Hawaii - Isles

• The Big Island • Kauai • Maui •
• Oahu • Molokai • Lanai • Niihau • Kaho'olawe •

Lanai
Lanai’s nickname is ‘The Pineapple Island’. Its official flower is the kaunaoa. Its official color is yellow.

Lanai is the sixth largest Hawaiian Island. It’s 18 miles long, 13 miles wide and has an area of 140 sq. miles.

Lanai City has a mild climate. The lowest temperature on record is 46°F, the highest 88°F. Average temperatures range from 73°F in the summer to 66°F in the winter. Evenings can be brisk, commonly dipping down to around 50°F in winter.

Lanai is rather dry. Molokai and Maui to the north and east draw much of the rain out of the moisture-laden trade winds before they reach Lanai. Annual rainfall averages 37 inches in Lanai City and 10 to 15 inches along most of the coast.

Lanai City, the only town, is a small plantation town. Highlights include some good archaeological sites and petroglyphs, as well as the last native dryland forest in Hawaii. Outside Lanai City, there are only three paved roads and a 4-wheel drive is desirable for the many dirt roads.

Major Attractions
One of the most beautiful (and popular) spots on Lanai is Hulopoe Bay, with its secluded beach and crystal-clear waters. In Kaunolu Village, on the south side of the island, some of the best-preserved ruins and petroglyph carvings from ancient Hawaii can be found. The village is a national historic landmark. Most of the island's more secluded spots are accessible only by foot or four-wheel-drive.

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Niihau, the smallest of the populated Hawaiian Islands has gained the reputation of being the most traditional Hawaiian Island. There are no phones or electricity, and the official language is Hawaiian. It is spoken almost exclusively in daily life, and is used in the schools.

This island has been closed to outsiders for so long that it has earned the nickname 'The Forbidden Island'. No other place in Hawaii has more successfully turned its back on change than Niihau, which has no paved roads, no island-wide electricity and no telephones. The island is a native Hawaiian reserve, with 230 residents, and it's the only island where Hawaiian is the primary language. The entire island, right down to the church, belongs to the non-Hawaiian Robinson family who run a huge ranch and are highly protective of the Niihau's isolation. The 70-square-mile (181-sq-km) island is 17 miles (27km) west of Kauai and accessible only on pricey helicopter tours.

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Kaho'olawe is uninhabited. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the U.S. government confiscated the island from ranchers to use as a bombing practice site. The U.S. Navy and Air Force bombarded the island until 1990, and in 1993 the U.S. government allocated funds to clean up the island's military waste. In 1994 the island was turned over to the state of Hawaii, which has established legislation prohibiting all commercial activities on the island, except fishing. There is no infrastructure or landing strip on Kaho'olawe; authorized visitors arrive via small boats.

Kaho'olawe has been established as a center for traditional Hawaiian cultural, spiritual and subsistence activities, and work is being done to restore it.

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• The Big Island • Kauai • Maui •
• Oahu • Molokai • Lanai • Niihau • Kaho'olawe •