Niihau Helicopters and Niihau Safaris

Helicopter Niihau - Tours - Makaweli, HI - Telephone number

That was a great journey. From Kauai we took a chopper flight and made a sightseeing excursion over the isle. Also, we passed the small Lehua Islands, which is a protected area. As we were gliding over Niihau, we saw antelope gallop across the plain. Then we ended up and stayed three to four hrs on the Niihau water.

It' great to go mussel hunting, snorkeling, sunning and eating at noon. So we saw some monks bathing in the sun on the shore and one from the outdoors. It' virtually impossible not to see monks seal on Niihau. There was an squid, many colourful species, nice coral cliffs, etc. We had a wide variety of nice, not so colourful, giant tuna, from small striated tuna fingers to small striated tuna beetles.

So we searched the beaches for the Niihau mussels, which we were able to take home with us. It was not our luck to find any of Niihau's celebrated crystal spheres, but we didn't mind because the journey was so beautiful. In any case I would definitely suggest this journey to everyone, because it is a journey of life.

It' s very seldom that someone has set feet on this fascinating "forbidden island".

Illegal Island

Most of the more famous Isles of the Hwaiian archipelago are probably known to you. There may be one you've never even heard... Niihau. A secluded and untouched islet is often described as the place where the times have stopped. Nee-ee-how (Niihau) is a secluded 72 sq. m. islet.

It' a private isle. It is situated south-west of the Isle of Kauai. From Kauai's Kekaha Beach you can see the high skyline of Niihau on a clear sunny outing. Riyadh is the oldest of Hawaii's islands. In 1864 Niihau was bought by King Kamehameha V. from the Sinclair dynasty for $10,000 a year.

It was concluded with the recognition that the new owner, King Kamehameha, wanted the Isle to be a place where Hawaii' local civilization, languages and customs would be honoured and nurtured. Since then the isle has been in the possession of a single owner and his wife. Today the islands are in the possession of offspring of the Sinclair and Robinson families.

There are 10 interesting facts about Niihau: 1st Niihau has no asphalt streets, no car, no hotels and no phone number. While some Niihauans have radio and TV, a shortage of facilities and access to the web means that these inhabitants only need DVD and older video cassettes for their enjoyment.

In Niihau the inhabitants of Hawaii almost entirely use King Kamehameha V's native tongue, although many of them are able to communicate and comprehend English. Niihauans still go fishing and hunting for their meals, with some provisions taken by plane or ship by the owner of the isle. Hunting Niihauans with rope and knifes and fishing with fishing net and spear.

Niihau has become renowned for its beautiful, exquisitely carved silence of minute mussels that inhabit the Niihau beach due to the absence of a multitude of cathedrals on other isles. Several of these tender handicrafts can be sold for tens of millions of dollars, thanks to the craftsmanship of the Niihauan population.

In 1864, when the Isle of Niihauer was bought, the Niihauer who already lived there were permitted to remain. It is forbidden for anyone outside the archipelago, even from neighbouring isles. In the 2010 census, the population of the archipelago was approximately 170 in all. These include the inhabitants and members of the Robinsons.

On invitation of the Robinson familiy the casual visitors are permitted. As the Robinsons are not obliged to transmit demographic information, this number may vary as some inhabitants migrate from the islands to look for work or other possibilities, or to go to work or enjoy themselves during the summers.

Niihausans are not obliged to prepay rents. A lot of islanders were working on the Robinson beef farm, which was closed in 1999. The inhabitants are supposed to obey the Robinson's rule. Any person who violates the regulations of the islands may be expelled and ordered not to come back.

Previous accounts from a former inhabitant that the men of Niihau were not permitted to have long bristles or wearing pierced ears, and everyone is supposed to go to Mass on Sundays. Although Niihau is very difficult to reach, there are opportunities to see Niihau from the sea or from selected parts of the isle.

Excursion boat outings from Kauai provide a view of Niihaus with wonderful, untouched water and all-day diving and snorkeling excursions to Lehua Crater, a vulcanic "cone" just off the northern coast of Niihau isle. Robinson familiy is offering very short half days and full days hunting safaris on Niihau.

Our guide begins with Niihau Helicopters collecting the guests on Kauai. Because of Niihau's isolated surroundings, the animal world is plentiful. There' s a good abundance of wild Polynesian boars, hybrid sheep, eland and oryx in a sound Hwaiian population.

On a 1,300-foot high rock is a small navy complex, which makes up about 80 per cent of Niihau's total revenue. These incomes allow the islanders to preserve their way of living and living in silence, without the need for industry growth, new technology or travel. Is Niihau, then, an insular shrine where history has really stopped?

A few would call it a haven where a simple way of living is relished and where Hawaii' cultures and customs are cultivated and survived. Whatever you look at this isle, the fascination of its secret and the excitement it arouses for those who are not supposed to see it will continue forever.