The Forbidden Isle

Tiny Niihau, only 70 square miles, has been for more than a century the most mysterious of the Hawaiian islands.

That's because in the 1860s Kamehameha V sold Niihau to the Robinson family

for $10,000, therefore making it a private island.

The Robinsons established a cattle ranch, which over the years became the last refuge for Hawaiians from

the modern world. The island has no electric power (although some islanders have generators), telephones,

paved roads or traffic. Although the state provides school with some instruction in English, Niihau is the last place

on earth where Hawaiian is spoken as an everyday language. Niihau is the only island that voted

against statehood in the plebiscite of 1959.

To keep Niihau from falling victim to modernization, visitors are forbidden unless especially

invited by a resident or the Robinsons. But the 250 or so islanders themselves are not necessarily isolated.

They are freeto come and go as they please, and since the island school only extends to eighth grade,

many Niihau residents attend high school on Kauai or Oahu.

The only uninvited guest on Niihau in recent history was a Japanese pilot who

ditched his plane on the island after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He terrorized the island for about

a week with machine guns from his downed Zero, until a Hawaiian named

Benehakaka Kanahele subdued him, despite being shot several times with a concealed revolver.

This gave rise to the saying, never shoot a Hawaiian more than three times or it will make him mad.

Niihau, in the rain shadow of Kauai, has long lived by fishing and trade instead of agriculture.

Captain Cook found the Hawaiians of Niihau eager to trade him yams and pigs. Of all the

trade goods, the one that is still prized is Niihau shellwork.

Tiny rare pink, white and yellow Laiki, Kehelelani and Momi seashells wash up on Niihau beaches two

or three times a year. The most perfect are tied into intricate necklaces by the island women

“and these multistranded shell leis become heirlooms in Hawaiian families.

The Smithsonian Institution declared the production of the leis a dying craft

and many are now museum pieces. You can, if you search, find Niihau shell leis for sale

on any of the islands; Kauai, since it's only seventeen miles away,

is your best bet. But be prepared to pay handsomely“the best of the leis fetch four figures.

Getting to Niihau: Although, technically no one is permitted on the island without an invitation,

the Robinsons do enlighten

the world of their forbidden isle and allow helicopter tours. Niihau Helicopters

P.O. Box 370, Makaweli,

877-441-3500,

808-335-3500 flies to Niihau from Port Allen Field on Kauai. If there's enough demand,

there are morning and afternoon flights Monday through Saturday.

Otherwise, there's only a morning flight; departure times vary. You must make prior

arrangements, and seats are often booked months in advance. The flight, which costs $250 per person, lands once,

with the location varying depending on the weather. Flights are subject to cancellation.

All the landing areas are uninhabited, and

meeting Niihau residents, while not forbidden, is highly unlikely.

The main purpose of the tours is to finance a helicopter for

medical emergencies on the island.