New, Improved Pohoiki?

[leilanidude]

Pohoiki also has a large playground for the keiki, and grassy area for picnics and celebratory gatherings.
----------
Have not made the trek in myself yet, but did the playground and grassy area even survive?

[Obie]

The playground and grassy area got covered along with the majority of picnic tables.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Here is what remains at Pohoiki (see photos below). Parking, some of the connecting roads, and shady areas under the surviving trees. Picnic tables could be placed under the trees, and toilets. But you’re right, it might be difficult to fit in any type of playground, at least not at the scale it had been. Unless they level some of the new lava.

https://www.hawaiimagazine.com/sites/def...e-2615.jpg
http://www.bigislandvideonews.com/wp-con...ohoiki.jpg

[glinda]

Is there a better place in Puna for shoreline access?

Hilo.. Keaukaha.. Honolii

Better beach access.. better keiki ponds.. better surfing.

[lisa]

I'm not opposed to dredging it for boat launching once again. What precludes this? Already must've been approved...

I would greatly appreciate residents having some security prior to public use, of course. This is an ongoing concern. My neighborhood is next (hopefully)...

[MarkD]

Comment:

Is there a better place in Puna for shoreline access?
Hilo.. Keaukaha.. Honolii
Better beach access.. better keiki ponds.. better surfing.

- - - - -

Honolii is primarily a surfing break. Poor swimming here. Hilo Bayfront Beach has poor water quality.

Keaukaha has Richardsons and 4 miles. (Onekahakaha is too shallow for adult swimming). Both sites are heavily used now because of the loss of Puna coastal recreation.

In context of all this, Pohoiki must be appreciated for what it offers. Because we sure as heck shouldn't expect that the County is going to create any new coastal swimming recreation areas anywhere in East Hawaii.

[glinda]

I think dredging the coast would/will be a multi-agency issue that would start with the feds. The Army Corp of Engineers would have the first say..

https://www.iwr.usace.army.mil/Missions/...t-of-Sand/

and I suspect this is a bit outside their standard cut and paste of preexisting policies. They may have, though I doubt it, policies on how to address a newly emplaced beach. But none-the-less to touch a stone, or build a wall, or dredge a beach, all of which happen, but are subject to very rigorous control by the Corp. After that the state, DLNR, will have all sorts of things to say as well.

The bigger question (imo) might be land based access for boats. What road would they be expected to approach the area on? Used to be going down through the mangoes was a lot of humbug so going through 4 corners.. now what? Come down 130 and all the way over from Kalapana?

There will be a ramp.. but where? Someone put out the idea of building a new one. I think Kaimu would be the best.. build an inland harbor like they did in Kona could be a really big boom for the area. Could develop a whole industry around that. Good straight road access and the state owns all the land that filled in Kaimu Bay. I think that would be way better than Pohoiki.. but wonder what others think.

It will be interesting to see how this develops. But I doubt it will happen fast.

[glinda]

Pohoiki must be appreciated for what it offers.

Amen

Rough.. limited ways to play in it..

And as you said people have already transitioned to Keaukaha.. and Honolii.. good beaches there. Honolii has some great breaks. All sorts of folks been coming from Puna all these years since we lost Kalapana/Kauimu as it is.

And the canoes use the bay..

Pohoiki will most likely become an extension of Kehena.. similar crowd.. maybe more local than hippie.. but still.

[MarkD]

Glinda, you're right about your comments about Corps of Engineers' approval. The permits are hard to get it, but it is doable. Large stretches of the east U.S. coast get their permitting for jetties and beach replenishment.

But to get COE approval communities have to be united/proactive on pushing for shoreline modification permits.

As I mentioned in some of my previous posts Hawaii government (and some of our islands' environmentalists) have never been much interested in doing so.

I like to call it Environmental Luddism; it simply means the perspective that the natural environment is highly precious and that any attempts to improve on it for natural resource recreation should be viewed with skepticism and suspicion.

Hence Hawaii's general reluctance to build piers, rock pools, artificial surfing reefs, fishponds, man-made beaches, etc. The prevailing view: Let's be happy with what we have.

That works well for Kauai, Oahu, and Maui-all blessed with bountiful beaches and surf breaks. East Hawaii Island--not so much.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Hilo.. Keaukaha.. Honolii
Better beach access.. better keiki ponds.. better surfing.

While those place have good water access, they're not in Puna. If you live in Kea’au or Volcano, they may even be more accessible than Pohoiki. But what about the people who still live in lower Puna? So many swimming destinations are gone or unapproachable; Green Lake, Ahalanui County Beach Park, Champagne Pond, Tide Pools. Is it too much that the County provide a road and toilet for one of the last remaining places residents can get in the ocean without driving north for an hour... and back?