•Thank you for the sound advice •Just fix what’s broken at Koke‘e, Polihale •A broken dock is a broken harbor Thank you for the sound advice My husband and I visited Kaua‘i from March 2 to March 13. On March
•Thank you for the sound advice
•Just fix what’s broken at Koke‘e, Polihale
•A broken dock is a broken harbor
Thank you for the sound advice
My husband and I visited Kaua‘i from March 2 to March 13. On March 5, we rented a kayak and ventured out on our own to Secret Falls. The water was very brown, with tree debris floating from time to time. We reached a small island where we parked our kayak. The plan was to cross the creek on the other side of the island and head up to the Secret Falls.
A kayak guide with another company — Wailua Kayak Adventures — who was guiding two young ladies, discouraged us and a French couple from crossing the rushing water. He said that this was a flash flood, because the water should not be so muddy and there should not be any branches floating by.
Since there were other kayaks there before we arrived, he said that those people may have crossed earlier in the morning before the flood water rose. He said that normally the water should be about waist high, but he thought it might be about neck high at the moment and not safe to cross.
We could hear people coming down the trail on the other side of the creek. We decided to wait and watch them try to cross the creek. Sure enough, the creek was neck high on those poor people! Thank goodness they barely crossed safely.
Several days later, our landlord showed us the front page story, “Visitor drowns at Wailua River” in The Garden Island newspaper. She was concerned and wanted to warn us about going on that kayak adventure. We told her we had already been there, but we were discouraged form crossing that very spot by a wise kayak guide from another kayak rental company!
I would like to that kayak guide with Wailua Kayak Adventures for possibly saving six lives that morning, since we did not know that the waters were not at the normal levels.
Davis and Elda Clevenger, Dexter, Ore.
Just fix what’s broken at Koke‘e, Polihale
I noted with interest your April 3 front page article detailing the efforts of volunteers to help re-open Polihale State Park. Thank you Bruce Pleas, your initiative, and all of those who joined in the project.
Then I saw your April 5 front page article “Public pleads with State Parks to ‘Just fix what’s broken’” — with proposed $16 million worth of developments for Koke‘e and Waimea Canyon! There’s something wrong with this picture.
The DLNR — according to Bruce Pleas in the first article — was going to wait for up to one or two years to reopen Polihale because of “lack of funding” until the volunteers stepped into the breach.
Why would DLNR be proposing several new projects in Koke‘e and Waimea Canyon and yet not have the money for the reopening of Polihale?
Something’s fishy. And may it be noted that the four large pavilions out at Polihale — now three, as one was removed — have been condemned. When will these be demolished and rebuilt and picnic tables put in as they used to be years ago?
This will be a boon for both the locals and tourists. Probably a million dollars or so would accomplish this and other improvements at this most spectacularly beautiful beach in all Hawai‘i.
Isn’t it time to “just fix what’s broken” first before moving on to new, more expensive projects?
Donald Barnebey, Waimea
A broken dock is a broken harbor
I am a fishermen who has waited patiently for the Kikiaola harbor improvements to be finished. We assumed that we would have a deeper entrance and safer harbor basin. What we are seeing is a incredible increase in surge due to the destruction of our outside finger jetty.
So far we are not seeing the deeper safer harbor. The surge has helped to destroy our only real loading dock now. Kikiaola Small Boat Harbor is currently the most expensive DLNR/DOBOR project on the books at nearly $24 million and counting.
The Army Corps of Engineers have made a mess of our harbor in my opinion and the opinion of many other users. There design flaws in the improvements are inexcusable.
The State administration seems to think this harbor is not that valuable to them from a revenue stand point. Our loading dock has now been condemned with no money for a new one.
We as a community need to let the DLNR and the governor know we need a new loading dock or at least let help the community fix the old one till we get a new one.
Please e-mail or write the governor and DOBOR and explain the urgent need for a loading dock. Without this dock we really still have a broken harbor. After $24 million wasted you would think they would have thought about a new dock. It make no sense to us.
Greg Holzman, Kekaha
