For nearly two decades the Honolulu Fire Department has identified the upper portion of the Manoa Falls Trail as a hotbed for hiker injury.
Now the state is doing something about it — with financial help from the Hawaii Tourism Authority.
Starting July 15, the most popular trail in the state’s Na Ala Hele trail system will be closed weekdays, every other week, for four months while the hiking path undergoes a $136,000 overhaul.
At a press conference at the trailhead Tuesday afternoon, state officials said shutting down the trail is an essential safety measure when heavy equipment will be operating on potentially unstable terrain.
“It is critical that this section be widened and improved to allow safe two-way foot traffic,” said Mike Millay, state Na Ala Hele Trails and Access program manager.
In addition to widening the last two-tenths of a mile of the trail, the project will include fixing the staircase that leads to the waterfall viewing area and upgrading the viewing area.
Other improvements include trail hardening and other efforts to reduce soil erosion and slippery conditions, plus maintenance and upgrades to the lower part of the trail.
Over the years the Manoa Falls Trail has grown in popularity to the point that it’s now averaging 200,000 hikers annually. On Tuesday afternoon the trailhead parking lot was jammed and the trail bustling.
While the weather was sunny, Manoa Valley is notorious for its rain showers, and the trail is frequently muddy and slippery. The combination of lots of foot traffic and rain has caused plenty of erosion and uneven footing, officials said.
This is the last phase a three-part trail improvement program started in 2006 by the state’s Na Ala Hele Trail and Access program and backed by funding from the Hawaii Tourism Authority, Millay said.
Phase 1 included widening, hardening and developing rest stops along the lower part of the trail. In 2011, Phase 2 saw improvements farther up the trail as well as the installation of a trailhead kiosk, front entry gate and trail-side interpretive signs.
Half of the project’s costs — $68,000 — will come from the Hawaii Tourism Authority and its Aloha ‘Aina Program, which is funded by the state’s transient accommodations tax. The TAT, as it is known, is a tax on people who stay at accommodations throughout Hawaii.
Combating vandals
Another DNLR project receiving funds from the Hawaii Tourism Authority is the effort to combat vandalism of Kaniakapupu, the historical ruins near Nuuanu that were once the summer home of King Kamehameha III.
Vandals struck the summer palace in 2016 and again earlier this year, prompting the state to install barriers around the crumbling 175-year-old structure, which is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
Officials said the $120,000 project was finished last month with the placement of logs and plants around the perimeter of Kaniakapupu aimed at keeping back visitors. Signs were added warning people to stay off walls, rock piles and any other features associated with the site.
“The area is closed, but we know people still come up, so we thought it was wise to arm them with information to educate them and provide appreciation of the cultural significance of the ruins,” Ryan Keala Ishima Peralta, a forestry supervisor with the Division of Forestry and Wildlife, said in a release.
The Hawaii Tourism Authority provided a grant that paid for about a third of the $160,000 project.
In 2016 vandals carved a series of crosses on the ruin’s walls. Then, around Valentine’s Day this year, someone carved a heart shape into a wall.
Officials said many visitors to the ruins are driven there by bloggers and travel websites giving directions on how to reach them. As they did in 2016, DLNR officials this year contacted various websites and asked them to delete their references and directions to the site.
In 1845 King Kamehameha III and Queen Kalama hosted visiting dignitaries and large parties at the summer palace, including a Hawaiian Restoration Day luau in 1847 attended by 10,000 guests.
Today any visitors to the area are required to obtain a permit before entering the restricted watershed, and defacing Kaniakapupu violates both state and federal laws and can result in fines.
Officials said additional protective measures are planned, including law enforcement monitoring. Anyone seeing trespassing or damage to this site is asked to call 643-DLNR or report it via the free DLNRTip App, available for both iPhones and Android devices.
CLOSED FOR REPAIRS
The Manoa Falls Trail will be closed the following dates:
>> July 15-19
>> July 29-Aug. 2
>> Aug. 12-16
>> Aug. 26-30
>> Sept. 9-13
