Of the six major lighthouses spotted around the islands, the Kilauea Lighthouse on the North Shore of Kauai is so popular that it draws a half-million visitors a year, which ranks it ninth among all visitor attractions across the state. Why is a 100-year-old lighthouse planted in a remote location on one of Hawaii’s smallest islands a favorite of visitors?
The reasons are many. First is probably the location.
The lighthouse sits atop a slim peninsula of land on the northernmost point of land in the islands. It is 180 feet down to the crashing sea below, and the views in either direction along the coast are truly stunning.
To the left are tiny beaches tucked among sheer cliffs. To the immediate right is a steep V-shaped cove and, beyond that, a large curved cliff with an inaccessible white-sand beach below.
As you stand by the lighthouse you cannot see another structure except the three restored keeper’s cottages on the 30 acres that comprise the lighthouse. That kind of seclusion is rare these days and is naturally something most of us long for.
Another reason for this destination’s popularity involves the steep cove to the right, where there is plenty of activity. It is a matter of flight activity as thousands of wedge-tailed shearwaters, red-footed and brown boobies, Laysan albatross, red- and white-tailed tropic birds and great frigate birds come and go.
No traffic controllers needed here as this menagerie of thousands swoops and hollers in its quest to nest, forage or to find a place to simply rest. It is a special treat in spring through fall to see the tiny golden plover, a bird that flies 4,000 miles down from Alaska in the fall — and then goes back by May.
The lighthouse, cove and land beyond comprise the 200-plus acres of the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge that was established in 1985. Beyond birds the refuge includes spinner dolphins, endangered Hawaiian monk seals, the Hawaiian goose called nene and whales. It is run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The third reason for the site’s popularity is the lighthouse itself. The feds bought the lighthouse land in 1909 for $1 from the adjacent Kilauea Sugar Plantation and it took a few years to get built.
The lighthouse was dedicated in 1913 with a luau and shark shoot. The 52-foot-high structure is considered a classical revival style of architecture built of reinforced concrete that is on the state and national resisters of historic places.
It has the original Fresnel lens, a 9,000-pound monster that was built in Paris in 1912 for $12,000 and was floated to Kauai on a barge. Inside the lighthouse the lens originally sat on a bed of mercury and compressed air and through a massive system of pulleys and ropes was rotated every 31⁄2 hours by Coast Guardsmen who lived on the property.
That intermittent heavy labor came to an end in 1930 when a radio beacon was added and the turning mechanism was electrified. Nonetheless, it was manned until 1974, when the light was moved to a nearby smaller tower and was automated.
A nonprofit volunteer organization called the Kilauea Point Natural History Association (kilaueapoint. org) rallied the community and together with the Fish and Wildlife Service started restoration of the lighthouse building in 2009. Because Hawaii’s late U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye had been instrumental in acquiring a good portion of the restoration funds for the building, the lighthouse was renamed in his honor when it was rededicated in 2013.
The Kilauea Lighthouse is most likely the only signal meant to guide mariners that on one occasion back in 1928 surprisingly saved the lives of two aviators.
The intrepid fliers — Lester Maitland and Albert Hegenberger — left Oakland, Calif., in their trimotor determined to be the first to reach Hawaii nonstop from the mainland. Talk about flying blind: Shortly after takeoff their radio-direction finder pooped out but they droned on anyway, relying on their self-professed navigational skills. Naturally it got dark and should they miss the islands it would have been all over.
After 24 hours in the air and fearful of losing their lives, they searched for any indication of land. At one point, worriedly glancing over his shoulder, Maitland thought he saw a faint flash of light. They flew to it immediately. From the Kilauea Lighthouse they were then able to reset their navigation and fly to Wheeler Air Force base, where they landed safely.
Keep Hawaii Hawaii is a monthly column on island architecture and urban planning. Robert M. Fox, president of Fox Hawaii Inc., studied architecture in California and Japan. He was one of the founders of the Historic Hawai‘i Foundation in 1974. David Cheever, owner of David Cheever Marketing, has served on the boards of the Historic Hawai‘i Foundation and the Hawaii Architectural Foundation. Send comments to keephawaiihawaii@staradvertiser.com.
