Slow Times On Molokai : This Hawaiian island has no high-rises or late-night action. What it does have is wide-open spaces, lonely beaches and a down-home aloha style.

Imagine a Hawaiian island without a single traffic light or high-rise hotel . . . with country lanes that end abruptly in lonely valleys. Or at some deserted beach. If one is searching for the Hawaii that existed before the tourist boom, Molokai fits the mold. One senses that the island has barely slipped into the 20th Century.

Even with few jobs, and developers lusting at Molokai’s shores, islanders aren’t seeking high-tech tourism. No one seems anxious to trade serenity for prosperity when the dividends could mean overcrowding and the loss of the aloha spirit.

For the action crowd, Molokai without question would be a disappointing bore. The island is simply too quiet, too peaceful. Unless one enjoys sun-drenched beaches and long, lonely drives, scratch Molokai altogether.

Kaunakakai is Molokai’s only town, and it still appears like the shootout scene in the old Hollywood flick, “High Noon.” To call Kaunakakai a town, of course, is an exaggeration. One can walk the single street, end to end, in less than five minutes. Sooner if one hurries.

The buildings of Kaunakakai continue to resemble the false fronts created for a John Wayne Western. With rare exceptions, the scene remains as unchanged as a sunrise. The old Midnight Inn burned recently, and the billiard parlor where locals gathered is gone. Otherwise it is the same street as ever, with its lineup of dusty pickups and an assortment of vintage jalopies and slick compacts.

Kanemitsu’s, the island’s only bakery, continues to turn out hundreds of loaves of bread daily (raisin-nut, strawberry, coconut-pineapple, apple-cinnamon, papaya and banana), along with cream puffs, brownies and wonderful cakes and pies. Doing business from the same location for 70 years, the bakery keeps its ovens blazing from midnight till dawn. Kanemitsu’s serves breakfast and lunch and prepares takeout sandwiches for picnickers. The building may be unimpressive, but the food is first-rate. And five bucks goes a long way here.

The main drag of Kaunakakai consists of a string of groceries, a dry goods store, a pharmacy, several boutiques, a bank and a post office. Jim Brocker, a 47-year-old ex-pilot from Temple, Tex., stocks fishing tackle and such at his Molokai Fish & Dive Shop. A neighbor is one of those old-fashioned island stores that carries everything imaginable, from poi wrapped in cellophane bags to propane fuel, won-ton chips, canned bamboo shoots, clothing, toys, step ladders, kitchen brooms, mousetraps and dozens of items that are snapped up by islanders on their shopping safaris. “If we don’t have it,” the owner tells you flatly, “you don’t need it.”

On the same sleepy street, Mass is said at St. Sophia’s, and next door, Esquibal’s Barbershop cuts hair for $6. Customers load up on cases of beer at Molokai Wines & Spirits, and vacationers with a crush on the island inquire about permanent residency at the Friendly Isle Realty. A bulletin board told recently of a rental for $750 a month: “3 bedrooms, 1 bath with an ocean view.” A two-bedroom bungalow was listed for $675.

At Wavecrest, a 126-unit condominium development on the coast, 13 miles east of Kaunakakai, accommodations are up for grabs for as little as $61 a day. Tom Knefler, a retired fireman from San Diego, is president of the homeowners association. He questions why he didn’t leave the mainland years earlier. On Molokai, the world of noisy cities seems distant, particularly at dawn. The contentment shows in Knefler’s eyes.

Still, he admits the island isn’t for everyone. There are no crowds, no tour buses. There is no public transportation. Barely half a dozen taxis do business on the entire island. As a result, a rental car isn’t an option, it’s almost a necessity. On Molokai’s country roads, motorists drive for miles without passing another car. Little shanties appear by the sea. Grassy hillsides slip away to the ocean. Cars pass valleys alive with axis deer, wild goat, boar, pheasant, quail, dove and chukkar partridge.

This isn’t to say that Molokai is without tourist attractions. Daily safaris are conducted by Pilipo Solatorio from Colony’s Kaluakoi Hotel & Golf Club, on the island’s far western shore, to Molokai Ranch Wildlife Park. The popular, 50,000-animal park appears like a scene out of Kenya or Tanzania. Vans gear up daily for the two-hour trip to the park and back. Armed with movie cameras and Instamatics, passengers bag anything that moves--Barbary sheep, antelope, eland, giraffes, oryx and great kudu. All that’s missing is a pride of lions chasing a gazelle.

The land is reminiscent of the African savanna. Red dust curls behind the van. Giraffes poke their noses into windows, sniffing out handouts. Others nibble at pellets fed by passengers at a petting compound. When Solatorio beeps his horn, the animals come running. The show is second only to an African safari. Only cheaper. The two-hour adventure figures out to $25.

Without argument, the Kaluakoi Hotel & Golf Club, where safari groups meet, provides the spiffiest accommodations on Molokai. An enclave of two-story Polynesian-style bungalows, it’s surrounded by an 18-hole golf course on Kepuhi Beach.

Besides golf and tennis, vacationers do the popular mule ride to Kalaupapa, the north shore colony where Father Damien shared his faith with--and his compassion for--lepers cast ashore on the lonely peninsula on Molokai’s north coast.

Or one can make the short drive to the plantation village of Maunaloa. With pineapple phased out, Dole and Del Monte have disappeared. Only a few houses remain, along with the plantation’s ghostly sugar mill, a grocery and service station, and Jonathan Socher’s Kite Factory. As the unofficial mayor of Maunaloa, Socher does business out of an old frame building where we met several years ago. Before settling on Molokai, Socher did a stint as a law clerk in Beverly Hills. Awakening one morning in Glitterville, he realized how dreadfully dissatisfying his life had grown. Just like that, he quit his job and took off in search of serenity. He discovered it on Molokai.

In the beginning, Socher fished and loafed and sunbathed. Then one day (for some reason even he finds inexplicable) he got into the kite-making business. At first it didn’t fly. But Socher’s a tenacious sort. Now business is soaring, with the shop supplying kites to nearly a dozen stores on Oahu, Maui, the Big Island and Kauai. In addition, Socher deals in Asian art and artifacts from Indonesia. The bearded Socher resembles a refugee from the ‘60s. Smiling hugely, he chuckles: “Life is fantastic!”

Occasionally, Socher is seen in Kaunakakai, which is dead center of Molokai. It is from Kaunakakai that motorists drive east along the coastal road to Halawa Valley, on the island’s far northeastern shore. Narrow, with dozens of curves, the final stretch adds up to an endurance test. Those who succeed are blessed with a scene that burns forever in the memory. Although the final miles seem endless, with still more curves and occasional drenching rains, the arrival at Halawa Valley is an experience worth every twist and pothole. As the road nears its end, the valley--far below--comes into focus, a scene so startling it seems the creation of an artist, hauntingly beautiful. Waterfalls spill from a towering cliff and the voice of a bird is as startling as thunder. Petals from flower trees shower the ground. At night, skies shine like daylight, so bright are the stars.

Thick jungle unfolds deep into the valley, with its peaceful bay. Until a tidal wave struck nearly 50 years ago, the Halawa Valley was home to hundreds of Hawaiians. They fished and planted taro and sweet potatoes and bathed in pools below the Moaula and Hipuapua waterfalls. Now the valley is mostly deserted.

Jim Davis, 38, lives in a shanty by the bay where he farms and fishes and hunts wild pigs. The ocean lulls him to sleep at night and in the morning he is awakened by the thunder of waterfalls and birds that cry out from the jungle. To help support his family, Davis takes visitors by boat to see Molokai’s north coast, with its sheer cliffs, drenching waterfalls and narrow valleys where a handful of others, like himself, have chosen to escape the world beyond these shores.

Vacationers who camp in Halawa Valley dive for fish in the bay and hike into the jungle to pools where Hawaii’s kings once bathed when the valley was their summer place.

Davis studied the sky from the door of his shanty. Solemnly he said, “This is the best place in Hawaii.” A friend, Sam Namakaeha, 22, was camped nearby with his wife, Cassie, 21. Another acquaintance, Bill Castor, had speared a huge fish. And Davis, who had been hunting, brought home a pig. There was to be a luau this night in the Halawa Valley beneath one of those huge Hawaiian moons.

On the road back to Kaunakakai, one passes dozens of royal fish ponds that once belonged to Hawaii’s kings. Waves break furiously against lava that flowed to the sea eons ago. On one beach, the rotting hull of a boat tossed ashore in a storm lies half buried in the sand. Frame bungalows line the shore and locals gather on the stoop of a country store that lists on its sagging foundation.

Back in Kaunakakai, I sat in a snack bar studying passengers boarding a small vessel that would deliver them across the channel to Maui. It was afternoon and the air was warm and a group of young vacationers was swilling bottles of Primo, which is a pretty good beer. The women wore shorts and halters with floral patterns and the men wore tank tops and swim trunks, and it was evident that Molokai was their kind of island.

One afternoon I drifted over to the Pau Hana, which is the oldest hotel on Molokai--a scattering of single-story buildings with a swimming pool and a bar with lava rock walls.

Since my last visit, the owner has spiffed up the little resort, installing ceiling fans and adding a few more units. Still, the Pau Hana is one of those retreats where when one awakens, there’s no question that this is not a Hilton or a Sheraton. In a word, it’s satisfying--not elegant, perhaps, just satisfying.

On Friday and Saturday nights, the bar at the Pau Hana comes alive with a quartet that plays Hawaiian melodies as well as music that customers can boogie to. The musicians are big guys who obviously have taken on more than their share of poi. Waipa Purdy heats up the drums. Blah Robbins and Bruza Paleka pick away at the ukulele and guitar, and Claude Pule gets in his licks on the bass. You pay a $2 cover charge, beer goes for a buck a bottle and there’s seldom an intermission. These guys play till the bartender calls for the last round, which is at midnight. Never mind that flyers put out by the hotel tell of “dancing away the night” and “welcoming a new day.” At the Pau Hana, the witching hour is midnight. That’s it. Drink up. It’s over.

And besides, Blah, Waipa, Claude and Bruza need a fix, which is to say--another dish of poi.

GUIDEBOOK: Molokai

Getting there: Hawaiian Airlines and Aloha Island Air serve Molokai from Honolulu. Round-trip fare is $131.90. Other local airlines: Air Molokai, $79.90 round trip; Panorama, $59.95.

Where to stay:

Colony’s Kaluakoi Hotel & Golf Club has one- and two-story Polynesian-style units on Kepuhi Beach on Molokai’s western shore (marvelous sunsets). Write P.O. Box 1977, Maunaloa, Molokai, Hawaii 96770, (800) 777-1700 or (808) 552-2555. Rates: $90-$225 double. Two restaurants (uninspiring meals in pleasant surroundings), an 18-hole golf course.

Paniolo Hale Resort Condominiums, P.O. Box 146, Maunaloa, (800) 367-2984 or (808) 552-2731. Rates: $85-$175. Near Kepuhi Beach. One- or two-bedroom units with kitchen, TV, laundry facilities, swimming pool, paddle tennis, outdoor barbecues.

Ke Nani Kai Resort Condominiums, P.O. Box 126, Maunaloa, (800) 888-2791 or (808) 552-2761. Rates: $105-$135. One- or two-bedroom units, also near Kepuhi Beach, with kitchen, maid service, pool/spa, tennis.

(Note: The beaches on the western coast of Molokai can be treacherous.)

Pau Hana Inn, P.O. Box 860, Kaunakakai, Molokai, Hawaii 96748, (800) 531-4004 or (808) 553-5342. Rates: $45-$125. Within walking distance of Kaunakakai. Swimming pool. Inexpensive meals served on the Banyon Tree terrace. Live entertainment Friday/Saturday nights.

Hotel Molokai, P.O. Box 546, Kaunakakai, (800) 423-6656. Rates: $59-$125. Low-rise, Polynesian-style units. Five minutes by car east of Kaunakakai. Inexpensive terrace dining with views of Lanai and Maui.

Molokai Shores, P.O. Box 1037, Kaunakakai, (800) 367-7042. Rates: $80-$110. One- and two-bedroom condos with kitchenettes. On the ocean, swimming pool, nicely landscaped.

Wavecrest Resort, Star Route 155, Kaunakakai, (800) 367-2980 or (808) 558-8101. Rates: $61-$81. On the ocean, 13 miles east of Kaunakakai. Swimming pool, tennis, putting green, shuffleboard.

Where to eat:

There may be no three-star restaurants on Molokai, but the best breakfasts on the island are served at the Kualapuu Cookhouse, 15 miles west of Kaunakakai (ask directions at your hotel). Owner Nanette Yamashita bakes excellent macadamia, coconut, guava and banana pies.

Sightseeing:

Mule rides: Write to Molokai Mule Rides, P.O. Box 200, Kualapuu, Molokai, Hawaii 96757, (800) 843-5978 or 537-1845 (toll-free from other islands). Cost is $115 (includes lunch) for a six-hour ride on a trail that cuts through lush rain forest and follows 26 switchbacks to the leper colony built by Father Damien de Veuster.

Safari to Molokai Ranch Wildlife Park costs $25 for adults, $15 for children. Write P.O. Box 8, Maunaloa 96770, (808) 552-2555.

Halawa Valley, one of the loveliest in Hawaii, is about 30 miles northeast of Kaunakakai, but the last few miles can be treacherous in a storm.

Other activities: Sailing and snorkeling trips are available through Molokai Charter, P.O. Box 1207, Kaunakakai 96748, (808) 553-5852. . . .Day cruises to Maui are $45, or $59 with a one-day rental car on Maui; (800) 833-5800. . . .Molokai Horse & Wagon Ride, P.O. Box 56, Hoolehua 96729, (808) 567-6773 or 558-8380; adults $33, children $16.50. . . .Discover Molokai Nature Walks, P.O. Box 123, Maunaloa 96770, (808) 552-2975.

For more information: Contact the Hawaii Visitors Bureau, 3440 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 502, Los Angeles 90010, (213) 385-5301.