Ni’ihau: Everything You Need to Know About Hawaii’s Forbidden Island

Just 17 miles off the coast of Kauai, a small piece of land has remained unchanged since the early days of Hawaii. Even though it is so close to the beach resorts of Kauai, most residents will never get the chance to visit this island. The image of Ni’ihau rising from the ocean is a familiar sight for those living on Kauai, but access to the island is restricted.

The islanders who call Ni’ihau home live a simple, traditional life, hunting and fishing to survive, just as their ancestors did hundreds of years ago. The reason that Ni’ihau has remained so isolated and preserved is due to a woman named Elizabeth McHutchenson and a unique agreement made in the 1800s. Learn more about the woman who kept Ni’ihau closed off from the outside world.

In 1824, Eliza married a ship’s captain, Francis Sinclair, an expert navigator who, in 1815, saved the life of the Duke of Wellington while accompanying him on his return voyage from the Battle of Waterloo. The couple had six children together and, after the birth of their sixth child, decided to start a new life in New Zealand. 

Sadly, tragedy struck as they were getting familiar with an unfamiliar land.

Unfortunately, five years after arriving on the island, something tragic happened—while on their way to a business trip to Wellington in 1846, Eliza’s husband and her oldest son George vanished at sea. Even though they were never found, it was assumed that their ship sank, taking the lives of all aboard and resulting in the loss of cargo. Her husband and son carried all the family’s money and produce supplies.

Determined to keep the farm thriving, Eliza worked hard to rebuild it and eventually married off all her children. Then, in 1863, she decided to move the family to Canada in search of a new farming opportunity. So the Sinclairs set out once again, this time intending to start over in Canada.

Eliza was considering a move to California when she heard of a promising new land: the Hawaiian Islands, which were known as the Sandwich Islands at the time. Then she took the initiative to move her family to Hawaii, where she could negotiate with a certain King Kamehameha V, the purchase of one of its islands called Ni’ihau. When all hope seemed lost for the Sinclairs, they found what appeared to be the “promised land” for them.

Ni’ihau has been treeless for generations due to its arid climate; in 1778, Captain James Cook noted that there were no trees on the island. Despite the condition, Eliza saw Ni’ihau’s promise and decided it was what the family needed to establish roots finally. The Sinclairs finally found their home. Yet, would King Kamehameha V give up the island that easily?

The king’s one request to the Sinclair family was that they keep the island and its people safe from harm. The Sinclair family accepted the conditions and started a new life on the island. The locals regarded Eliza as a chieftess, and the family did everything possible to assist those living there. To this day, the Sinclairs have kept their promise to King Kamehameha V more than a century ago.

Kahelelani was the first great chief of Ni’ihau, followed by K’eo and, finally, Kaumuali’i, who was born in 1790. In 1810, Kaumuali’i became king of Kauai and Ni’ihau, the final two islands to be united under Kamehameha I’s authority. The grandson of Kamehameha I, King Kamehameha V, completed the island sale to the Sinclairs in 1864 for the sum of $10,000 worth of gold.

A waterway over 2,500 feet deep, known as the Kaulakahi channel, connects the islands of Ni’ihau and Kauai, which are separated by 15 miles underwater. Since Ni’ihau is around a million years geologically older than Kauai, there is some debate among geologists as to whether Ni’ihau and Lehua developed independently of Kauai.

This was done to protect the island from diseases like polio and measles as well as to preserve the “kahiki,” or the Native Hawaiian culture of the island. The move solidified Ni’ihau’s reputation as a “Forbidden Island.” Aside from adding mystery to the region, the decision made outsiders curious about what the Sinclairs are protecting inside.

Ni’ihau was known as the “Forbidden Island” during the 1952 polio epidemic in the Hawaiian Islands because you needed a doctor’s note to visit to prevent the spread of the disease. The head of the family wanted to protect the residents, so he required visitors to carry a doctor’s certificate and undergo a two-week quarantine. The move was effective because no residents contracted the disease.

When speaking to ABC News, Bruce and Keith Robinson said that the family is maintaining the island as per the wish of Kamehameha V many years ago. He added they preserve its history and original way of living for the residents of Ni’ihau.

On the island, power is generated either by the sun or a generator and not from the mainland’s power grid. Cars are few; therefore, most residents get around on bicycles or feet. Ni’ihau’s inhabitants still practice ancestral hunting and fishing techniques. Sadly, the island’s natural resources are in jeopardy now; its capacity to preserve customs and traditions in the face of external pressures has been severely tested.

Life is more relaxed in Ni’ihau since it does not have the usual “hustle and bustle” of a big city and modern technology. Safe to say, living on the Forbidden Island feels like every day is a vacation. The question is, though, could Ni’ihau’s residents maintain this way of living in this modern world?

When inhabitants of Ni’ihau feel the pressure of work is too much, they could go back to their hometown where life is more relaxed. Unfortunately, this practice of living both in Ni’ihau and Kauai makes it hard to count the island’s inhabitants. Even though 170 persons were counted in a census taken in 2010, locals say that the actual population is closer to 70. Are the island’s residents really that small?

Many Ni’ihau people are spending more time elsewhere, eventually leaving behind the Forbidden Island. Because there are few healthcare options, few employment prospects, and more homesites becoming available on the neighboring island of Kauai, the best choice for them was to transfer.

A former resident also asserts that men are not permitted to grow their hair long or wear earrings and that doing so is grounds for immediate expulsion. Such rules are surprising, given that many Hawaiian men have a long mane. In fact, some Polynesian boys don’t get their first haircut until they are teenagers. This Polynesian ceremony symbolizes the boy’s coming of age and his transition into manhood.

It is interesting to note that even though residents of the island may not be permitted to own firearms because of the local guidelines, the United States military has established a facility for defense operations there. On top of that, they have hired a number of the locals there to work in the base. So Ni’ihau residents may not own firearms, but some see them daily.

Look into what it’s like to live there.

According to him, we may see Ni’ihau as an isolated island, but inhabitants don’t perceive their homes as such. He added that residents don’t look or act any different from the rest of us.

Residents utilize rainwater catchers for drinking water to fight the arid climate since Ni’ihau only receives annual rainfall inches in the double digits compared to Kauai’s triple-digit figures and obtain their food through hunting, fishing, gathering, or farming. The already scarce resources that the current population and future generations depend on for survival would be stressed by opening up tourism on the island.

Could it be possible for outsiders to visit the island?

Nonetheless, as getting to the island is already somewhat difficult, there isn’t much cause for fear over individuals trespassing. Let’s just say the place being an island surrounded by water has its perks for its residents. Locals would surely hear people who will illegally enter Ni’ihau because they can only do so by boat or helicopter.

That doesn’t mean it is completely impossible to go there, though.

Instead, the tours will allow visitors to experience some of the island’s most beautiful beaches and landscapes for a few hours. The focus remains on protecting the privacy and seclusion of the Ni’ihau community. While it may not be possible to explore the interior of the island fully, some tours will allow you to visit the shores of Ni’ihau and experience its natural beauty.

Helicopters will not even fly over residential homes. Bruce emphasized that the Robinson family is committed to preserving the seclusion and privacy of the Ni’ihau community and reminded tourists not to expect to see daily life on the island. The tours are designed to showcase the island’s natural beauty, not provide a glimpse into the lives of its residents.

The business, named Ni’ihau Helicopters Inc., provides an aerial tour over Ni’ihau that ends by landing on one of the island’s beautiful beaches. The boat tour is the most budget-friendly option, but it does not go all the way to the main island. If you want to go snorkeling or diving, you can take a trip to Lehua, a smaller, uninhabited island near Ni’ihau.

The Hawaiian coot, Hawaiian stilt, and Hawaiian duck can be found in wetland habitats created by several playa lakes in the area. These reservoirs are not consistently filled with water, but they provide important homes for these bird species.

In addition, wild sheep and pigs can seriously harm the ecosystem by rooting and wallowing. So the business maintains a close eye on the wild populations of sheep and boar, contributing to the preservation of the ecological harmony on the island.

Several Hawaiian bird species call the lake’s natural wetland environments home. Additionally, growing mullet in the lake is another common activity. During the rainy seasons, locals bring baby pua mullets from the sea in barrels, releasing them so they can be caught again, all grown when the water levels drop in the summer.

Ni’ihau shell leis are highly prized due to the time and effort invested in their creation, which includes the sourcing of the shells and their careful sorting, organization, and stringing to create beautiful necklaces. In addition, each tiny shell has a hole drilled by hand to ensure as little damage as possible.

Nevertheless, just like any other people, many islanders eventually get bored and decide to leave. Many people in their twenties leave to travel the world because they are free to come and go as they like, but they are always welcome back. We can only guess what the future holds for the island; if its population continues to decline, we wouldn’t be surprised when the Robinson family finally opens up Ni’ihau to the world.