Which Hawaiian Islands are off-limits to Non-Hawaiians?
Cindy from Ontario, Canada asks
I heard someone say before that some of the Hawaiian islands are off limits to non-Hawaiians. Is this true or false? If this is true, can you explain briefly or direct me to information about the island or islands and why it or they are off limits?
Hi Cindy,
There is one island that is mostly off-limits to the general public but still populated. That island is Niihau, a small island just North of Kauai. Basically, it was bought in 1864 by a private landowner from the then Kingdom of Hawaii, and her family still owns it. There are about 160 people living on the island and most are Hawaiian. They intentionally maintain their isolation and perpetuate Hawaiian culture and traditions. More detailed information anout the history and people of Niihau is available at JaneResture.com and at Wikipedia.
There are companies who have rights to do some minor tours on and around the island of Niihau. Here’s a good listing of them at Hawaii Travel Newsletter.
There is another island that is visitor-restricted but no one lives there. It is called Kahoolawe and is located just off the South shore of Maui. Maybe someday we’ll be able to visit it, but for now it is off-limits to just about everyone. It was used by the military for training and target practice for decades, but now it is being cleaned up. Extensive information is available at Wikipedia.
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