(the Forbidden Island)
A privately owned virtual time capsule, Niihau is the only island left in the state of Hawaii where Hawaiian is still the primary language. A single village on the western shore is home to about 150 residents, who lead simple lives without telephones and many modern conveniences, spending their days instead in agriculture, fishing, and making beautifully-crafted shell leis. The island is closed to tourists. I took most of the photos below from the helicopter the islanders keep on hand for emergency medical evacuations, as there are no proper medical facilities on Niihau itself.
Since the island lies west of Kauai at the far end of the major Hawaiian island chain, only commercial jets heading in that direction to/from Asia are likely to have a view of the island like the one above.
The closest most visitors are allowed to come is the island of Kauai, where Niihau can be seen off in the distance. This picture is misleading, as only the central cliffs are visible from this distance. The island is actually several times longer and consists of primarily flat land.
Close up of the dramatic sea cliffs of Niihau as the helicopter approaches the island.
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Looking down the eastern coast to the south end of the island. Niihau is normally very arid, but heavy rains in the winter allowed quite a lot of plants to thrive and turn the normally red island a vibrant green.
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Flying over the center of the island, heading south over Lake Halali'i.
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Aerial view of Po'ooneone Beach on the rocky eastern windward coast,
normally the side of the island that gets heavy surf.
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East coast of Niihau, looking north towards the central highlands.
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Breathtaking view of Kawaihoe at the southern tip of the island.
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Making an impromptu landing on a grassy flat near Kii Beach on the island's north end.
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Surveying the incredible view to the south and the central cliffs. The small lagoon in front of me is a shark breeding area, as I would soon discover.
View from the northeast point of Niihau, looking south to Pueo Point.
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Zooming in on the cliffs across the bay.
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Some of the thick green landscaping as a result of recent rains.
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Niihau is the perfect place for beachcombing, as the photos above illustrate. A few hours of exploration on the coast yielded everything from giant pig & cow bones to intricate Niihau shells no larger than a pin tip. One of my more unusual finds was a disposable camera filled with undeveloped snorkeling photos from Kauai; apparently it had slipped from the owner's grasp shortly after the last photo had been snapped, eventually washing up on Niihau after crossing the 17 miles of open ocean between the two islands. But perhaps my most bizarre discovery was a piece of weathered plastic bearing the Japanese characters "Katsu Maru". A later Internet search found a Japanese fishing trawler of the same name that sunk off the coast of South Africa in 1970. Could it be a piece of plastic actually traveled halfway around the world to wash up here? No doubt Niihau's beaches have countless other stories to tell as well.