Reading TGI (8/21) about enthusiastic proponents of a resurrected Superferry stimulates my imagination, but not in a pretty way. Let me spin out a scenario that I see coming if we Kauaians were to enjoy the money-saving convenience of a
Reading TGI (8/21) about enthusiastic proponents of a resurrected Superferry stimulates my imagination, but not in a pretty way. Let me spin out a scenario that I see coming if we Kauaians were to enjoy the money-saving convenience of a Superferry ride to Honolulu. Remember that Oahu has a population of more than a million people who probably find the airfare to Kauai daunting. But hey, with the Superferry running, why not load up food, beer, kids, dogs, fishing and camping gear into the SUV and vacation on Kauai for a week?
(A camping permit was secured online two years ago for Anini Beach State Park. The family disembarks in Nawiliwili, stops to top off coolers with ice and heads to the north shore to set up tents for 3 nights.)
Nice spot here, but we’re going over to check out the West Side for the next four nights. Lucky to get a camping permit at all since all the parks were booked, but someone canceled. It’s good fun to meet friends from Kaneohe and Kalihi cousins camping here too. In fact, most campers in both parks are from Oahu, and the rest from Maui and the Big Island. Not surprising, though. It’s crazy not to get out of the city and make a low-cost camping trip to Kauai for a week, where the only expense is the Superferry, a camping permit and ice. Cheaper to load up on Oahu and just bring everything in the SUV.
But hey, even with four-and six-lane highways, the traffic on Kauai is as bad as Honolulu. And look at all of those condos and hotels, a bit of a shock since Kauai used to be the most rural. Well yeah, there are lots of beaches, but they’re so crowded, lined up with pickups and SUVs dripping oil on the sand and racing engines when they get stuck. Jeez, we’ve got to be careful not to get run over here.”
(Family is now Back in Honolulu.)
“Maybe we should have stayed in Manoa and just driven to Sunset Beach instead of spending all that money on the Superferry. It was a shame that the kids got sick both ways with the boat pitching and dropping like a roller coaster. Man, I couldn’t even count the number of people throwing up while hanging onto the side for dear life.
They did perk up though when that mongoose jumped out of a guy’s backpack and did you hear that coqui frog singing from someone’s gear? Too bad. Kauai didn’t have those pests before. Come to think of it, they say that Kauai lost most of the shearwaters, albatross, frigates and boobies, because Mongeese eat bird eggs. We’ve had to put up with invasive species for years, but Kauai was lucky before. No more though. Funny, heh? Kauai’s just like Oahu now.”
Thank you councilwoman Yukimura for promoting more public transportation instead of roads. Build more roads and they will come — by the thousands. Road cost is not only monetary but an assault to our rural life style. We have reached carrying capacity, importing 90 percent of our food and landfills that are maxed out.
No more room for trash from the Honolulu Superferry crowd! How about slowing down, walking on the path, enjoying nature, and riding a bike or the bus? Let’s champion sustainability instead of asphalt on this small Kauaian island that is so beautiful, yet so fragile. Thank you Kauai Surfrider for standing up and emphatically stating, “We don’t want an EIS or the Superferry—EIS or not!”
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Gabriela Taylor is a resident of Keapana Valley.
