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Kauai is the perfect place to visit if you’re looking for a little adventure and mystery. One of these exciting mysteries is the island of Ni’ihau. Easternmost of the main Hawaiian Islands, this 550-square mile island is privately owned by the Robinson family, who forbids tourists.
Ni’ihau (Nee-ee-how) is 17 miles away and can be seen from the southeastern shore of Kauai. About 200 native Hawaiians call this place home, and speak the language fluently. It is actually the only place where the native language is used frequently, taught at the only school which goes from kindergarten to 8th grade.
Islanders can leave the island freely, and they often do to get supplies from Kauai. Ni’ihau is a dry island because it is in the rain shadow of Mount Waialeale, the “wettest spot on earth” with 460 inches of rainfall a year. Sheep ranches are maintained on this island as well.
Ni’ihau has unique shell leis strung with many strands. These beautiful luminous shells come in various colors, making it a family activity to collect and sort these tiny shells. The lei maker, usually a woman, starts punching holes into each shell using an awl made from a bicycle spoke. Most of the shells break from that process, so it’s important that lei maker does it with care. The maker chooses colors that make a final product glistening with many colors. The shells are found all over Ni’ihau, but not on Kauai, since the agricultural runoff has killed off the shell makers. Because of this, the shell leis are extremely rare and precious, but if you search hard enough, you can find them.

Hawaiian legend states that Pele originally lived on Ni’ihau, before moving to Kauai and them moving eastward to the Big Island, where she is today. Scientists say that the Hawaiian Islands were formed as one of the earth’s plate moved across an active lava vent. Ni’ihau was formed because of a side vent that stemmed from Kauai. Most of this island is flat and sandy, with many freshwater lakes.
Ni’ihau has many rock formations that you couldn’t see before, as the Robison family didn’t allow tourists on Ni’ihau. Now, however, some helicopter tours are allowed to land on remote beaches. Hunting here is also allowed to control the populations of bighorn sheep and Polynesian boar. Scuba divers can also dive of this island now.
While you can do these things on Ni’ihau, you can also do on Kauai. In addition to these activities, there are many more beautiful sights on Kauai, such as the Na Pali Coast and its sea cliffs.