Lease dispute aims to put a stop to famed Molokai mule rides

The family business that provides mules rides and escorted hikes on the cliffside Kalaupapa Trail has been evicted following a lease dispute with the owner of the land it must access to provide the popular activities.

The eviction, which has been pending since March 20, cuts off land access to the historic Kalaupapa settlement, where the Catholic Saints Damien and Marianne Cope ministered to ostracized Hansen’s disease patients. Once Kalaupapa Rare Adventures (KRA) ceases operations, visitors will be able to visit the settlement only via airplane or boat until R.W. Meyer Ltd. enters into a new agreement with another activity provider.

“We hope to continue the long-standing tradition of mule rides and hikes on Kalaupapa Trail with another company,” Paul Meyer, president of R.W. Meyer, said in a statement. “But we need to do this in a responsible manner with a company that honors and respects what we have agreed upon and keeps our visitors safe.”

R.W. Meyer said KRA, which has not paid rent for over a year, could be forcibly removed for not honoring the eviction notice. The company said KRA has not had a legal right to access the trail since its lease agreement ended Jan. 31, 2017.

Negotiations broke down in November 2016 after R.W. Meyer proposed increased rent of $3,000 per month, plus a 20 percent share of fees collected per hiker.

A representative from the Sproat family, which operates KRA, could not be reached for comment Saturday. However, Kalehua Sproat-Augustiro told KHON that “our ohana holds the allodial (occupancy) title to the land that the business is on, therefore, as true land holders, we are not responsible for paying rent to anyone.”

While the National Park Service maintains the trail, R.W. Meyer says it owns the land under Kalae barn and at the Kalae Highway trailhead, which KRA’s mule riders and hikers use to access the Kalaupapa Trail.

Sproat-Augustiro told KHON that KRA doesn’t see it that way. “We look forward to the issue being settled in court, until then we will remain on our aina.”

KRA has filed various land claims seeking millions from R.W. Meyer. On Saturday, the company’s website was still advertising mule rides for up to $209 per person and escorted hikes for $79.

However, R.W. Meyer claims the law is on its side. The company said a federal magistrate found that the tour company failed to prove its right to the land, and on Jan. 10, Maui’s 2nd Circuit Court issued a writ of possession to the land owner.

R.W. Meyer has held a lease agreement with KRA since the tour company was formed in 2010. However, R.W. Meyer’s relationship with the Sproat family goes back to 1973 when Sproat-Augustiro’s father, the late Eldon “Buzzy” Sproat, ran the first mule-ride operation there for a rental car company owner who wanted to imitate the Grand Canyon trail rides.

Sproat, who was known for his paniolo skills, was often featured in Hawaii tourism promotions showing happy tourists navigating the 3.5-mile trial with its 26 switchbacks that descend 2,000-foot sea cliffs.

KRA’s eviction was based “on their refusal to negotiate a new lease in good faith, their refusal to provide us with rental payments or show us proof of liability insurance,” Meyer said.

The decision reflects the needs of company shareholders and the 900 descendants of Rudolph Wilhelm Meyer, who was the first superintendent of the Kalaupapa settlement, he said.