Kilauea Point is the northernmost point in the Hawaiian Islands, a good enough reason to visit, but it's also a REALLY pretty "this is Hawaii" picture spot. If you go in winter, and pick a time when there's a storm just off shore with a nice wind—as we lucked out to get—then you'll see some AWESOME waves crashing both in the sea and against the cliffs. All of us were mesmerized by these waves. It was hard to take our eyes off of them. It's impossible to tell how tall they were—there were no humans out there for comparison. I'd easily guess 30 to 40 feet though—much higher than the highest surfing waves we saw. When they hit the cliffs, the spray often went up well into the greenery and listening to them crash was nature's music at it's finest.The Lighthouse is self-guided and costs $3 per person to get in—a bargain to see waves like this if you get a good day. Many folks stopped to look at the point of entry only. They have no clue what they missed seeing because they were too cheap to spend the $3. I'm also told this is a good spot for viewing whales (in winter) and spinner dolphins, though there weren't any around on our day—probably due to the high surf. We did see a couple seals.Besides the ocean and lighthouse, many birds nest here, making this an ideal stop if you are a "birder." I do believe it's the first time I've ever seen albatross—they're neat birds. There were also NeNes, Tropic Birds of different sorts, and Red Footed Boobies.For facilities, there are restrooms and a small gift shop plus visitor center. The place is open from 10am to 4pm. Volunteers are there to ask questions—especially about what bird you're looking at. Everyone we met was friendly—typical of Kauai. Allow an hour or so, more if the waves are crashing. You'll find it hard to stop looking at them, knowing you'll probably never see such a sight again.

Gooney birds, mollymauks, boobies, auks, nene. Don’t mistake all this chatter for grammar school name calling until you realize these affectionate titles are given to certain species of seabirds roosting at Kilauea Point. With its position as the northernmost point in Hawaiian, as well as fortunate lack of predators (Kauai did not receive the gift of the mongoose), Kilauea provides visitors with the rare opportunity to observe these nomads of the sea up close.

How did the amazing albatross come to be known as "gooney?" Like the red-footy "booby," the bird was often disrespected when it happened upon a sailing ship and wasn’t afraid of what it found onboard - humans. Also, because these birds spend the majority of their lives at sea, sometimes as long at eight years at a stretch, when coming ashore for the first time they are probably much like sailors on leave; their behavior is a little off.

The steep cliffs at Kilauea provide the albatross with a natural runway and jumping off point. It is here they come to mate and roost between their lengthy flights. Although takeoff is a challenge to these great birds, once in flight they can soar for days on their nine to twelve foot wingspans, even sleeping while mid-air. Some have flown as far as 10,000 miles without stopping! The nesting and mating rituals of the Laysan Albatross is animated and distinctive enough to draw visitors during mating season to their roosting sites in the Princeville area where these indiscreet birds dance, preen and sing regardless of who is watching!

The telescope at the Kilauea visitors center was trained on one nesting couple tucked into the cliffs on the left side of the point. But on the other side of the lookout, it was easy to see the birds congregate with the naked eye. Here, dotting the landscape are numerous protected species such as, Hawaiian nene geese, brown boobies, red-tailed tropicbirds, wedge-tailed shearwaters, and great frigate birds.

Birds are not the only attraction of Kilauea Point. The picturesque lighthouse was erected in 1913 as a guiding beacon for ships from the Orient, it was dedicated May 1, 1913 "with a luau to which everyone in Kilauea town was invited." The original lens was built in France for $12,000 and was turned by clock-like mechanism operated by a massive weight, cable and pulley that had to be wound every 3.5 hours. In 1930 the oil vapor lamp was replaced by an electric model, and eventually in 1976, the Coast Guard decommissioned the lighthouse and installed an automated electronic beacon. In 1979, the lighthouse was placed on the Register of National Historic Places and on February 15, 1985 it became the 425th Refuge in the National Wildlife Refuge System.

One more gem lying just off the point is a little Mukuae`ae." Crashing waves force a blowhole to spout which brings rainbows in its wake, providing the jewel for the crown at the "top of Hawaii," Kilauea Point.

Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge consists of 203 acres of protected land. The Kilauea Lighthouse found on the refuge was built in 1913 and houses a huge, clam-shaped light.

The Refuge is located on the northern part of the Island and is open to the public. It has fantastic views of the Pacific. There is another rock island just off the tip of the penisula; make sure you scan for monk seals there. We saw a sea turtle in the ocean on the left-hand side of the penisula. The waves crashing onto the shore on the right-hand side are spectacular. Look up on the cliffside and there are thousands of birds: frigates, boobies, and albatrosses. Great place for nature conservatory education!

Fees were $3.00 per person or you can use your "Golden Eagle Pass". Be aware that the National Park's Pass will need the upgraded hologram to use it.

Kaua`i National Wildlife Refuge
P.O. Box 1128
Kilauea, Hawai`i 96754
(808) 828-1413
(808) 828-1414 fax

Kilauea Lighthouse stands on the tip of a spit of land cantilevered high over the Pacific Ocean. Situated at the Northernmost point in the Hawaiian islands, the century-old building holds the world's largest clamshell lens (no longer in use). It's also drop-dead, photo-opportunity gorgeous. If that weren't incentive enough to take a detour off of Kuhio Highway, consider this: the Point is also a national wildlife sanctuary and home to hundreds of migratory birds.

Within minutes of our arrival, we spotted a family of distinctive-looking geese and correctly identified them as nene, which are not only Hawaii's state bird, but are practically extinct. A friendly ranger told us that about 180 of the 2,000 nene on all the Hawaiian islands make Kilauea Point their home. September is when they start to pair up for their nesting season.

Love was recently in the air for the Wedge-Tailed Shearwater as well. The surrounding cliffs were pockmarked with their distinctive nesting holes, which they dig painstakingly with their beaks and then fill with adorable grey powderpuff chicks. We also saw White-Tailed Tropic Birds soaring dramatically over the point, occasionally duking it out with Great Frigate birds. These pirates of the air like to harass the hapless tropic birds until they drop their food - then the frigate birds swoop down and catch their ill-gotten snacks in mid-air.

Even if you're not into birds, the view of the ocean is superb, as was the pod of spinner dolphins who jumped and cavorted in the water just off the point.

The birding lineup:

Great Frigate birds can be seen year-round
Wedge-Tailed Shearwaters arrive around April and stay until November
Tropicbirds are there from March - October
Red-footed Boobies nest from February - September
Laysan Albatross prefer Kilauea from November - July

The Point is open from 10am-4pm daily except holidays. Admission is $2 for adults (free for kids under 16).