Post-a-Nut In Hawaii Just Might Be The Strangest Tourist Attraction Yet
By Celina Colby|Published January 26, 2023
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Celina Colby
Author
Celina Colby is a Boston-based writer and native New Englander who has been covering travel, arts, food, and culture nationally for ten years. When she's not on deadline you can often find her reading, sewing, and searching for the perfect empanada.
Many travelers like to mail postcards back to their loved ones from the exotic destinations they travel to. But one rural U.S. Post Office on the island of Molokai has a different idea of a “wish you were here.” This post office ships thousands of coconuts around the globe annually, each with a unique artistic style and message.
The post office looks like your standard stop for mailing letters and packages. But the "Post-a-Nut" program has become such a hit that tourists stop by expressly to mail coconuts to their families and friends.
These are no plain coconuts, of course. Visitors can decorate their mail with a variety of art supplies in the post office, as well as with unique stamps.
Hoolehua Postmaster Gary Lam says that the Post-a-Nut program was created in 1991 by his predecessor, Margaret Keahi-Leary. She wanted to create an unusual and authentic slice of Molokai that visitors, and even residents, could share with their friends. What could be a more authentic expression of the island than the beloved coconut?
Post-a-Nut provides a unique activity for visitors and an even more unique piece of mail for whoever they're sending it to. But it's not so bad for the post office either. The proceeds from the coconut postage have reached $60,000 a year and are always growing.
Lam says the customer reaction to the program has been overwhelmingly positive. Let’s be honest; it’s probably the most fun anyone has had at the post office.
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