At Kilauea Point, birds and history
By Chris Oliver
Advertiser Staff Writer
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At Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, no one can hear you scream.
On the towering sea cliffs, thousands of birds are doing the job more than adequately. Wedge-tail shearwaters, red-footed boobies, tropic birds, returning plovers and frigates with 7-foot wingspans swoop and circle overhead. On nearby Albatross Hill, Laysan albatrosses scooting down their private runway add to the raucous mele.
Sea birds aren't the only attraction at Kaua'i's Kilauea Point. Kilauea Lighthouse stands serenely on its lava promontory, jutting into the Pacific at the most northern point of the Hawaiian Islands. When it was built in 1913, the lantern room housed the biggest Fresnel lens in the world, made in France and used until the mid-1970s, when it was replaced by a beacon.
Visitors will see the historic lens relit on Lighthouse Day, the refuge's 94th annual celebration of its first light. Visitors can take 20-minute guided tours of the lighthouse; the lens will be lit at dusk. Hula Halau Ho'ohanalei will perform at the event.
"This is the only day in the year we offer tours of the lighthouse and illuminate the lens," said refuge spokesman Bob Dieli. "Come and learn about its history and about the bird life. The day is free."
ABOUT KILAUEA LIGHTHOUSE:
PLACE IN HISTORY:
In 1927, aviators Lester "Lone Eagle" Maitland and navigator Albert Hegenberger flew their Fokker C-3 "Bird of Paradise" on a historic flight from California to Hawai'i across what was then a record-breaking 2,500 miles of open water. Their radio failed, and seeing the Kilauea Point light saved their lives.
Reach Chris Oliver at coliver@honoluluadvertiser.com.
