Why are 2 Hawaiian Islands forbidden to visitors?

The Robinson family decided to restrict access of Niihau back in 1864, giving it its nickname of the “Forbidden Island.” They put a policy in place to ensure that all those born on Niihau would be able to live there for their entire life with limited exposure to the outside world.



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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.

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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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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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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.

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Robinson and his brother Bruce own the approximately 70-square-mile (180 km2) island of Ni?ihau in the Hawaiian island chain, which has been in the private possession of their family since their great-great-grandmother Elizabeth McHutchinson Sinclair (1800–1892) purchased it from King Kamehameha V for US$10,000 in gold ...

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Molokai. Molokai is the best island for solitude, meaning few tourists and small town Hawai?i life. Additionally, Molokai is all about making your own adventure, easy but scenic hiking, and most of all, relaxing! If you like a slow vacation, then Molokai may be for you!

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Of the four major islands in the Hawaiian group, tradition tells us that the highest and most sacred places were Mauna Wai'ale'ale on Kaua'i; Mauna Ka'ala on O'ahu; Mauna Haleakala on Maui; and Mauna Kea on Hawai'i.

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And while neighboring Maui sees roughly 2.6 million visitors per year, there are less than 1,000 tourists on Molokai per day (or 365,000 annually). To date, there are approximately 8,000 residents island-wide, 40% of which are native Hawaiians.

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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.

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Lying less than twenty miles off the southwest coast of Kauai, Ni'ihau is aptly called the Forbidden Isle: the privately-owned haven, inhabited entirely by natives and descendants of the Robinson Family, largely prohibits outsiders.

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Niihau, also known as the Forbidden Isle, is a beautiful small island in Hawaii spread across 180 sq km. The island is off-limits to outsiders and only the Robinson family, their relatives, invited guests, government officials and US Navy personnel are allowed here.

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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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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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'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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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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