Nihua, HI Summary

Known as “the Forbidden Isle,” Niihai is 17 miles west of Kauai across the Kaulakahi Channel. This privately owned island is 18 by 6 miles and 70 square miles in area. In 1864, King Kamehameha IV sold the island to Eliza Sinclair for $10,000. Today her great-great grandson runs the ranch.

Close to 300 people live here, in the main village of Puuwai. There is no indoor plumbing or electricity and, as on Molokai, Hawaiian native culture thrives. Most of the residents are of Native Hawaiian ancestry and still speak the language.

Raising livestock, primarily cattle and sheep, and making mats from rush are the main activities. Niihau leis, strings of pupu Niihau shells, are another specialty and sell for several hundred dollars or more.

Visitors are not allowed on the island, but one dive operator offers a dive expedition from Kapaa in Kauai. It is a 90-minute ride, and is for experienced divers only. Waters here are challenging, and there is a healthy shark population.