Four Seasons Resort Lanai Introduces Astrotourism

Give family travel an educational bent at Four Seasons Resort Lanai, which recently debuted its Lanai Observatory to bring an astrotourism experience to guests, residents and students.

Love Lanai’s new cultural program, Kilo Hoku Experience, guides guests on a tour of the night sky. Lanai is an ideal location to observe stars due to low levels of atmospheric and light pollution. Kilo, in Hawai’ian, is “to observe,” while hoku means “star.” Anela Evans, cultural practitioner, Love Lanai, spent hours researching primary Hawai’ian language resources to develop program scripts and uncover star stories from the culture.

© Courtesy of Four Seasons Resort Lanai

“Our Love Lanai team dedicated many hours of learning not only about the operations of the telescope and the skies, but importantly about the history of ancient wayfinding as well as methods of traditional, non-instrument navigation that Native Hawaiians and people of the Pacific utilize today in attempts to retrace the voyages of our past so we can reclaim ancestral knowledge,” shared Alastair McAlpine, general manager, Four Seasons Resort Lanai. “We look forward to sharing this unique experience to explore the stars, and discover another aspect of Hawaiian culture.”

During the Kilo Hoku Experience, participants learn how indigenous Hawai’ians and people of the Pacific used the stars to guide their way to the ocean before then enjoying a guided viewing experience using the 40-inch telescope, housed in a two-story domed structure spanning 25 feet.

In the future, Four Seasons Resort Lanai looks to add guest speakers, presentations and educational programs. Current rates for the one-hour Kilo Hoku Experience are $35 per person or $17.50 for children 4–12.