The Kilauea Lighthouse is located within the Kilauea National Wildlife Refuge. This elevated peninsula was formed from centuries of flowing lava. The peninsula was purchased from the Sugar Plantation Company for one dollar in 1909.
My name is Anthony and for the many of you who know me, seeking out lighthouses in new destinations is a extreme passion of mine. I will be providing lots of information regarding the Kilauea Lighthouse and its history.
Anyone who visits the point can see that there are no beaches or a safe place to navigate a landing spot. This is not to say that the Pacific’s blue surf pounding against the sheer cliffs isn’t an amazing site, but don’t let it’s beauty fool you.
Constructing the tower wasn’t the problem. It was getting the material to the site. This was going to take some ingenuity.
At that time, there were no safe roads to transport heavy lumber, bricks and concrete to the site. The decision was made to bring the materials by sea. Larger boats anchored off shore and smaller ones would shuttle the supplies to the cove.
From there, a boom was set up above the shore. It would offload materials from the smaller boats onto a landing platform.
The tedious process of supplying the site with the necessary materials to build the lighthouse was finally completed. This allowed construction to begin in July of 1912. In May of 1913, the Kilauea Lighthouse was commissioned and operating. From design to completion, it took 4-years to erect the 52 foot tower.
In 1930, a radio beacon and generator building were added. The current oil burning lamp produced the power of 250,000 candles. After installing the generator, the beam of light increased to 2.5 million candles.
The Kilauea lighthouse was manned until 1974. At that point, the historic lighthouse was the last to be automated in the Hawaiian Islands. The tower was eventually decommission in 2013.
The Fresnel Lens {manufactured in Paris, France} in the Kilauea Lighthouses’ circular lantern room is one of only seven remaining in America. The Lens floats on a bed of Mercury and compressed air. It rotates by pulleys which are similar to a wind-up clock. The light can be seen over 10 miles away.
In 1976, the Lens was moved to a smaller tower and the Kilauea Lighthouse was shut off. The site stayed dormant until 1979. It was then added to the National Register of Historic Places in Hawaii. A new visitors center was built in 1988.
In 1992 Hurricane Iniki hit the point and wreaked havoc on the park. A special interest group found funding to restore the lighthouse and its buildings in 2008.
Just off the Kilauea Point is the Moku’Ae’Ae Rock Islet. This small island is part of the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge and is a vital seabird sanctuary. The 203 acre refuge was established in February of 1985 when the land was transferred to The Fish & Wildlife Service. The Kilauea Point is 200 feet above the beautiful Pacific Ocean. It provides for quite a view.
On the first Saturday of each May, Hawaiians celebrate the Daniel Inouye Kilauea Point Lighthouse Birthday. Daniel Inouye was a lawyer who served as Hawaii’s First State Representative in 1959. He eventually became a US Senator in Jan 1963 and held office until his death in December of 2012.
The Lighthouses’ birthday {May 1, 1913} includes a ceremonious lighting of the lantern at 7 PM. We didn’t stay for the lighting, but wish we had. I hear it is quite the event! Reservations are needed and make them way ahead of time.
The one part of this adventure that was different from all the other lighthouse tours is we couldn’t climb up to the catwalk.
There will be more exciting Kauai adventures to come. We are pretty sure that you won’t be disappointed. So, stay tuned and until next time, “Aloha everyone!”
Photography: Anthony & Maureen Scopel
Video: Anthony & Maureen Scopel
Article Creator & Formatting: Anthony Scopel
Video Production: Anthony Scopel & Matt Kemper
Associate Editor: Maureen Scopel
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