who owns Niihau island - Niihau island tour

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Niihau Island, known as the “Forbidden Island,” is one of the most mysterious of all the Hawaiian Islands, with a unique history and long-standing independence. It has been privately owned by one family for over 150 years, they Niihau tour enacted a closed-door policy in order to create a cultural preservation site for native Hawaiians.

Niihau was formed about five million years ago from a single shield volcano. Paniau is the remnant of the volcano, also the tallest peak on the island, once standing 4,600 feet above sea level. However, after heavy erosion, the Paniau mountain now peaks at just over 1,200 feet above sea level and 13,000 feet above the ocean floor. Niihau and Kauai are linked underwater 15 miles apart, by a channel over 2,500 feet deep called Kaulakahi channel. Niihau is about 200,000 years younger than Kauai so many geologists disagree about whether Niihau and Lehua were formed separately from Kauai.

The islet Lehua is attached to Niihau, located about three-quarters of a mile north of Niihau. It is a bare, crescent-shaped rim of a volcanic island. It is primarily composed of tuff, which is cemented volcanic ash, and contains blocks of basalt and limestone, which has created unique underwater rock formations and structures. Seabirds are abundant here, as well as whales, dolphins, monk seals and an incredible variety of fish, giving it a reputation for one of the best snorkeling spots in Hawaii.

Niihau is probably most famous for the Niihau shell necklaces or leis, that are handcrafted on island. There are four species of Niihau shells, or pupu Niihau. These shells are very unique, occasionally they are found on a few beaches of other Hawaiian Islands, but they are found only on Niihau with great quality and quantity. The Niihau shell leis are extremely valuable because of the painstaking detail and amount of work that goes into not just finding the shells, sorting, and organizing them, but also stringing them delicately in intricate decorative patterns. Holes are hand drilled in each tiny shell, in order to cause minimal damage.

The art of lei-making has been passed down for many generations; this is one of the few ancient Hawaiian arts still practiced today. A single lei requires hundreds of tiny shells, this time-consuming work and rarity of the shells make Niihau shell leis very expensive and has become an important source of revenue for residents of the island. The leis are considered fine jewelry and one of the only shells in the world that is insurable.