Lighthouses illuminate Hawaii's unique history, environment

The quaint lighthouses and modern light stations along Hawaii's lava-strewn shoreline — many on ancient signal fire sites — truly shine a light on the islands' unique history, geography, ecology and culture. Some of these postcard-pretty photo ops are easily accessible by car, while others require a rugged hike or four-wheel-drive trek. Best of all: seeing them from air or water, for a better sense of their spectacular perches and the perils they warn of. Regardless of how you reach these lighthouses, leave enough time to enjoy our "bright ideas" for other attractions in the area.

Landmark light: Unparalleled bird-watching and panoramic views of Kauai's northeast shore are part of the reason visitors flock to the Kīlauea Lighthouse, on a dramatic promontory a few miles outside of the town of Kīlauea. But the main reason may be because the tower itself is so handsome, a graceful white cylindrical tower with a red cap atop diamond-paned glass, all wrapped around an enormous clamshell lens.

Built in 1913, the lighthouse helped make history in 1927 when it reoriented the pilots of the first trans-Pacific flight from the West Coast to Honolulu. The two flyers aboard the Bird of Paradise, which had taken off from Oakland the day before, had overshot Oahu and could have run out of fuel at sea, had not the double flash of light alerted them to the danger.

Now those who rely on the light take their cues from a shorter automated beacon, placed in front of the deactivated light in 1976. Still, about half a million people a year visit the lighthouse — one of the most intact in the United States — and the surrounding Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, home to thousands of endangered birds, including rare native species such as the nēnē (Hawaiian goose). While the lighthouse itself is only open for tours once a year while it undergoes a multi-year restoration, rangers and volunteers in the visitor center can reveal more about Kauai's flora and fauna, with loaner binoculars on hand for spotting passing whales in winter or studying seabirds' plumage.

Bright idea: Since the refuge opens late (10 a.m.) and closes early (4 p.m.), don't plan on catching sunrise or sunset from the scenic peninsula. Instead, morning visitors can start with coffee and freshly made pastries at the Kilauea Bakery in the quaint Kong Lung shopping complex on the road to the lighthouse. The stores selling antiques, imported goods, art and handmade soaps and candles make for good browsing before lunch or dinner at the Lighthouse Bistro, which has an island fusion and Italian menu, along with live music several nights a week.

Bonus beacon: The latest version of the Nawiliwili Lighthouse, found down a red-dirt road between the airport and the Kauai Lagoons golf courses (and under-construction condos) near Nawiliwili Harbor, was built in 1932. It stands 86 feet tall — 34 feet taller than Kīlauea — but lacks a lantern room at the top. You might see intrepid locals prying 'opihi from the surf-smacked lava rocks below; leave that to the experts.

Landmark light: It's hard to miss Diamond Head, the massive volcanic crater known to Hawaiians as Lē‘ahi (the brow of the ‘ahi). But unless you hike to the summit or sail around its shallow reefs, you're likely to catch only a partial glimpse of the spirelike Diamond Head Lighthouse.

Although the then-remote location had long been used as a lookout, it took a couple of late 19th century shipwrecks before a four-story tower of coral blocks was erected and its lamp lit in 1899. The current 57-foot building replaced the coral structure in 1918, while the light was automated six years later. The keeper's house became home to a Coast Guard radio station during World War II, which must have tipped someone off: Ever since the war's end, the head of the 14th Coast Guard District has had the good fortune to live in the remodeled house with a well-groomed lawn and unbeatable views.

Bright idea: Since you'd need a personal invitation to enter the private lighthouse grounds, this is pretty much a drive-by. But while you're in the area, look for the paved trail north of the lighthouse leading to the tidepool-fringed Diamond Head Beach Park. Just beyond you can watch expert surfers from the pullouts overlooking Kuilei Cliffs Beach Park; continuing along Diamond Head Road will take you to the entrance of Diamond Head State Monument. It's less than a mile from the trailhead to the summit, but it's steep; allow 90 minutes round trip, and aim for late afternoon for the best lighthouse views.

Bonus beacon: A few miles away in Waimanalo, another uphill hike leads to a much closer downward view of a lighthouse, in this case the charmingly squat but still active Makapu'u Point Light. About a quarter of its 47-foot height is devoted to the lens, which sends beams toward the rough channel between Oahu and Molokai from its perch nearly 350 feet above the water.

The 2-mile round-trip trail to the lighthouse overlook is part of the Ka Iwi State Scenic Shoreline. Note: Bring binoculars during the November-May whale-watching season, always bring water, and never leave valuables in your car at the trailhead.

Landmark light: Hawaii's very first light station, other than traditional signal fires, was a 9-foot-tall structure on the Lahaina waterfront, erected in 1840 at the behest of King Kamehameha III. Several bigger and sturdier incarnations later, the Lahaina Light now stands 55 feet tall and, as of Feb. 2009, boasts solar power — the first major light in the islands to do so.

This is the easiest to visit of all the lighthouses mentioned here — unless you take looking for parking at Lahaina Harbor into account (plan to park several blocks away, or walk or ride a resort shuttle or bus into town.) The pyramidal white tower with a red lantern on top makes a striking contrast to the green-paneled, red-roofed Pioneer Inn behind it, not to mention the gold and green hills of Lahainaluna rising to the east.

Bright idea: A lot tamer than in its whaling heyday, Lahaina still offers plenty of temptations to the tourist, from top restaurants and quirky shops to outright tourist traps. But it would be a mistake not to survey the town, including its historic light, from the water, whether on a snorkeling trip, a dinner cruise or the ferry to Lanai.

Bonus beacon: Although it's considered a "minor light," the very first beacon to be converted to a solar-powered LED system by the Coast Guard is McGregor Point Light, a 20-foot concrete tower overlooking Mā‘alaea Bay. The current structure, which dates to 1915, went solar in May 2008 (another minor light, Merry's Point at Pearl Harbor, converted in Sept. 2008). Most who visit go for the seasonal whale-watching, although there's also a memorial rock honoring the arrival of Scandinavian immigrants to the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1881.

Landmark light: The tallest of Hawaii's lighthouses may also be its loneliest: The 138-foot, century-old Kalaupapa Lighthouse looms over the isolated peninsula on Molokai's north shore that was for decades home to an infamous leper colony. Lighthouse keepers' families were expected to keep their distance from the original settlement of Kalawao, where those with the now-curable disease were cruelly exiled from 1866 to 1969.

Today, both the octagonal lighthouse and the tragic settlement, still home to a handful of former patients, are part of the Kalauapapa National Historical Park. Everyone who visits, including those who ride mules or hike down the treacherous sea cliff to the "flat leaf" (lau papa) peninsula, must take a guided tour of the settlement. To guarantee a view of the active lighthouse, it's best to fly into the tiny Kalaupapa airport (hike-in, fly-out options are also available.)

Bright idea: While Kalaupapa is justly renowned as the site where soon-to-be-canonized Father Damien aided the suffering until his own death from leprosy, "topside" Molokai has other reminders of the heroic priest. And you can get a distant view of the lighthouse from the Kalaupapa Overlook at Pālā‘au State Park.

Bonus beacon: Lanai only rates one listing in the encyclopedic guide to Hawaii beacons on Lighthousefriends.com, and that beacon is almost as hard to get to as Kalaupapa. While not as aesthetically pleasing as Molokai's tower, the Palaoa Point Light serves an important function, warning of rocks near Manele Bay.

An open-framed white wooden tower at the base of Lanai's tallest sea cliffs, the 1930s-era light is also close to King Kamehameha's favorite fishing grounds at Kaunolū and a legendary cliff-diving spot known as Kahekili's Leap. Since some Jeep companies discourage you from driving down the miles of steep dirt roads to Kaunolū, the best way to view Palaoa Point is by boat — several companies offer cruises to Lanai from Maui and/or operate on the island itself.

Landmark light: The only Big Island beacon to make the National Park Service's Maritime Heritage Program list of "historic light stations" in Hawaii is Cape Kumukahi Light, built in 1934 on the easternmost point of the island. While the 125-foot skeletal steel tower may not be particularly picturesque, it displays Pele's power in an unusually compelling way.

The 1960 Kapoho eruption of Kīlauea Volcano, which began with a series of earthquakes followed by fountains of lava hundreds of feet high, had wreaked havoc for two weeks by the time its destructive flows rolled toward the lighthouse in rural Puna. Homes, farms and other buildings were exploding into flames before being swallowed up by the inexorable lava, despite the huge concrete dikes hastily placed in its path.

But when the fiery flood reached the lighthouse, it spared the tower by splitting into two streams that flowed around its concrete pad, rather than over it. The nearby keeper's house, where the keeper had stayed until the flames were at his gate, was not so fortunate: It and most of the town of Kapoho were destroyed, never to be rebuilt. The lucky lighthouse was automated later that year.

Bright idea: You'll pass Lava Trees State Monument on your way to Cape Kumukahi, down a rough 1.7 mile dirt road at the intersection of Highways 132 and 137. A short loop trail leads past eerie hollow "trees," molded out of lava by the moisture in their trunks.

Beside the obvious choice of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, you can also experience Pele's embrace in the large, volcanically heated pond at Ahalanui Park, south of the lighthouse off Highway 137. In the evening, spy lava flowing into the sea from a special viewing area at the end of Highway 130; click here for details and updates.

Bonus beacon: On the island's northern tip, the 1933 Kauhola Point Light is missing its lantern room, like the Nawiliwili light, but it too is still active. A drive over a bumpy road (near the browse-worthy town of Hawi) and/or a strenuous hike are required to see it; Lighthousefriends.com has the best description of the route.

Jeanne Cooper is the former Chronicle Travel Editor and author of SFGate's Hawaii Insider (www.sfgate.com/blogs/hawaiiinsider), a daily blog about Hawaii travel and island culture.