Your Lanai CME conference.

Lanai after your study day

Study days finish at 2:00 PM Lanai time. For an easy afternoon, choose one outing near your study setting: a walk around Dole Park in Lanai City, a visit to the Lanai Culture & Heritage Center, or a swim or snorkel at Hulopoe Beach Park. Leave time for the drive, because the tourism board notes that only about 30 miles of the island’s roads are paved, against roughly 400 miles of dirt track.

Travel, accommodation and any tours or vehicle rentals are arranged separately. Your conference is built around your specialty and interests; the island is the setting you choose for it.

Dole Park and Lanai City

Lanai City is the island’s cultural and geographic center, built around Dole Park. The park area was once housing for Dole Plantation employees, and the tourism board now lists art galleries, boutiques and cafés there, along with independent shops, local restaurants and a renovated historic movie theater. The Lanai Art Center welcomes drop-in visitors for a class or workshop.

The Lanai Culture & Heritage Center is in the Old Dole Administration Building at 730 Lanai Avenue. It is a museum covering the island’s history from before Western contact through the ranching, pineapple plantation and tourism eras, and its museum hours are on weekdays only, so check them against your 2:00 PM finish. For a longer walk, the tourism board points to the Lanai Guide app, which offers community-supported hikes and self-guided walking tours.

Hulopoe Bay and the south shore

Hulopoe Beach Park is a crescent-shaped beach in Hulopoe Bay, with snorkeling, tide pools, restrooms and picnic facilities. The bay shares a marine life conservation area with Manele Bay, so fishing and taking marine life are prohibited. A short hike from the beach leads toward Puupehe, a landmark rising about 80 feet from the water between the two bays; wedge-tailed shearwaters nest there, and a coastal trail lets visitors see them.

Before you swim, check HIOCEANSAFETY.COM for surf, wind and safety reports, as the tourism board suggests. Maui County requires mineral-only sunscreen. Kaunolu, a prehistoric village and former fishing retreat of King Kamehameha I, can be reached by four-wheel drive; the tourism board asks visitors to stay out of restricted areas because hunting is common on the island.

On the water or on the trail?

The tourism board lists snorkeling, boating, surfing, whale watching, sailing and paddling among Lanai’s water activities, with snorkeling especially associated with Hulopoe Bay. On land it lists ziplining at Lanai Adventure Park, hiking on trails around Lanai City, and bowling in town.

Lanai Cat Sanctuary is a short drive from Lanai City, about seven minutes according to the tourism board, and is a gentler option if you want something quiet. Any tour or rental has its own schedule and booking rules, so confirm them against your 2:00 PM finish before you plan around one.

North Lanai by four-wheel drive

Much of the island’s dirt track is in the north, and the tourism board says you need a four-wheel-drive vehicle there. Keahiakawelo is a rock formation at the end of the rough Polihua Road, with lunar landscapes that contrast with the island’s sand and surf. Kaiolohia, also called Shipwreck Beach, has an abandoned ship stranded in rocky north-shore water; the tourism board says it is not safe for swimming.

Polihua Beach is a remote stretch of about two miles of coast. Strong winds and currents make the ocean too dangerous for swimming, and there are no restrooms. Kanepuu Preserve, protected by The Nature Conservancy, holds the largest remaining stands of olopua and lama dry land forest in Hawaii. The drive is bumpy and Polihua Road is rocky, so treat a north-shore trip as a plan of its own rather than an add-on to a study day.

When to visit Lanai

The tourism board advises planning a Lanai trip between spring and fall for weather and fewer crowds. Central Lanai has open plains dotted with Cook pine trees, and its higher elevations bring cooler upcountry temperatures than the beaches. Check the forecast for both Lanai City and the coast when you plan outdoor time.

Getting to Lanai and your study setting

Lanai Airport (LNY) is on Airport Road in Lanai City; the tourism board lists flights from Maui or Oahu, and a ferry also runs from Maui. The state airport page lists ground transportation, car rentals and parking. The tourism board puts the island’s paved roads at about 30 miles, against roughly 400 miles of dirt track, much of it in the north, so ask about vehicle needs before you book a rental. On the road between Manele Small Boat Harbor and town, you cross the Palawai Basin, once covered in pineapple fields, where wild turkey and axis deer may be seen.

The map shows straight-line distances from Shift’s designated center. These are orientation distances, not driving distances or travel-time estimates. Check your exact address against the conference’s check-in area before booking.