How much is the island of Niihau worth?

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.



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It has been privately owned by the same family since 1864, when Elizabeth Sinclair purchased it from King Kamehameha V for $10,000 in gold. Today the island is managed by Robinson brothers, Bruce and Keith Robinson who are descendants family members of Elizabeth Sinclair.

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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.

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Do people on Niihau pay taxes? On Wednesday the Kauai County Council approved legislation to impose an annual flat tax rate of $40,000 for Niihau based on a series of factors, including the island's contributions to agriculture and Hawaiian culture and its sparse use of county services.

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A hint: It's not because you have to be rich and famous to visit the island. Quite the contrary, Niihau's owners are upholding a promise made to a former Hawaiian king to protect the island from the outside world and to maintain the island's beloved Hawaiian heritage.

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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.

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Great selection of hotels in Niihau Whether you're searching for hotels in Niihau on business, or hunting for a family getaway, Niihau hotel options are only a click away. Find hotels in Niihau with the location, star-rating and facilities you need.

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Ni'ihau High & Elementary School or Niihau Island School is a public K-12 school in Niihau, Hawaii, United States. It is operated by the Hawaii Department of Education.

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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.

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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.

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It is home to free-ranging wild boar, feral hybrid sheep, aoudad, eland and oryx. The pigs are decedents of those brought by the first Polynesian settlers centuries ago, but the sheep were introduced in 1864 as part of the Niihau Ranch cattle and sheep operation.

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'mother tongue') is a dialect of the Hawaiian language spoken on the island of Ni?ihau, more specifically in its only settlement Pu?uwai, and on the island of Kaua?i, specifically near Kekaha, where descendants of families from Ni?ihau now live. Today, the Ni?ihau dialect is taught in Ke Kula Niihau O Kekaha.

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Non-residents are only allowed to buy property with government permits in French Polynesia and Fiji, although there are no restrictions in Hawaii. Elsewhere land can only be bought by those with personal links to the area and islands are therefore normally available only on a leasehold basis and to residents.

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The island's small population fluctuates as Niihauans travel or move off the island. The Niihau Cultural Heritage Foundation says that number can drop to below 30 during the summer months as people travel for pleasure or work. People leave the island all the time, Peter T.

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