We have been to the island of Kauai twice and have seen the island of Niihau off its coastline. We were told that we were not permitted to visit the island because it is private but now we see that there are boat tours that go to Niihau. Can we get on the island and visit the Hawaiians who live there?
Answer
There are two separate parts to the facts you present and they are both true but in this case one plus one does not equal two. Fact one: no one is permitted to come to Niihau unless they are invited by one of the people who live there. Fact two: there are boat tours that visit the coast of Niihau and its neighboring island Lehua but they are not permitted on the island. They only go for the snorkeling. So the answer is: you can visit the coast of Niihau for snorkeling but you still can’t visit the island itself.