Niihau, The Forbidden Island

Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! (Genesis 1:31)

Niihau is at the top of the Hawaiian Island chain and known as The Forbidden Island. I've never been to Niihau so I asked my husband, Mike to help me write this blog post. He is our guest writer for today. 

I have been so blessed to have been invited to go on two eradication hunts on the island of Niihau. I made both trips via Niihau Safaris. You can find them using the link below. 

http://www.niihau.us/safaris.html

I flew from Oahu, where we were living at the time, to Kauai via Hawaiian Airlines and then flew to Niihau via private helicopter. There is no airport so we landed on a sandy spot right next to the beach.

There are no hotels or facilities on the island of Niihau. I slept on an army cot in a concrete block building on the beach, much like a lean-to having only one wall. "Man Facilities"! If it rained, we got wet. If the wind blew, we got sandy. Best trip ever!

Niihau has no running water, paved roads, or electricity, and is privately owned having one village on the whole island. 

When not hunting, I saw monk seals napping on the beach, miles and miles of untouched beaches, and the remains of the Japanese fighter airplane that crashed on Niihau during WWII in 1941. 

The eradication hunt consisted of wild boar and feral sheep. We, the hunters, were followed by people living in the village who were driving old army vehicles. They quartered the boar and sheep, salted the meat to keep from spoiling, and placed the meat in burlap sacks to prevent flies. 

If you are a hunter, this trip is an experience of a lifetime. Niihau is Hawaii at its most pristine and untouched.