Tern Island Hawaii - Information

Tern Island is one of those Hawaiian Islands you've probably never heard of which makes it even more mysterious than the forbidden island of Ni'ihau. What is Tern Island? Where is Tern Island? And, more importantly, how can you visit Tern Island? Let's dive in and find out.

What Is Tern Island?

With a land area of around 26 acres, it's an incredibly tiny island in the middle of nowhere. Because of it's small size, Tern Island wasn't exactly a real estate hot spot. But after the Battle of Midway during WWII, the U.S. Navy built a Naval Air Station here that would be used as an emergency landing site for aircraft flying between Hawaii and Midway Atoll. In fact, the majority of the island is nothing more than a runway.

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The island was so small that this required enlarging the island to support the 3,300 foot runway. The Navy operated a base there from 1942 to 1946 while the U.S. Coast Guard operated there from 1952 until 1979. A Tsunami wiped out most of the station in 1969 which had to be rebuilt. Being just a few feet above sea level, this isn't a a place you'd want to be when a Tsunami hits!

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The rebuilt U.S. Coast Guard barracks continued to be used into more recent times with upgrades that included a reverse osmosis desalination system that was solar powered and could produce 1,200 gallons of fresh water daily. Today, the island is used as a field station in the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

Where Is Tern Island?

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You'll find the island located in the French Frigate Shoals in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. That's around 430 miles west northwest of the island of Kaua'i (about 550 miles west northwest of Honolulu on the island of O'ahu). That's around 23.869°N 166.286°W for all of you cartographers out there.

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So it really is in the middle of nowhere. In terms of isolation, it makes islands like Lana'i, Moloka'i, and Ni'ihau seem like New York City in comparison.

How To Visit Tern Island, Hawaii

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By now you're probably wondering how to visit Tern Island and trying to see if you should stay at the local Marriott or upgrade to the Four Seasons at Tern Island, right? Well, it's probably obvious that this isn't an island you have any chance of seeing in person. That's sort of a shame as the United States Fish and Wildlife Service could probably offer some pricey 2 night camping programs and be booked year round.

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The main visitors of this island are the 18 species of seabirds that have breeding habitats here along with other Hawaiian favorites like Honu - The Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle and the endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal.

Image credit: Google

But that doesn't mean you can't see it for yourself. Sort of. Google has been nice enough to offer Google Street View of the entire island. Check it out here or click here to begin in top down satellite view.