Once, the fate of the Kaiwi Coast hung in the balance. That uncertainty was largely resolved on Thursday, when Gov. Josh Green signed Senate Bill 1254, now Act 235, into law, directing the state Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) to move forward in creating Kaiwi State Park.
The bill rightly specifies that Kaiwi, as a state park administered by DLNR, will be preserved primarily in its wild and natural state. That is a visionary goal worked for by thousands of volunteers and advocates over several decades, as state Sen. Chris Lee, the bill’s sponsor, acknowledged at the signing ceremony.
Kaiwi needs protection and management, and the state has a responsibility to provide it. The future designation of what is currently the Kaiwi State Scenic Shoreline into a state park will enable more attentive stewardship, and should be implemented to carry out the wishes of voters statewide who endorsed its preservation.
The state first created a master plan for a proposed Ka Iwi State Park in 1995. “Sometimes conservation doesn’t come quickly, I guess,” Green noted at the signing ceremony. One could indeed question the long wait, but at long last, the proper action has been initiated. State park designation for about 340 acres specified in the act could be approved by 2024.
The effort to preserve these lands stretches back to the 1970s, when a diverse group of community members banded together to fight — and it was a fight — for Kaiwi’s protection, demonstrating in the process that determined advocates can influence the path of development and public policy.
Throughout the 1980s, the Sandy Beach Coalition and Ka Iwi Coalition were active in the effort, campaigning to stop a beach resort, and spearheading a revolt against Honolulu City Council zoning approval that would have allowed a luxury development mauka of Kalanianaole Highway. The campaign drew islandwide support, and culminated in a 1988 public vote, enabled by initiative, to downzone the property. The vote was 2-to-1 in favor of keeping Kaiwi natural — a strong demonstration of people power.
Downzoning didn’t prevent the private landowner from proposing other commercial uses of the land, however — and in this century, community volunteers of all stripes again joined to fundraise and advocate for the preservation of Kaiwi Mauka. In 2015, the Livable Hawaii Hui and the Trust for Public Land joined forces to raise private donations of more than $500,000 needed to complete the purchase of Kaiwi Mauka land.
Act 235 allows for the possibility that more land could be added to the 340 acres currently designated. This could include Kaiwi Mauka, as well as county-
owned shoreline property close to Sandy Beach.
The area currently designated for state park protection includes the Makapuu Lighthouse trail, as well lands reaching toward Sandy Beach. Currently, dirt paths through the scrub trees on the property lead to a secluded beach and coves where visitors swim or fish, as well as sparkling tide pools sheltering a variety of marine life. Both the lighthouse trail and unimproved property have drawn a steadily increasing number of visitors.
During the pandemic, when public lands including beaches were off-limits, state officials found that partiers were venturing into the more remote areas to gather, sparking concerns about damage to the land. In supporting the state park designation, the Legislature found that more state protection is necessary for reasons that include public safety and managing access, preventing invasive species and restoring the ecosystem — all fully valid and worthy of action.
The lessons imparted by the decades-long, ultimately successful drive to protect this region, and now, the increased study and protection of this wild coast, can benefit Hawaii’s people for many more lifetimes.
