What do a remote Kauai valley, a Big Island black sand beach, a sand dune system on Molokai and a lush forest preserve on Maui all have in common?

Apart from each being largely isolated from human contact, each will remain for eternity as they have for eons—beautiful landscapes of untouched Hawaii. And in the HAWAII Magazine January/February 2010 issue feature article Untouched Hawaii we take you to all four of them—Wainiha Valley Preserve on Kauai, Kamehame Beach on the Big Island of Hawaii, Mo'omomi Preserve on Molokai and Waikamoi Preserve on Maui.

The Hawaii chapter of national non-profit The Nature Conservancy is making sure these sites stay pristine. The group has purchased and protected more than 236,000 acres of land statewide, sheltering hundreds of native Hawaiian species from land development and other environmental concerns.

In the video below, the Nature Conservancy takes you via helicopter into 7,050 acre Wainiha Preserve, one of Hawaii’s largest private nature sanctuaries. 

Wainiha’s ecological diversity makes the preserve an ideal habitat for hundreds of plant and animal species—including endangered native birds, a rare air-breathing snail and more than 220 different types of plants unique to Hawaii. Located on Kauai’s rugged windward coast, its terrain varies from rare lowland forests to mountainous bogs.

Watch the video (with the sound turned down if you don’t want the rumble of helicopter blades to upset your moment of zen), then read our Untouched Hawaiifeature to learn more about Wainiha and the three other Nature Conservancy preserves.

The January/February 2010 issue of HAWAII Magazine, will be in subscriber mailboxes and in bookstores and newsstands nationwide in the weeks ahead.

Fasten your seatbelts!