Description: Molokai Plumeria offers a chance to make your own lei by hand-picking plumeria blossoms in their orchards. After a brief lesson on how to pick plumeria and which blossoms are most desirable, they turn you loose to pick as many blossoms as you care to. They recommend picking about 50, but we were so caught up in the hunt, we probably ended up with more than twice what was needed. The blossoms are rinsed in a special solution to remove the sugars before hitting the sewing table. This was a chance to talk to the proprietors about the business and some of the challenges they face. We learned the orchid leis that are so commonplace (we would receive them that evening when checking into the Westin Maui) are made in sweatshop-like conditions for less than $1. The whole experience was well worth the $15 and they send you home with the needles should you get the urge to sew up some leis in the future. Our leis were beautiful and stood out from the ordinary leis.
There is no sign and the building sits off the road a few hundred yards. Just look for the orchards on the north side of highway 460 about 3 miles west of Kaunakakai. Their website makes no mention of the tour but you can arrange it by email of phone. Cost is $15 per person and additional leis can be purchased.
http://molokaiplumerias.comClose