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Kauai Travel Articles
- Seal-Spotting on the South Side
- The Forbidden Isle
- Kaua'i Beaches
Seventeen miles from Kaua'i, across the Kaulakahi Channel, lies the privately owned island of Ni'ihau. It's known as the "Forbidden Isle" because access is limited to the Robinson family, which owns it, and the 200 or so native Hawaiians who were born there.
Ni'ihau was bought from King Kamehameha in 1864 by a Scottish widow, Eliza Sinclair. Sinclair was introduced to the island after an unusually wet winter; she saw nothing but green pastures and thought it would be an ideal place to raise cattle. The cost was $10,000. It was a real deal, or so Sinclair thought.
Unfortunately, Ni'ihau's usual rainfall is about 12 inches a year, and the land soon returned to its normal desertlike state. Regardless, Sinclair did not abandon her venture and today the island and ranching operation are owned by Bruce Robinson, Eliza Sinclair's great-great-grandson.
Visits to the island are restricted to custom hunting expeditions and flightseeing tours through Ni'ihau Helicopter. Tours depart from Kaumakani and avoid the western coastline, especially the village of Pu'uwai. There's a four-passenger minimum for each flight, and reservations are essential. A picnic lunch on a secluded Ni'ihau beach is included, with time for swimming, beachcombing, and snorkeling. The half-day tour is $325 per person.
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