Letter: History proves safety of Haiku Stairs hike

After the informative and unusually accurate article by Andrew Gomes in the Star-Advertiser, I was disappointed to see letter writer Clyde Morita repeating some of the inaccuracies that have persisted since the Haiku Stairs were closed in 1987 (“City’s work to remove Haiku Stairs delayed,” Star-Advertiser, Nov. 20; “Kamaaina against keeping Haiku Stairs,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, Nov. 22).

Haiku Stairs proved itself a safe climb during many years of legal and unsupervised climbing permitted by the Coast Guard, which received no reports of serious injury and no rescues from the structure.

Based upon its actual history, Haiku Stairs is statistically and realistically one of the most stressful but least dangerous hikes on the island. The structure was refurbished for $950,000 (according to the contractor) in 2002. It is constructed of solid steel steps and railings. Virtually all of the safety issues came from closure of the traditional safe accesses, resulting in climbers getting lost or injured while trudging through wild jungle, often in the dark of night, hoping for a climb.

Virtually all the problems of trespassing and disturbing behavior to which nearby residents object — concerns also shared by the Friends of Haiku Stairs — are due to the closing of traditional safe access and lack of responsible management.

John Flanigan

Kaneohe

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