103 thoughts on “More Kauai Beaches May Soon Restrict Visitor Access”
Brad K
Ummm…. $35 for use of a shuttle ? Someone’s raking in the Dough. I’m surprised there isn’t a cleaning fee, booking fee, insurance fee, and fee management fee added to the $35. You know, Hawaiian style.
It should be Free or almost free for those who make reservations in advance and therefore the number of visitors limited. The message is don’t come!
I get that it’s over subscribed but isn’t that what the 900 person per day limit was meant to address?
Seems that by moving the “end of the road” you are only moving the parking problem to a different location. This would then require moving the “end of the road” again and shifting the parking problem on to someone else again. At some point you end up with a toll booth at the Hanalei River bridge.
Also mentioned, there are residential areas, do they get resident only windshield stickers? What of Limahuli Garden which has a reservation system of its own?
“$35 for use of a shuttle” There are multiple grifters who take a piece of that. And, FWIW, the shuttle parking lot is completely full most every day, unless the trail is closed.
This makes no sense unless they fix the current system. It is a joke the way it’s currently set up. We own a place here, but are not allowed to use Ke’e, because we don’t have an Hawaiian driver’s license. We pay a bundle in property taxes and are restricted! I tried to get a reservation four nights in a row and by the time the new date came in, they were all gone. The attendant at Ke’e last week told us that the locals are buying the reservations up, and then you get there and 3/4 of the parking lot is empty. What a farce! I understand the need but the north shore residents are ridiculous! I love Kauai but we’re going to sell. Sick of the inefficiency and hatred of locals. Good luck when no one comes anymore.
Kathi – this reality is shocking. I feel free your situation. If I were in your shoes I would be livid.
So many Hawaiian enjoy tourism dollars to make a living. Nothing wrong with that. There needs to be an effort to accommodate the needs of the tourists who do come, or as you say they won’t come at all anymore. I have been to Kauai 15 times, but not in 7 years and no plans whatsoever when I read stuff like this. So sad.
Sorry that you feel that way. However, it’s clear from your own words that the home you purchased is a 2nd vacation home and not your primary residence, which is why you don’t have a Hawaii state ID. The measures that the state and county have taken and will take are good for the quality of life for the residents who live here full-time.
Residents come first over the temporary and fleeting thrills of tourists who don’t add anything but their money. Hawaii will always have plenty of money. We don’t need so much that it destroys the thing we all love, which is these beautiful islands.
I wish you the best and I’m sure you won’t have difficulty selling your property for fair market value. Aloha.
“Hawaii will always have plenty of money”. What a joke. Without tourists most of Hawaii would end up like Molokai — a bunch of brahs sitting around drinking beer and giving stink-eye, waiting for their next welfare check.
We’re in the same boat. FWIW, a resident can stop by the Hanalei Bay Grifters Office (directly upstairs from Barcuda) between 8-10 am M-F and obtain passes for non-residents without requiring any reservations, including (but not required to be) the same day. The only caveat is that the resident has to accompany their non-resident “guests” through the park entrance. So, if you have a resident friend who may want to join you for a hike or to hang out at Ke’e, that’s a way. Its extra stupid for people in Wainiha and Haena, because you have to drive back to Hanalei, even though you can just walk to the park. Puts more cars on the road, waste time, etc. But, it’s something.
I think it’s Very Important to remember why Hawaii has historically held that No beach area was private and not open to all Americans at least. That reason is Federal Funding. Most Federal grants have a caveat that money must go to completely public projects, and any restrictions on public use might forego qualifications for the funds.
Remember that when you think about privatizing our beaches!
I don’t recall anywhere in the article stating that the beaches have been or would be privatized. It clearly states that they would be regulated, which is completely fair and within federal and state law.
$90M in federal (FEMA) funds were used by the county to rebuild the bridges, road, Ke`e parking lot, etc. after the April 2018 flood. So, yes, they spent fed money for the access and improvements, but restrict use to Hawaii residents.
You may want to reread what you wrote, David. You do realize that it makes no sense. Hawaii residents aren’t restricted from access to the beaches in any way, shape or form. Nor are non-residents. Both have access as long as they have the proper credentials. That is the right of the state to impose whatever rules are necessary in order to preserve the environment.
As a resident, mahalo for your well written replies. I did reply from a commenter as I needed to explain why it’s important to pay for parking.
1
Pat
Does not appear that my High Federal Taxation is well represented in this endeavor, maybe the State or Local municipalities should shoulder these type of expenses going forward?
If Hawaii has plenty of money, then why is there so much poverty? And so few jobs? Did you not learn anything from the so called pandemic when the tourists stopped coming because of all the restrictions? I also should add that I’ve seen more disregard for the land/environment from the locals than anyone else.
I just got back from Paris where the most popular attractions have a reservations system. It allows for more outside visitors during the week and less in the weekends. This would be a good way to limit overall but also not to lock any locals out from access
Let’s face it, people who live in Kauai want to make it their own private island. Tunnels beach is a long beautiful beach. Has anyone thought to add more parking??
Let’s face it. Hawaii…and especially Kauai has been ruined by over-tourism, directly due to the proliferation of social media. It has already been proven that social media is extremely harmful to people and Hawaii has also borne the brunt of its’ dark side.
Social media can’t be regulated (yet), so the next best thing is to regulate who is allowed access to these special and ecologically sensitive places with very limited space. Your erroneous statement about expanding parking proves my point that you aren’t aware of the logistical challenges on said space.
Tunnels has extremely limited parking, maybe 6 spots. Otherwise, its along the highway, which became no parking (including for residents who live along the highway) at $250 ticket when the road re-opened in 2018. And, no, we do not want tourists to park in our residential neighborhoods east of Tunnels
Keep on closing things to visitors and/or charging excessive fees. Pretty soon, the Utopians will have what they want – no visitors. Oh, and no income, either.
I believe that many local residents, including myself would be ok with that. We did fine when the islands weren’t overrun by tourists. I think we’ll be fine when there aren’t so many.
We went to ke’e Beach in 2022. Not worth the hassle to go back. Charging for car and per person then lug you beach stuff a couple hundred yards for a small swim area. Tunnels is much better as is Hanalei bay.
The only reason “we did just fine” was because the state and fed pumped a bunch of money to unemployed people. How many people on Kauai were suddenly on temporary unemployment and/or rent assistance during the COVID lock downs? I know several. They were perfectly happy to not have to work for a year, but that is not sustainable.
Sure, there are a lot of other people who did not depend on transfer payments from the state and fed to subsist (I am one of them), but it is arrogant to presume all of these folks “would do just fine” without the government payments if no tourist jobs.
I can’t speak on what individuals with individual responsibility will do. However, I stand by what I said. On the whole, Hawaii will do just fine without so much tourism. There is a balance in this area that needs to be regained that we haven’t had for a very long time.
You don’t have to care about anyone who needs a tourism-related job to survive without government checks. And clearly, the state and counties can continue to hand out those checks without all the tourism-taxes they collect. After all, they can just print it. Oh wait …
2
RP
David B, you’re taking about a human problem. Human problems come & they go. This should’t supersede the urgent need to preserve & protect the sensitive ecological system of these beautiful islands. None of them were ever meant to have so many humans occupying them at one time, whether full-time resident or tourist. If someone can’t survive here, due to their skill level being limited, there are many other places on the mainland where it is far easier to subsist where the job market can accommodate their customer service/tourism skill set. A person needs to be humble and have an honest moment with themselves if this happens. I’ve had to do it myself & moved away for years until I could sustain myself without relying on the tourism industry.
3
David R
Evidently there is a little confusion about what I posted. I did not deny that Hawaiians are restricted from the beach. I’m saying if you keep gouging tourists and restricting where they can go then the Hawaiian economy will be destroyed because there are many other places tourists can go.
I completely understood what you posted, David R. I just completely disagree with your statement about what will happen to the local economy. Just because you say the Hawaii economy will be permanently crippled due to state and county actions in this regard, doesn’t mean it is true.
If you think that the love for Hawaii will wane because of some so-called “gouging”, you are sorely mistaken and grossly underestimate the allure and attraction of this beautiful place. Hawaii is consistently one of the topmost desirable places to visit in the world.
That will never change, no matter what you say. Why can I say this with confidence? Recorded history. The popularity of Hawaii has only increased over time with no signs of abating.
The whole thing is B.S.i tried their reservation system by staying up till 3am to make reservation precisely at midnight 30 days in advance on multiple nights. It’s a Joke! Get it right, it’s not the Tourism Authority, it’s the Anti tourism Authority, period. They all need to be fired! We spent over $11,000 fir about 2 weeks and we are done!
Nobody forced you to spend 11k to visit The Islands. Obviously, you don’t understand the problem. The infrastructure is crumbling, locals are being ignored by the legislature, tourists And locals trash nature, the cost of living is prohibitive, and most visitors don’t care about the real history of Hawaii. All they want to do is leave their footprints and shop until they drop. So, as an American citizen you are free to travel most anywhere on the planet. Most destinations now charge user fees to reverse damage done to the environment. Aloha!
It’s not to repair the so called damage. It’s for infrastructure and quite apparent it’s being grossly mismanaged by your State and or County.
And for your information there is a difference between conservation and preservation! (You can preserve no living thing). If you want to make it a preserve then they must limit everybody, including you R.P. and the locals and not allow in power equipment in the area at all.
I remember when Gov. Tom McCall didn’t want California’s to move to Oregon and the slogan was don’t Californicate Oregon. Unfortunately Tourism is Hawaii’s main source of revenue. Like I’ve said before and you alluded to keep charging more and you’ll be overrun by the Asians who spend 3 times what we spend and that’s from the tourism authority.
Sorry for any confusion. That is not a typo. Haena Beach (county) might become part of the regulated area that now is Haena State Park (including Kee Beach).
“Hanalei Colony Resort could become the end of the road without a permit.”
I think this is the part he was referring to….Plenty people think Hanalei Colony Resort is actually in Hanalei.
Ummm…. $35 for use of a shuttle ? Someone’s raking in the Dough. I’m surprised there isn’t a cleaning fee, booking fee, insurance fee, and fee management fee added to the $35. You know, Hawaiian style.
It should be Free or almost free for those who make reservations in advance and therefore the number of visitors limited. The message is don’t come!
I get that it’s over subscribed but isn’t that what the 900 person per day limit was meant to address?
Seems that by moving the “end of the road” you are only moving the parking problem to a different location. This would then require moving the “end of the road” again and shifting the parking problem on to someone else again. At some point you end up with a toll booth at the Hanalei River bridge.
Also mentioned, there are residential areas, do they get resident only windshield stickers? What of Limahuli Garden which has a reservation system of its own?
“$35 for use of a shuttle” There are multiple grifters who take a piece of that. And, FWIW, the shuttle parking lot is completely full most every day, unless the trail is closed.
The shuttle is just a jobs program for locals who would otherwise be unemployed.
This is nothing but bs
This makes no sense unless they fix the current system. It is a joke the way it’s currently set up. We own a place here, but are not allowed to use Ke’e, because we don’t have an Hawaiian driver’s license. We pay a bundle in property taxes and are restricted! I tried to get a reservation four nights in a row and by the time the new date came in, they were all gone. The attendant at Ke’e last week told us that the locals are buying the reservations up, and then you get there and 3/4 of the parking lot is empty. What a farce! I understand the need but the north shore residents are ridiculous! I love Kauai but we’re going to sell. Sick of the inefficiency and hatred of locals. Good luck when no one comes anymore.
Kathi – this reality is shocking. I feel free your situation. If I were in your shoes I would be livid.
So many Hawaiian enjoy tourism dollars to make a living. Nothing wrong with that. There needs to be an effort to accommodate the needs of the tourists who do come, or as you say they won’t come at all anymore. I have been to Kauai 15 times, but not in 7 years and no plans whatsoever when I read stuff like this. So sad.
Sorry that you feel that way. However, it’s clear from your own words that the home you purchased is a 2nd vacation home and not your primary residence, which is why you don’t have a Hawaii state ID. The measures that the state and county have taken and will take are good for the quality of life for the residents who live here full-time.
Residents come first over the temporary and fleeting thrills of tourists who don’t add anything but their money. Hawaii will always have plenty of money. We don’t need so much that it destroys the thing we all love, which is these beautiful islands.
I wish you the best and I’m sure you won’t have difficulty selling your property for fair market value. Aloha.
“Hawaii will always have plenty of money”. What a joke. Without tourists most of Hawaii would end up like Molokai — a bunch of brahs sitting around drinking beer and giving stink-eye, waiting for their next welfare check.
Time is the great equalizer. We shall see…and us locals are willing to take that chance.
So well said!
Leave then! Please
We’re in the same boat. FWIW, a resident can stop by the Hanalei Bay Grifters Office (directly upstairs from Barcuda) between 8-10 am M-F and obtain passes for non-residents without requiring any reservations, including (but not required to be) the same day. The only caveat is that the resident has to accompany their non-resident “guests” through the park entrance. So, if you have a resident friend who may want to join you for a hike or to hang out at Ke’e, that’s a way. Its extra stupid for people in Wainiha and Haena, because you have to drive back to Hanalei, even though you can just walk to the park. Puts more cars on the road, waste time, etc. But, it’s something.
Hi David.
Thanks for that update! And we appreciate your more than 600 other comments!
Aloha
I think it’s Very Important to remember why Hawaii has historically held that No beach area was private and not open to all Americans at least. That reason is Federal Funding. Most Federal grants have a caveat that money must go to completely public projects, and any restrictions on public use might forego qualifications for the funds.
Remember that when you think about privatizing our beaches!
I don’t recall anywhere in the article stating that the beaches have been or would be privatized. It clearly states that they would be regulated, which is completely fair and within federal and state law.
$90M in federal (FEMA) funds were used by the county to rebuild the bridges, road, Ke`e parking lot, etc. after the April 2018 flood. So, yes, they spent fed money for the access and improvements, but restrict use to Hawaii residents.
You may want to reread what you wrote, David. You do realize that it makes no sense. Hawaii residents aren’t restricted from access to the beaches in any way, shape or form. Nor are non-residents. Both have access as long as they have the proper credentials. That is the right of the state to impose whatever rules are necessary in order to preserve the environment.
As a resident, mahalo for your well written replies. I did reply from a commenter as I needed to explain why it’s important to pay for parking.
Does not appear that my High Federal Taxation is well represented in this endeavor, maybe the State or Local municipalities should shoulder these type of expenses going forward?
If Hawaii has plenty of money, then why is there so much poverty? And so few jobs? Did you not learn anything from the so called pandemic when the tourists stopped coming because of all the restrictions? I also should add that I’ve seen more disregard for the land/environment from the locals than anyone else.
I just got back from Paris where the most popular attractions have a reservations system. It allows for more outside visitors during the week and less in the weekends. This would be a good way to limit overall but also not to lock any locals out from access
Let’s face it, people who live in Kauai want to make it their own private island. Tunnels beach is a long beautiful beach. Has anyone thought to add more parking??
Let’s face it. Hawaii…and especially Kauai has been ruined by over-tourism, directly due to the proliferation of social media. It has already been proven that social media is extremely harmful to people and Hawaii has also borne the brunt of its’ dark side.
Social media can’t be regulated (yet), so the next best thing is to regulate who is allowed access to these special and ecologically sensitive places with very limited space. Your erroneous statement about expanding parking proves my point that you aren’t aware of the logistical challenges on said space.
Tunnels has extremely limited parking, maybe 6 spots. Otherwise, its along the highway, which became no parking (including for residents who live along the highway) at $250 ticket when the road re-opened in 2018. And, no, we do not want tourists to park in our residential neighborhoods east of Tunnels
All fees should not be imposed on vehicles or people if they can show a current property tax bill assessment.
Keep on closing things to visitors and/or charging excessive fees. Pretty soon, the Utopians will have what they want – no visitors. Oh, and no income, either.
I believe that many local residents, including myself would be ok with that. We did fine when the islands weren’t overrun by tourists. I think we’ll be fine when there aren’t so many.
We went to ke’e Beach in 2022. Not worth the hassle to go back. Charging for car and per person then lug you beach stuff a couple hundred yards for a small swim area. Tunnels is much better as is Hanalei bay.
The only reason “we did just fine” was because the state and fed pumped a bunch of money to unemployed people. How many people on Kauai were suddenly on temporary unemployment and/or rent assistance during the COVID lock downs? I know several. They were perfectly happy to not have to work for a year, but that is not sustainable.
Sure, there are a lot of other people who did not depend on transfer payments from the state and fed to subsist (I am one of them), but it is arrogant to presume all of these folks “would do just fine” without the government payments if no tourist jobs.
I can’t speak on what individuals with individual responsibility will do. However, I stand by what I said. On the whole, Hawaii will do just fine without so much tourism. There is a balance in this area that needs to be regained that we haven’t had for a very long time.
You don’t have to care about anyone who needs a tourism-related job to survive without government checks. And clearly, the state and counties can continue to hand out those checks without all the tourism-taxes they collect. After all, they can just print it. Oh wait …
David B, you’re taking about a human problem. Human problems come & they go. This should’t supersede the urgent need to preserve & protect the sensitive ecological system of these beautiful islands. None of them were ever meant to have so many humans occupying them at one time, whether full-time resident or tourist. If someone can’t survive here, due to their skill level being limited, there are many other places on the mainland where it is far easier to subsist where the job market can accommodate their customer service/tourism skill set. A person needs to be humble and have an honest moment with themselves if this happens. I’ve had to do it myself & moved away for years until I could sustain myself without relying on the tourism industry.
Evidently there is a little confusion about what I posted. I did not deny that Hawaiians are restricted from the beach. I’m saying if you keep gouging tourists and restricting where they can go then the Hawaiian economy will be destroyed because there are many other places tourists can go.
I completely understood what you posted, David R. I just completely disagree with your statement about what will happen to the local economy. Just because you say the Hawaii economy will be permanently crippled due to state and county actions in this regard, doesn’t mean it is true.
If you think that the love for Hawaii will wane because of some so-called “gouging”, you are sorely mistaken and grossly underestimate the allure and attraction of this beautiful place. Hawaii is consistently one of the topmost desirable places to visit in the world.
That will never change, no matter what you say. Why can I say this with confidence? Recorded history. The popularity of Hawaii has only increased over time with no signs of abating.
The whole thing is B.S.i tried their reservation system by staying up till 3am to make reservation precisely at midnight 30 days in advance on multiple nights. It’s a Joke! Get it right, it’s not the Tourism Authority, it’s the Anti tourism Authority, period. They all need to be fired! We spent over $11,000 fir about 2 weeks and we are done!
Nobody forced you to spend 11k to visit The Islands. Obviously, you don’t understand the problem. The infrastructure is crumbling, locals are being ignored by the legislature, tourists And locals trash nature, the cost of living is prohibitive, and most visitors don’t care about the real history of Hawaii. All they want to do is leave their footprints and shop until they drop. So, as an American citizen you are free to travel most anywhere on the planet. Most destinations now charge user fees to reverse damage done to the environment. Aloha!
Very well said, Maleko!
It’s not to repair the so called damage. It’s for infrastructure and quite apparent it’s being grossly mismanaged by your State and or County.
And for your information there is a difference between conservation and preservation! (You can preserve no living thing). If you want to make it a preserve then they must limit everybody, including you R.P. and the locals and not allow in power equipment in the area at all.
I remember when Gov. Tom McCall didn’t want California’s to move to Oregon and the slogan was don’t Californicate Oregon. Unfortunately Tourism is Hawaii’s main source of revenue. Like I’ve said before and you alluded to keep charging more and you’ll be overrun by the Asians who spend 3 times what we spend and that’s from the tourism authority.
You pose the question can Hanalei become end of the road like Ke’e beach, but then you talk about Haena not Hanalei. Is this a typo?? Mahalo
Hi Andi.
Sorry for any confusion. That is not a typo. Haena Beach (county) might become part of the regulated area that now is Haena State Park (including Kee Beach).
Aloha.
“Hanalei Colony Resort could become the end of the road without a permit.”
I think this is the part he was referring to….Plenty people think Hanalei Colony Resort is actually in Hanalei.