office from Hotel Molokai according to one, is to drive the highway through town, pass the coffee plantation. Turn left at the T intersection and it’s a green building on your right.

The scenic route:
Drive through town along the highway for awhile. Turn down a few side streets in case you spot a post office. In confusion, return to the highway until you come to Mile 5, which happens to be a dead end. Once you arrive you’ll discover that it’s not quite the end of the road. Take the pathway that leads to a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean and the shores of the infamous Leper Colony. Feel free to snap a few pictures while you’re there. If it interests you, there is a short hike to the Phallic Rock that is said to induce fertility. Have a seat.

Like us, you may run into Bo. It happens that he is a retired postmaster that knows exactly where the post office is. He will be very happy to direct you. Mahalo (thank you) to Bo for the awesome directions even though we ended up at the OTHER post office.

Directions from Mile 5:

Take Hwy 470 to Hwy 480 and hang a right. It’s just past the Coffees of Hawaii on the right hand side.

The Coconut:

Success! We arrived at the post office with 20 minutes to spare. I let the postmaster know I would like to mail a coconut. She brings me a basket full of various hand painted coconuts to choose from. I select the one with the pink butterfly painted on the end, address it to myself and write the message “Remember the Butterflies”.

No Box, no packaging, just a coconut. Cool! Total cost: $7.95 USD. Nice!

I should receive it in the next 10 business days....March 12, 2010.

Little did I know that the coconut would arrive so early.  I was away for the weekend and discovered it had been sitting on my porch for the last three days.  A nice surprise.  Now....what should I DO with the coconut?