This small island of Kauai once boasted two working lighthouses. Now, with our modern, more efficient, navigational aids, both the Kilauea Point Lighthouse and the Ninini Lighthouse are dark and silent — except for the occasional visitor.

A lighthouse, although primarily an aid to marine navigation, is a comfort to all kinds of travelers. In 1927, the beam of the Kilauea Point Lighthouse aided the pilots of the first airplane flight from California to Hawaii. The plane’s crew had planned to use the Kilauea light as a backup navigation aid. So, when they arrived in darkness and too far north, the pilots looked for, and spotted, the double flash of Kilauea light. Success! With their position confirmed, the plane circled the lighthouse until dawn, then safely flew off for Oahu. The northernmost lighthouse on the northernmost point of the Hawaiian chain earned its place in history that night.

Ninini Lighthouse, was built in 1897 as a wooden structure with a light on top. It wasn’t until1932 that the present 86 foot reinforced concrete lighthouse was erected. On December 31, 1941, a Japanese submarine surfaced and shelled the harbor next to Ninini. Luckily, some of the shells failed to explode, limiting the damage.

Today, both structures are still standing. Ninini, due to the bumpy dirt road, is difficult to access, and there are no organized tours. Also, the old structure is almost directly under incoming flights into Lihue Airport.

Kilauea Point Lighthouse, has been renamed the Daniel K. Inouye Kilauea Point Lighthouse. As of this writing, tours of the lighthouse may be suspended due to COVID. The area around the restored lighthouse is designated as the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, and it can, and should, be explored.

Along with the lighthouse, the Refuge is home to populations of migratory and resident birds such as boobies, both red-footed and brown, Laysan albatross, great frigate birds, red tailed and white tailed tropic birds, and others. The nēnē, Hawaii’s endangered State Bird was reintroduced to the area in the 1990s, and is thriving.

Offshore, in spring and summer, you can watch spinner dolphins playing in the surf below the cliffs. Sometimes, monk seals haul out on the rocks beneath, and occasionally, a green sea turtle’s head can be seen bobbing in the water.

The Kauai portion of the Humpback Whale National Sanctuary extends from Kilauea to Haena.
From November to April, thousands of humpbacks travel to their winter breeding area in Hawaiian waters. The best time to see the humpbacks is January through March, and see them you can, as the viewing area at Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge is 200 feel above sea level.

The Refuge is a treasure chest of information about natural Kauai. Visitors can even learn how to stun fish into a drunken stupor by using a native plant. Interested?