Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I think you have to be born on the island too. You cant just be native Hawaiin from Oahu and then visit Niihau. Also no electricity striclty living the old way.(sounds nice)!
Actually, I think you can go to Ni'ihau in some very limited ways. There are snorkel trips that stay offshore, but take you where you can see the perimeter, there are helicopter tours over Ni'ihau, and there are (or were) limited hunting trips that include a helicopter flight there and back. Google "Ni'ihau tours" and you'll get more responses than you might think.
The OP asked if anyone here had actually been there, and alas, I have not. I did see an extensive slide presentation and lecture on Maui at Kapalua's OceanQuest a couple of years ago. Like many of the experiments in living the traditional way, it's terribly interesting and impressive to see even this limited preservation of another way of life.
If you have family that lives on Ni'ihau you can go, but you have to be invited. I have a close friend who is from there and she has really interesting stories from there. The two main families that live there are the Kanahele's and the Kaohelaulii's and they are famous for their shell leis. The Hawaiians that live there really uphold the Hawaiian values and I could imagine visiting would be a huge step back in the past. There is a generator but limited electricity. I think that the main road in the camp isn't even paved. Every so often a barge from Kauai delivers supplies. But the diving there is really good. I have a lot of friends who go over the (very rough!) channel to spear fish b/c it's that good.
The military is building a launch site there (my friend who works at PMRF had the opportunity to go b/c of it) and that has brought some new technology to the island (cell phones!).
The opportunity to go is very, very rare. The helicopter trips just basically land on a beach and don't give you the chance to see the island. A lot of the families from Ni'ihau live in Kekaha so at least we on Kauai have the opportunity to learn about life there.
I picked opihi from the cliffs of the island facing Kauai, very nice from our limited view but HUGE opihis was well worth the bumpy ride on boat to get there.
If you have family that lives on Ni'ihau you can go, but you have to be invited. I have a close friend who is from there and she has really interesting stories from there. The two main families that live there are the Kanahele's and the Kaohelaulii's and they are famous for their shell leis. The Hawaiians that live there really uphold the Hawaiian values and I could imagine visiting would be a huge step back in the past. There is a generator but limited electricity. I think that the main road in the camp isn't even paved. Every so often a barge from Kauai delivers supplies. But the diving there is really good. I have a lot of friends who go over the (very rough!) channel to spear fish b/c it's that good.
The military is building a launch site there (my friend who works at PMRF had the opportunity to go b/c of it) and that has brought some new technology to the island (cell phones!).
The opportunity to go is very, very rare. The helicopter trips just basically land on a beach and don't give you the chance to see the island. A lot of the families from Ni'ihau live in Kekaha so at least we on Kauai have the opportunity to learn about life there.
Why would the military build a launch site there and not just use Kaho'olawe?
Why would the military build a launch site there and not just use Kaho'olawe?
From Wikipedia:
Beginning in World War II, the island was used as a training ground and bombing range by the United States military. After decades of protests, the Navy ended live-fire training on Kahoʻolawe in 1990, and the island was transferred to the State of Hawaii in 1994. The Hawaii State Legislature established the Kahoʻolawe Island Reserve to restore and oversee the island and its surrounding waters. Today Kahoʻolawe can be used only for native Hawaiian cultural, spiritual, and subsistence purposes.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
OFf limits to non Hawaiiins
