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Got an Extra $260 Million? Most of Hawaii’s Molokai Island Could Be Yours.

By Mike Richard Published September 14, 2017

We’re not breaking new ground by saying Hawaii is the most beautiful of all the United States (sorry, California). It’s no wonder that it tops most traveler’s bucket lists as their No. 1 must-visit destination. But living in the Aloha State can prove prohibitively, even impossibly, expensive — which is why the newest listing from Sotheby’s International Realty seems so outlandish. However, if you happen to be Hawaiian royalty, in the top 1 percent among one-percenters, or a recent Powerball winner with some cash to burn, it could be yours.

The $260 million sale of Molokai Ranch is a once-in-a-lifetime real estate deal, providing its lucky new owners the chance to secure 35 percent of Molokai Island. Just to be clear: This is an opportunity to buy more than one-third of a major Hawaiian island all for yourself. The 55,000-acre purchase would place the forthcoming owner among the top five private landowners in the state of Hawaii. Incidentally, it’s difficult to imagine just how much land the other four own.

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The scale of the ranch is literally unbelievable. The property is roughly the size of the city of Boston and consists of 300 individual parcels spanning all of Hawaii’s varied terrain types, from rainforest to verdant farmland to pristine beaches to dramatic sea cliffs. Provided you’re the entrepreneurial sort (which seems like a given in this tax bracket), the long list of existing businesses on the property — a golf course, numerous residences, an oceanfront resort, nature preserves, and lots and lots of agricultural land — could prove a wise and fruitful investment.

Of course, you could just buy it all, kick every last person out, and live out your days in Howard Hughes fashion, lording over one of the most beautiful pieces of land in the most beautiful state in the country. The ranch offers more than 20 miles of private coastline adjacent to the south shore of Molokai, which is home to Hawaii’s most extensive and protected reef system. It’s difficult to imagine why you would ever need or want to leave. Should you desire human interaction, however, all the services of Honolulu and nearby islands are less than 30 minutes away by private plane.

Images courtesy of Sothebys Realty.

Contributor

Mike Richard has traveled the world since 2008. He's kayaked in Antarctica, tracked endangered African wild dogs in South…

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