The Secluded Island of Kahoolawe
September 28, 2008 by writer
Filed under islands style
Not all of the Hawaiian Islands are ideal for some fun tourist sightseeing. Among the 8 major islands of Hawaii namely Big Island, Maui, Oahu, Kauai, Molokai, Lanai, and Niihau, the Kahoolawe Island is the smallest one of them all. This tiny island only measures around 12 miles in length and its area is approximately 45 square miles. The island’s tallest peak is the Lua Makika’s crater located at Pu’u Moaulanui’s summit, which stands at around 1,477 feet above the sea level. What is fascinating about this island is not only its small size, but also the fact that it is completely deserted.
The island of Kahoolawe, as legend goes, is believed to have been christened after Kanaloa, who was among the 4 major Hawaiian gods. Kanaloa was forbidden from entering heaven by Kane, who was the chief Hawaiian god and from then on, the disgraced god became similar to Lucifer. Kanaloa was then supposed to have been the ruler of the dead as well as every poisonous thing on the planet.
Evidently, it was only until the 13th century that the island of Kahoolawe was inhabited by native Hawaiians. Because of constant drought, these Kahoolawe residents transferred to the other Hawaiian Islands, which were able to offer them more water. For roughly 600 years, the island of Kahoolawe continued to be desolate. But during the 1830s, a penal colony comparable to the Alcatraz Island was established here but it was also abandoned soon after.
After being utilized as a place for prisoners, the island was later taken over by the United States military and it was used as their training ground. Back in 1994, the U.S. government gave the island back to the Aloha State. However, there was limited access to Kahoolawe until 2003 since the United States Navy had a job to tidy up the island first, owing to the fact that plenty of unexploded ammunitions remained in this isle.
These days, the island is being run and controlled by the Kahoolawe Island Reserve Commission. It is widely assumed that not every single hazardous explosive from the U.S. Navy has been removed from Kahoolawe yet. There are a few people who believe that the military had only removed around 25 % of their total explosives, so if the allegation is true, there are still 75 % of the entire explosives that still remain on the island.
In the olden times, Kahoolawe was an exquisitely lush island filled with flourishing flora and fauna. However, the goats that were brought to Kahoolawe consumed and spoiled the once thriving vegetation. Moreover, the powerful ocean winds also became a factor to the island’s erosion and Kahoolawe turned arid and rocky. This erosion occurred even before the military had taken over the island.
The Aloha State has already started the restoration of the island of Kahoolawe by getting rid of the grazing animals as well as by planting vegetations. This would really be a lengthy process and it would take numerous years before the island is entirely restored. Until that day comes, visits to Kahoolawe would be very limited and would require a special permit. But still, this historic place welcomes interested visitors. To get more information on possible access to the island of Kahoolawe, guests should get in touch with the Visitors Center located on Honolulu or the island of Maui.
The Hawaiian Island of Niihau
September 21, 2008 by writer
Filed under islands style
Niihau is the smallest in terms of area among all the populated Hawaiian Islands. It has an area of roughly 69.5 square miles and it is on this island that a person could find Lake Halulu, which is the state’s only natural lake.
The entire island of Niihau in Hawaii was previously sold for a mere sum of $10,000. These days, one would not even be able to purchase a house for that little money. During 1863, the monarch back then called King Kamehameha IV placed Niihau up for sale for the said amount. Elizabeth Sinclair, who was a local of the nearby island of Kauai, chose to buy the island and it was said that she decided to purchase Niihau instead of other properties such as Pearl Harbor or Waikiki. At the moment, the Robinson family particularly Keith and Bruce Robinson, who are Elizabeth’s descendants, are the proud owners of this tiny Hawaiian Island. They are dedicated in preserving the island of Niihau and to also uphold the Hawaiian heritage. Nowadays, Niihau is considered as the epitome of the Hawaiian Islands and it is the sole island where Hawaiian is the primary as well as the chief language used.
The island of Niihau is also dubbed as The Mystery Island and The Forbidden Island since people who are not native Hawaiians are not permitted to visit there. This exclusive island could only be visited by kin of the Robinson family, government officials, U.S. Navy personnel, as well as invited guests. These days, there are around 250 native Hawaiian citizens living on the island of Niihau and what is fascinating is that their lifestyle has not changed throughout the years. One would not be able to find any shops or restaurants on Niihau. There are also no paved roads, no cars, no hotels, and even no electricity. Life on this island is truly simple and the only means to travel around here is either by foot or by using a bike.
The lone work available on this island is at the ranch of the Robinson family and this is where most of the locals work by raising some cattle. Of course, they also get their food from the Robinson ranch. Moreover, Niihau’s residents also produce some fruits and vegetables on their own. They also do activities such as fishing as well as hunting using spears, knives, ropes and nets. Their hunting equipment is mostly self-made and they also purchase some tools from the island of Kauai.
This island is really dry so one could not expect to see some tropical and lush landscapes just like the other islands of Hawaii. Instead of the flower leis that are typical with the other Hawaiian Islands, the people of Niihau make some amazing shell leis made from the unique shells that could only be found on the island’s beaches. Because these kinds of shells are truly rare, there are collectors who are prepared to pay a huge amount for the shell lei of Niihau. http://www.bluehawaiiweddings.com/molokai_package.html
Tourists could still have a close up view of Niihau since there are snorkeling and helicopter tours that are available. Since disembarking on any island beach is not permitted, they would only be allowed to snorkel in one of Niihau’s bays without stepping on the island’s soil.