Winter waves have eroded more of Waikiki Beach this season, worsening a chronic problem that state officials say will take millions of dollars to combat over the next decade.
The latest erosion washed out the sand surrounding the stairs in front of the Royal Hawaiian and Sheraton Waikiki hotels and exposed metal on the Royal Hawaiian groin, which is already in disrepair.
Coastal experts said during a news conference Monday that the damage was caused by an unusual winter weather pattern that changed the predominant tradewind swell and caused more waves to roll in from a westerly direction. Once the usual spring and summer tradewind pattern returns, natural wave conditions are expected to replenish the sand.
In the meantime, conditions are touching off serious concerns tied to both the iconic shoreline’s environment and economy.
"Waikiki is important to the economy; it’s the gateway to Hawaii," said Sam Lemmo, administrator of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands. "It’s the first place most visitors see when they come here, so it’s very important to make a good first impression upon them and show them the aloha spirit."
Kyo-ya Hotels & Resorts LP, owner of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, recently installed sandbags to bolster the stretch of shoreline fronting the public stairs adjacent to the Royal Hawaiian groin. Also, exposed metal on that groin was removed.
Such tactics have temporarily improved the far end of Waikiki Beach. However, Lemmo said, continued maintenance of the man-made project is necessary. That’s why the state is developing a 10-year plan to eliminate erosion hot spots, which include the Royal Hawaiian groin and a stretch of sand adjacent to Kuhio Beach.
"All of Waikiki Beach is essentially a hot spot," Lemmo said. "It’s going to take another $15 million to $20 million over the next decade to maintain it."
The state already has budgeted $1.3 million to restore the Royal Hawaiian groin. This latest work is in addition to a $2.5 million investment that was made in 2012 to move 27,000 cubic yards of sand from offshore onto Kuhio Beach. That replenishment shored up severely eroded sections of Waikiki Beach, much of which was in front of the police substation and Moana Surfrider Hotel.
"We have a chronic erosion problem in Waikiki that continues today," said University of Hawaii Sea Grant Extension agent Brad Romine, who is consulting with the Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands. "The project in 2012 was long overdue. The beach had gotten critical and was unpassable in front of the Moana Surfrider Hotel and the lifeguard station."
Lemmo said the involvement of the Hawaii Tourism Authority and Kyo-ya, which provided $500,000 of the funding, was critical to completing the 2012 work. The same kind of public-private partnership is needed to continue DLNR’s long-term Waikiki maintenance plan, he said.
House Bill 444, which is now being considered by state lawmakers, could provide additional funding. Plus, Lemmo said, adoption of city bills 81 and 82 would create a coastal improvement district funded by Waikiki commercial property owners.
"If you are dealing with a pothole, you can just throw asphalt on the problem. But it takes more planning to respond to issues in a surfing mecca that is a marine life conservation district with coral and protected species," Lemmo said.
"We need people to make a commitment to deal with these issues. We’re not asking people to save every beach in Hawaii — that wouldn’t be feasible. But we need them to put their resources behind Waikiki … or ultimately we’ll all suffer."
Rick Egged, president of the Waikiki Improvement Association, said 90 percent of Waikiki commercial property owners favor creating an improvement district, which has earmarked $650,000 for Royal Hawaiian groin restoration and would fund about 25 percent of DLNR’s long-range plan.
Linda Wong, vice chairwoman of the Diamond Head-Kapahulu-St. Louis Heights Neighborhood Board, initially pushed back against the proposed improvement district because it included Kapiolani Park trust lands. But Wong said she’ll support a new draft slated to be introduced April 2, which excludes land beyond the Kapahulu Groin.
"We didn’t want Waikiki businessmen telling us what to do with trust lands," Wong said. "But I’m definitely in favor of implementing funding for beach restoration. We’ve got a desperate situation in Waikiki."
Lemmo said directing tourist traffic to Waikiki alleviates pressure at the state’s most rural and environmentally sensitive beaches. But tourists won’t stay at Waikiki Beach if conditions at the engineered shoreline, which includes imported sand and rock-stabilizing structures, don’t provide a balanced recreational experience that protects surfing sites and the marine environment.
On Monday, Patricia Loftus, a visitor from Victoria, Australia, was enjoying the beach just outside of the eroded area with her daughter and grandchildren.
"This is my fourth trip to Hawaii, and I would say that Waikiki Beach is probably the main reason that we come here," Loftus said. "As far as overseas beaches go, we like it better than Fiji and Bali. It’s just lovely. We think it’s really important that they keep it that way."
