Earlier this year there have been several articles in both the Garden Island and Honolulu Star Advertiser addressed by Susan Kanoho and Lee Cataluna on subjects dealing with “How much is too much (tourism)” and “How do we manage our natural resources so that our visitors (tourists) can have a quality experience they expect in Hawaii.”
These subjects are not unique only to Hawaii. Many tourist-dependent economies around the world are also struggling with these issues.
I grew up attending summer YMCA camps at Camp Naue in Haena in the 1960s. Later in high school I would run the Hanakapiai Trail with Jonathan Chun (1970s). And in the early 2000s I took my two sons on their first Hanakapiai trek. Even in the early 2000s Hanakapiai was still a quiet trail where one could meditate and absorb the natural beauty in solitude while running into only a few trekkers.
When the state reopened the Napali Coast and Kee Beach on June 17, I wanted to make sure that I had a parking slot reserved. Rather than take the chance of fighting for a kamaaina parking place I decided that it was well worth it to drop $5 to have a parking stall so that I would have the opportunity to relive the experience of being back on Kee Beach and the Napali Coast.
I knew that the state and county would need time to work together to fix bugs and resolve issues in reopening a place that has been closed from the outside community for a year. This was evident by the roadblocks that concerned residents did the first few days to send their message that promises and concerns made to the North Shore residents were not met which was published in The Garden Island, Honolulu Star Advertiser and aired on KITV TV news.
I admit that I had some trepidation when we did our trip on Sunday, June 23. Mind you this would be the first weekend that Napali and Kee beach would be open to the rest of the world and I did not know what to expect. Would there be clogged roads and hordes of tourists cluttering the place? My concerns were unfounded.
We had a smooth drive as we navigated our way past Hanalei. We had no problems crossing the one-lane bridges. Everyone was courteous and showed aloha.
We arrived at the Haena parking lot at about 900 and I showed the gate guard my parking passt. She was puzzled that a Kauai local would purchase a parking stall and assured me that there was more-than-enough room for the residents. She was right. Only half of the stalls were taken. There were two DLNR personnel monitoring the area to help ensure that no one parked illegally on the side of the road and they kept the narrow roads clear.
We carried our cooler and belongings on the 0.3 mile walk to the beach. We traversed a new sturdy boardwalk that took us through immaculate taro fields. There was lots of empty space at Kee Beach for us to set up our picnic area. We took the short hike to the top of the Kalalau Trail to the viewpoint where we could see the panorama of Kee Beach and the Napali Coast. I would like to recognize all that people that have fixed and improved the trail.
After our hike we had the opportunity to enjoy the beach. Some of the things I noted were the sand was not as white and clean as I remember it. This may have been due to the immense amount of silt that washed into the ocean. Some coral appeared dead from being covered by silt but I also noted several healthy coral colonies that were full of life.
We stayed and immersed ourselves in the North Shore beauty until it was time to leave. When we left at noon the parking lot still had many empty stalls. The gatekeeper told us that she had turned away 110 non-resident cars without permits. At the same time, 50 Hawaii resident vehicles had come and gone. She noted that the Hawaii residents usually stay only a couple of hours.
Unlike in the past (pre-flood) our drive home was smooth as we drove along uncluttered roads. No longer were there cars parked on both sides of the narrow road blocking traffic. No longer were there hordes of visitors walking in the middle of the road slowing traffic.
The 110 cars that were turned away represented at least 250 people clogging the Kalalau Trail or cluttering the beach. We took the time to legally park and take a refreshing and invigorating dip in cold pond. It was strange but we were the only ones there.
The state of Hawaii is working with the County of Kauai and the North Shore community to limit the daily visitor count to 900 versus over 2,000 people that came to the end of the road daily pre-flood.
Though many visitors may be inconvenienced and turned away from experiencing the beautiful Napali Coast, it is a small price to pay so that those that live here and those who have the proper permits can have a quality experience on our beautiful island and preserve our precious resources for future generations.
I feel what is happening at Kee Beach and the Napali Coast is a model for the rest of the state to follow in managing our natural resources from overcrowding and abuse.
As a Westside boy, I hope that the state will also consider taking similar measures in managing Kokee and the Waimea Canyon so that residents and visitors can have quality experiences there, too, and enjoy the open vistas.
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Placido Valenciano is a resident of Lihue.
