Haena beach access or the lack of it

[Carey]

The Keaau office has issued keys for some of the research I have worked on, and you must contact in advance. It is best to have your research proposal, and/or professor dash off a letter of intent, for they do allow UH students and others, to gain entry to the property to do field research.

[missydog1]

Devany,
I guess we agree to disagree then. The internet is not the new word of mouth. It only feels that way. True word of mouth doesn't have millions of recipients that you've never met.
it's not at all about being selfish, uppity or stingy or not sharing. In the last seven or so years since the Revealed books hit the marketplace, many places that were similarly quiet and peaceful have been over-run and spoiled by thoughtless tourists with no concept of the 'aina. On Maui, places have been so trampled that the State had to close them.

It's not true that the arduous hike will keep the beach from being crowded once it gets publicized on a big website. There are many people looking for that "secret" remote hike. It is all the rage these days.

I am not opposed to sharing. I think that most of the island is well toured and the little bits that aren't might remain unpublished so that they can truly be shared by one person to another - hopefully by a person who will convey the philosophy of the 'aina along with the shared directions. As opposed to John Q Tourist who has never been to Hawai'i running through websites and making notes of what to do "off the beaten path."

quote:

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It is my thought that that rumor was probably started by THE SHIPMANS!

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Why would you even say that? Come on. The person who told me that was born and raised here but does not run in Shipman circles or with people who do.

Do you think that the things you are writing about were undiscovered until you got here? No, they were relatively unpublished, but certainly not unknown.
Anyway, we shall see what happens when Haena Beach appears in an edition of Big Island Revealed.

[Carey]

Actually, this beach HAS been written up in published books, including travel books & books on beaches on Hawaii Island....

Most published books do not use the two names referenced here, and use the original published names (the ones that are historically used in chants for this area, including "Ha Huaka'i Ka'apuni Ma Hawai'i") for this location (first recorded in 1820, then later mapped in 1840) as does the USGS topographic maps (that also have the trail)

This is one of the many beaches in Puna that has been greatly transformed over the last 200 years. The Kau earthquake in 1868 caused a subsidence of the beach, leaving very little of the original expanse - the sand you see there today has been deposited since..., and the '46 tsunami further impacted the beach area, along with killing 1/4 of the nene population in the sanctuary.

ETA: According to a recollection in the HPP website, there was a transfer of property for HPP land, not a land sale with millions of dollars.
Also in this account, even in the beginning of HPP, shoreline access was restricted (Paradise drive, the only access, was chained to keep vehicles out, because even then there was a problem with people driving in & leaving trash at the shoreline. If we could only change people!
http://www.hawaiianparadisepark.org/page1.html

[Greg]

People that hike into an area are much less likely to trash it. For one thing, hikers generally have a greater social conscience than folks who prefere the convenience of driving.

Another is the fact that hikers simply cannot carry the volume of trash that vehicles can.

I think most of the places trashed since being "revealed" are of the drive in variety.

punatoons

[missydog1]

quote:

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I think most of the places trashed since being "revealed" are of the drive in variety.

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no, not really Greg. Ahihi-Kinau on Maui involved a long trek over the lava.
I agree that people who think like backpackers have the mentality to pack their stuff out, but the average Revealed reader is not necessarily like that.

I've been following the phenomenon of the Blue Bible tourist, and the utter cluelessness that has really ticked people off, especially on Maui.
But I'm not suggesting they are literally trashing the environment with litter. More with over-use, and of course when there are no bathrooms, there is that waste issue.
There are funny stories online of people spending two hours toiling though the jungle to get to a remote waterfall, only to find the place overrun with tourists all carrying the same book. The harder to get to the more enticing.

[Bob Orts]

quote:

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Originally posted by Devany

The Shipmans (Actually their trust) are providing access, there is no law that they have to maintain a road all the way to the beach, they just have to provide shore access.

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Actually, there is. If Shipman is required to provide shoreline access by State or County laws, and the State or County is enforcing shoreline access over that land, the County is required BY LAW to improve and maintain that access as well as assume all liability along that access.
So if you want access and a nice improved path, complain to the appropriate agency and force them to follow the law. Sure it's probably going to take a suit but you will prevail since its written into law. That will force the County to follow the law and improve and maintain all public shoreline access paths. You will get a nice path to the beach (and the associated tax hike to cover the cost since I’m sure a court will order ALL access routes to be improved and maintained) but that's a small price to pay for the people to have nice easy access to the shores.

[kimo wires]

Thank you Bob, That is the Truth I believe.

County doesn't have the interest or Money to pursue it.

Probably would be a detriment for them to do so.

When one family or Corporation is in public default for so long it gets overlooked. And or paid off To someone or some Entity.

Usually one or a few people hiding under a corporate cloak.
Because they have the MONEY. And they're not only going to keep it. they're going to Hoard it.

And make more.

I bet when they laugh they sound just like Vincent Price

Ha Ha Ha...! HA HA HA HA HA HA...!!!!!!!

All the while Oblivious to the fact that they're someday going to have to face their CREATOR.

"It would be easier for a Camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a Rich Man to enter into the Kingdom Of Heaven." Jesus Christ

[missydog1]

In my first post above, I speculated that if they haven't pulled a permit in awhile (since the PASH decision, that's only 1995), they may not be required to provide access, but if they develop they will. I found this online re Turtle Bay:

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In search of a response, Turtle Bay asked for guidance from the former Supreme Court senior associate justice who wrote the 1995 PASH decision, Robert Klein.

Last month, Klein told the Koolauloa Neighborhood Board that a critical issue in the Turtle Bay case is that the property in question is fully developed, according to the meeting minutes. Under Klein's PASH decision, developed property is exempt from a provision in the state Constitution that governs Native Hawaiian rights.

The issue of beach entry could be raised during the city approval process for Turtle Bay's redevelopment plans, said Steve Holmes, who since 1991 has served as councilman for the district that includes Turtle Bay.

In reviewing developments proposed in a special management area, the City Council can set terms that ensure there is adequate entry for the public to use beaches and shoreline in "all development" on the property, according to a city ordinance.

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http://archives.starbulletin.com/2002/10...tory1.html

Obviously I'm not an attorney, but from what I understand the laws about shoreline access don't require private landowners to create NEW access until such time as they want to get approval on some sort of development, pull a permit. Then the public access can be required as a condition of the approval.

[Devany]

Bob,

If you walk along the shoreline, there is no problem with access, it just takes a lot longer and it is very hot. My point is that they do not have to create and maintain a ROAD which people can drive on, which is what Kimo seemed to be asking for. There is already good access along the shoreline and that is all that the county is required to provide. I know of many so called secret beaches on the West side and many of them require hikes of 1-3 miles to reach the beach.Big deal! That is what it takes to find a beach where you might be the only ones.

What you are basically asking for Kimo is handicap access, being able to drive there and have a parking lot. That is never going to happen. Next people will be asking for lifeguards and picnic tables. Never going to happen.

It has far less to do with the rich land barons as it does to do with the fact that this is and always has been a remote beach, difficult to access only because of its remoteness and the jungle surrounding it. The county should not be responsible for providing well groomed access, just access.

It is my understanding that the coastal access is more about providing access for fishermen (as has been a tradition since the original Hawaiians settled here) and for ancient gathering places, which this place once was. That is what the original protests were about (referred to in my story.)

I say, if you have been there, then you will appreciate the hike in and out. True, you may not visit as often as you would other beaches, but it is a special place and the hike in makes it even more so. The lack of restrooms etc. also makes it a place that less people would frequent. It is perfect just the way it is.

FYI, Kimo...bringing Jesus into this debate is both absurd and offensive to me.



Aloha au i Hawai`i,
devany

www.myhawaiianhome.blogspot.com
www.eastbaypotters.blogspot.com

[Laughing_girl]

Which brings us back to a situation like Kua Bay. You could walk or 4WD in to a beautiful white sand beach bay and camp.

Then the state or COH came in and put in a road, and now the beach is closed at 7 PM. Locked gate closed. No camping anymore. Cant be on beach after 7 PM even during the summer when the sun sets after 7 PM.