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No one is allowed to land on Niihau unless you are a resident of the island, a member of the Robinson family, or an invited guest. The Robinson family permits helicopter tours, but contact between the visitors and natives is not allowed. Fishermen and sailors may visit the island by sea, but are not able to land.
With no utilities and no stores on Niihau, each household must provide for all of its own needs. Staples and dry goods come from nearby Kaua`i by Niihau Ranch boat, but all fresh food must be caught by the residents. The traditional food is seafood.
Niihau is now valued at $88 million, according to county tax records. The island's population has declined in recent decades in step with a shortage of jobs, according to the Niihau Cultural Heritage Foundation. Some residents make a living weaving prized Niihau shells into lei.
King Kamehameha IV sold it for $10,000 in 1863 to Elizabeth Sinclair of Scotland. Her descendants, the Kamaaina (meaning “Old-Timer”) Robinson family, continue to live on the island and have attempted to preserve Hawaiian culture there.
What happens if you go to Niihau uninvited? Turns out that Ni'ihau is called the Forbidden Isle because it's private property owned entirely by the Robinson family. Showing up without an invitation is trespassing, and the Robinson family doesn't appreciate uninvited visitors.
They hunt and fish for food and have additional supplies brought in from Kauai. There is no telephone service, no hotels, no paved roads, only a handful of cars, and the island is entirely solar powered. The primary language spoken on Niihau is Hawaiian.
Most of the residents of Niihau live in or around the main settlement of Pu?uwai. There are no cars, no roads, no hotels, no power lines, no running water, no telephones and typically people there use bicycles or horses to get around.
No one is allowed to land on Niihau unless you are a resident of the island, a member of the Robinson family, or an invited guest. The Robinson family permits helicopter tours, but contact between the visitors and natives is not allowed. Fishermen and sailors may visit the island by sea, but are not able to land.
Geology and HydrologyNi'ihau has no perennial streams. Halulu Lake is a natural freshwater lake covering approximately 74 hectares (182 acres) and Halali'i Lake is an intermittent lake covering approximately 340 hectares (841 acres).
No one is allowed to visit Hawaii's Forbidden Isle—the 70-square-mile island, which on a clear day can be spied from Kauai's west coast—unless they are invited by Niihau owners the Robinson family, or by one of its 70 full-time Native Hawaiian residents.
Don't Even Try. While Niihau would be a perfectly stunning island to book a vacation to, it's already owned by the Robinson family. That means any and all visiting is off-limits and they can legally have you removed if you enter without permission. Tours via helicopter are the only way to get a good look at this place.
There is no indoor plumbing, no cars, no stores, no internet, and no paved roads. Residents travel by bicycles or foot and they don't pay rent. Since 1864, guaranteed full-time work for the inhabitants was supplied by the Niihau Ranch.
When the Sinclairs purchased the island in 1864, they committed to maintaining Niihau's Hawaiian culture. Brothers Bruce and Keith Robinson, descendants of the Sinclairs, own the island today, and they have continued to protect the island from the pressures of the outside world.
Once owned by Royalty, Niihau was purchased from King Kamehameha in 1864 and up to 1987, visits to the island were typically restricted to the owners and their guests, or government officials, which is how it gained its moniker; “The Forbidden Island”.
Molokai is known for its limited resorts and attractions, which adds to its charm as the least touristy island in Hawaii. Unlike other islands that are filled with high-rise hotels and commercialized attractions, Molokai offers a more rustic and untouched experience.
The island is currently managed by brothers Bruce and Keith Robinson. The people of Ni?ihau are noted for their gemlike lei pupu (shell lei) craftsmanship. They speak Hawaiian as a primary language.