Residents, visitors check out the road beyond the block

HAENA — Joe and Margaret Kalet took some extra time over lunch at Opakapaka Grill on Monday, drinking in the first sight of the bay they’ve had in 14 months.

“We tried to come out last week and they turned us around,” Margaret said. “So we said we’d go the first day it’s open.”

The Princeville residents were among many filtering through the restaurant and milling around the parking lot. The coffee shop next door was full of chatting customers. People roamed the grounds of Hanalei Colony Resort.

“Poof, it’s completely different,” said Wainiha resident Gil Nieto, stopped in his truck and talking story with whomever happened to pass by. “People around taking pictures, parking lots full, it’s sorta back to the way it was.”

Nieto, who works and lives in Wainiha, said the convoys over the past year have been a double-edged sword for the community. It’s been a different lifestyle beyond the roadblock and even though residents knew the road was opening, the change is staggering.

In fact, Nieto said he and other residents took their last few days of remote paradise to celebrate at the beach, solidifying the stronger community that they have built.

“It’s been like a gated community,” he said. “We probably can’t ride our bikes down the road anymore like we could before.”

Kalet pointed out the rest of the island has been feeling the pressure from the road closure, and wondered if Kuhio Highway reopening would ease traffic in places like Hanalei and Waimea Canyon.

“Everything was compressed to Hanalei. You’d go to the beach and it’s wall-to-wall people, all congested,” he said.

Inside Opakapaka Grill, manager Morgan Stevenson said business was slowly picking up late morning.

“Gives us some time to adjust,” she said. “As it gets warmer, though, we’ll be getting more people.”

The reopening of Kuhio Highway created a reunion-like atmosphere at the Hanalei Colony Resort complex as island residents greeted their Wainiha counterparts — some for the first time since the road closed.

Some residents didn’t even bother to venture to Ke’e or Haena State Park, they just stayed around the Hanalei Colony Resort and talked story.

“We haven’t even made it to the end yet,” Kalet said. “It feels good to be back.”

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Jessica Else, staff writer, can be reached at 245-0452 or at jelse@thegardenisland.com