Located on the northwest coast of Kaua’i, Na Pali in over 14 miles contains some of the Pacific Island’s most spectacular wilderness area and contains some of Hawai’i’s best preserved archeological site. The ancient Hawaiians lived in the seemingly inhospitable
Located on the northwest coast of Kaua’i, Na Pali in over 14 miles contains some of the Pacific Island’s most spectacular wilderness area and contains some of Hawai’i’s best preserved archeological site. The ancient Hawaiians lived in the seemingly inhospitable seven main valleys, and left agricultural, habitational, and religious remnants throughout. From the heiau (temple) of Laka the hula goddess, at Ke’e, the northern gateway, to the heiau of the departing soles at Polihale, the southern entrance.
“The Na Pali coast is a valuable resource for an understanding of Hawaiian prehistory and adaptation,” said Myra Tomonari-Tuggle, an archaeologist who did an archaeological survey of portions of Na Pali in the summer of 1979. “But significance goes beyond an academic evaluation of importance. The Na Pali coast is of value to the people of Hawai’i as it represents a part of history and a way of life that once existed in these islands but is not now reproducible.”
Today images of the park are used throughout the world to broadcast the beauty of Hawai’i. Stunning images that show sea cliffs that tower up 4,000 ft above the ocean, magical sea caves and waterfalls that shimmer down the pali to land in the sea. The park is a land of natural and cultural uniqueness.
Yet there are problems in paradise.
The use pressure on Na Pali Coast State Park receives is at an all-time high while the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, the state agency responsible for the care of the park, has had their budget slashed to less than $7 million according to Dan Quinn, State Parks Administrator. Once you omit salary, special funds etc., approximately $700,000 is budgeted for the repair and maintenance of 70 parks spread over 27,000 acres in Hawai’i, or just $25.93 per acre. Compare this to the to the budget for the combined Hawai’i Visitor Bureaus, at over $70 million dollars to run a rather successful campaign to bring more people to enjoy Hawai’i’s limited and depleted resources.
Quinn said that as well as budget cuts over the past seven years, the agency has also had to deal with new expenses like costs of environmental studies and making park facilities compliant with ADA requirements. State Parks has had to make decision, he said, “to focus on the resources first; (for) example, if the choice is between an endangered species or reconstruction of an outhouse, the investment was put into the species.”
Down the road “if the parks resources are maintained then the (funds for) projects will come,” he said.
There is some hope for legislative change, Quinn said. He feels “legislators (have come to) recognize the relationship between the State Parks and the visitor industry” hopefully this will lead to a more favorable funding towards the parks.
Although the sea life along Na Pali appears rich compared to more heavily fished areas, no aquatic survey has ever been done to help access the condition of the marine life found along coast. Life-long mariners like Paddy Boy Malama says the years have not been kind. A quick trip to Ni’ihau will show anyone what rich fishing grounds were once found along Na Pali.
State Parks archaeologist Alan Carpenter says another big problem facing Na Pali is the impact of illegal, “outlaw” campers who make long stays in Kalalau Valley and other sections of Na Pali. These illegal campers, he says, continually come from across the globe to find that little piece of paradise, in turn destroying and rearranging archeological sites and leaving behind untold tons of abandoned campsites and trash in the farthest extremes of Na Pali.
Last spring a rather large camp that included a large library of books was discovered near Davidson falls some 1.5 miles up Kalalau Valley. All one needs to do is walk a few yards off the main trail in any valley and an old abandoned campsite can be found.
The Legislature passed a law during this year’s session that adds teeth to the fines State Parks can impose for illegal camping. This allows the State Parks enforcement officers to confiscate illegal camp sites and remove them. But any removal in such an inhospitable location is an expensive process that takes away from the desperately needed projects.
Watch for part two in the series:
“Access to the Na Pali”
Staff Writer Tim DeLaVega can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 226) or www.napaliphoto.com
