Protestors stop tourists from entering Haena State Park, Hawai through human chain

Wednesday, June 19, 2019

Protestors formed a human chain to prevent about 50 tourists from entering Haena State Park on the island of Kauai in Hawaii at around 5 am this morning. The residents and construction workers were allowed through the highway. The protestors blocked Kuhio Highway that leads to the popular park.

Police arrived at around 7 am and forced the 20 or so protestors to reopen the road. They moved out of the way and were not arrested but remained to continue their message that the area is not ready to receive visitors.

Haena State Park offers viewing of restored taro fields and ancient sea caves, as well as the Napali Coast State Wilderness Park which offers beach-related activities including shore fishing and swimming at Kee Beach. Haena is also home to the trailhead of the world famous Kalalau Trail and Hanakapia Falls trail.

The State of Hawaii Division of State Parks scheduled the reopening of Haena State Park and Napali Coast State Wilderness Park today to coincide with the opening of Kuhio Highway. Both parks have been closed since April 2018 following severe flooding on the north shore of Kauai.

Residents complain that tourists are driving too fast, hogging one-lane bridges, parking illegally, walking on reefs, and spraying themselves with reef-harming sunscreen.

The reopening is taking place while construction bridgework is still ongoing – putting the life of the residents, visitors, and the district’s natural resources in jeopardy. The return of tourism and the reopening of vacation rentals has also displaced residents in the community.

Due to the popularity of the area, the state issued new tourism management guidelines which limits visitation to 900 people a day from an estimated 3,000 daily before the flooding occurred.

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