This is near the end of Polihale beach, a 17 mile stretch of beach that runs along the south western edge of the island. Off in the horizon offshore you can see the forbidden island of Ni'ihau and to its right the small Lehua rock [you may have to enlarge the picture to see the islands].


Ni'ihau is owned by the Robinson family and it is inhabitated by around 200 Hawaiians who speak Hawaiian as the primary language and live a lifestyle without electricity or running water. Visitors are not welcome. The island is almost the complete opposite of Kauai in that it barely gets any rain at about 12 inches a year, barely above desert conditions. The island is infamous for the shell making lei tradition. The best shells are found only on Ni'ihau.