Niihau is also knows as The Forbidden Island because non-native Hawaiians are restricted to go there. Today, there are approximately 250 native Hawaiian residents living on Niihau and their lifestyle has remained the same over all these years.
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Access to the Reserve (the island and the 2 miles of ocean surrounding Kaho'olawe) is restricted because of the continued danger of unexploded ordnance. Access to the Reserve is permitted only with authorization of KIRC for specific purposes, such as restoration, education, and culture.
O'ahu (Population 876,156, Area 597 sq. miles) The most populated island, where Honolulu is the Capital City, the principal port, the major airport, and business and financial center, and the educational heart of the State.
Moloka?i welcomes visitors with an open heart, and, as you'll see below, it does have many “tourist-friendly” areas to visit, plenty to keep you busy for several days, in fact, including one of the state's longest beaches and most-intriguing historical sites.
Because of the existing hazards, including the UXO, rough terrain and harsh environmental elements, no unauthorized persons are allowed into the Reserve and protective measures have been adopted to maximize safety for those persons with permission to access the Reserve.
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.
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.
U.S. Navy conveys deed of ownership of Kaho'olawe to the State of Hawai'i. The Kaho'olawe Island Reserve Commission is established to manage activities on the island.