| If you love a mystery, consider a vacation on | | | | These tiny shells are still found on Ni'ihau, but not |
| Kauai, Hawaii. | | | | on neighboring Kauai where agricultural runoff has |
| Here's the mystery: what's it like on the Hawaiian | | | | tended to kill off the shell-makers. The resulting |
| island of Ni'ihau? This 550-square-mile island is the | | | | shell leis are rare, hard to find, and precious. But if |
| westernmost of the main Hawaiian islands and has | | | | you look hard on Kauai, you can find them! |
| been privately owned since 1864 by the Robinson | | | | Hawaiian legend has it that the volcano goddess |
| family, which forbids tourists. | | | | Pele had her original home on Ni'ihau. Then she |
| Ni'ihau (Nee-ee-how) is visible from the southwest | | | | traveled to Kauai, Oahu, and moved eastward |
| shore of Kauai, lying low on the horizon 17 miles | | | | until she found the Big Island of Hawaii, where she |
| away. There are 200 or so native Hawaiians who | | | | is today. Scientists say that the Hawaiian islands |
| live there and speak the Hawaiian language. In | | | | were formed as a plate of earth's crust moved |
| fact, it's the only place the language is spoken any | | | | slowly across an active lava vent. But Kauai was |
| more. It is taught in the island's only school, which | | | | formed before Ni'ihau, which is sort of a side vent |
| goes K-8. | | | | from the volcano that formed Kauai. As the crust |
| Islanders of course are free to leave and come | | | | moved slowly, Kauai was formed, then Oahu, and |
| back, so many of them do. They need to in | | | | so on. Ni'ihau's current form is as an eroded lava |
| order to get provisions from Kauai to live on the | | | | dome on the eastern side of the island. Much of |
| dry island, which is in the rain shadow of the | | | | the rest is flat and sandy, with a couple of |
| ancient volcano cone on Kauai, Wai-ale-ale, "the | | | | freshwater lakes. |
| wettest spot on earth" at 460 inches per year of | | | | It's possible to find a map of Ni'ihau, and pictures |
| rainfall. The Robinson family, which owns Ni'ihau, | | | | of its rock formations. But how can you go and |
| has maintained sheep ranches there. | | | | see? In fact, the Robinson family is allowing a few |
| A stunning form of folk art comes from Ni'ihau. | | | | forms of tourism now. Some helicopter tours |
| These are Ni'ihau shell leis, tiny shells strung from | | | | from Kauai are allowed to land on remote |
| many strands. These tiny luminous shells come in | | | | beaches. And you can take a hunting safari, to |
| various colors, and so whole families collect them | | | | control populations of feral bighorn sheep and |
| and sort them for size and color. Then the artist, | | | | Polynesian boars. In addition, scuba divers regularly |
| usually a woman, sets to work, punching a hole in | | | | dive off Ni'ihau. |
| each shell using an awl often made from a bicycle | | | | All that is available from Kauai, Ni'ihau's big sister |
| spoke (there are no cars on the island). About half | | | | island 17 miles away. Kauai has immense charms |
| the shells shatter at this point. She chooses colors | | | | of its own; not only does it have the usual |
| in such a way as to make a final product that is | | | | beaches and surf, but it has incredible beauty on |
| textured with color. | | | | its northwest coast, called Na Pali, or The Cliffs. |