(HONOLULU) – Pu‘u Ola‘i (Little) Beach, at Mākena State Park on Maui’s south shore, will reopen tomorrow (Saturday, March 13) after being closed for several months. Officials from the DLNR Division of State Parks and Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) spent the closure time developing a plan for the popular beach section that focuses on enjoyment for all park users and enhanced management and protection of cultural resources.
State Parks
(LĪHUʻE) – Polihale State Park, Hāʻena State Park, and the Nā Pali Coast State Wilderness Park are all closed due to the impacts of heavy rain fall, flash flooding, and landslides. The entrance road to Polihale, on Kaua‘i’s west side, is flooded with numerous ponds of water along the route. Canal irrigation ditches have overflowed and is causing new erosion hotspots. The road is currently a river of mud.
(Kailua-Kona) – To mirror Hawai‘i County’s precautionary closure of West Hawai‘i beach parks at 2 p.m., DLNR is announcing the following actions. · All State Parks in West Hawai‘i that have a beach or shoreline component closing at 2 p.m.
(Honolulu) – Beginning on Monday, March 8th, Diamond Head State Monument (DHSM) will now be open Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and closed only on Wednesdays. The hours of operation will remain the same, 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (last hike). Gates will be closed at 6 p.m.
(HONOLULU) – All visitors and commercial operators will need to make reservations to enter the popular Waiʻānapana State Park on Maui, beginning on March 1. Before the COVID-19 pandemic the popular park, located near the end of the famous Hana Highway in East Maui, had seen increased crowding and a glut of commercial tours.
(HONOLULU) – Earlier this week, the families of native Hawaiians buried at Polihale on Kaua‘i, issued impassioned pleas for people to be respectful and to follow rules and laws designed to protect natural and cultural resources, and all park users.
(POLIHALE STATE PARK, KAUA‘I) – Emotion overcomes Raylene “Sissy” Kahale as she describes the significance of Polihale to Hawaiian families who have lived here for many generations. “Polihale is like our home. You don’t go to the bathroom at the same place you sleep or eat off. This place is so sacred. I don’t think people realize the mana that it brings and gives. When you come here it feels like coming home,” Kahale says, as tears well up.
(Honolulu) – Park improvements at Wa’ahila Ridge State Recreation Area, on O‘ahu begin next week. Improvements include the repaving and expansion of the parking area, walkway replacement and new pathways to the picnic area. New speed bumps will be added. The project includes repairs to the pavilion and comfort stations, as well as the removal of tree hazards.
(HONOLULU) – Authorities are searching for the person or people who cut through metal gate poles and fencing at the “entrance” to Pu‘u Ola‘i (Little Beach) at Makena State Park on Maui. The beach section was closed on Jan. 5 in an effort to stop Sunday evening large gatherings (drum circles) attended by hundreds of people.
(HONOLULU) – The man behind the illegal “kanaka” garden at Wailoa River State Park in Hilo was arrested at Iolani Palace in Honolulu this morning. 64-year-old Gene Tamashiro of Hilo is charged with entering a closed State Park and violation of the State’s COVID-19 rules.