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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, February 20, 2002

Falls still big draw for hikers in Manoa

By James Gonser
Advertiser Urban Honolulu Writer

A streamer of police tape, a chain stretched across the road and a warning sign were not enough to stop dozens of hikers Monday from venturing up to Manoa Falls despite the state's closure of the trail three weeks ago for safety reasons.

The Manoa Falls trail remains closed to the public after recent rain led to debris raining down from the cliffs.

Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

The trail was declared off-limits after Feb. 1, when heavy rains loosened tons of rocks, plants and mud above the falls, sending debris cascading down 600 feet near the pool at the base of the falls. No one was injured.

But on a sunny Presidents' Day holiday, residents and tourists alike chose to ignore the warnings, stepped over the barriers and headed to the falls. They said there was nothing dangerous about the hike. Several visitors said the trail is still listed in activity pamphlets available in Waikiki hotels as an easily family hike, with no warning about the closure.

"I don't see why they closed it," said Waikiki resident Mike Janowsky after returning from the falls. "It's not unsafe, not where people walk."

But state officials said the trail is dangerous and will remain closed for the foreseeable future.

"When I've gone up and we looked from the helicopter, there is debris that is hanging above the area," said Aaron Lowe, O'ahu specialist for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources' Na Ala Hele Trails and Access program. "People can't directly see what the danger is and may think they are safe."

As for the trail's closure, he said, "As long as the state can be held accountable for acts of nature, which is what happened in that (Sacred Falls) case, we really don't have a choice."

Some hikers fear that the trail will be closed for a long time, possibly permanently, because the state is worried about more lawsuits like the ones that followed the Mother's Day 1999 rock slide at Sacred Falls State Park that killed eight people. The Sacred Falls trail remains closed.

Lowe said the the Manoa Falls trail area will likely be closed for months until some type of safety measures can be taken to keep people away from areas near the base of the falls.

"I'm not talking much about reopening right now," said Lowe, who manages 36 public trails on O'ahu. "We are working on it. It is in our best interests to get it open and get people to enjoy it again, but enjoy it safely."

Some trespassers at Sacred Falls have been ticketed and fined for hiking on the remote trail, Lowe said. Manoa Falls is easily accessible to many more people, and those who venture past the barriers face a fine of up to $500 and 30 days in jail.

"People see a 'trail closed' sign and then like to go in and judge for themselves if it should be closed or not," Lowe said. "The person purposely, physically went over that sign and therefore is completely responsible for their own activities at that point."

The state estimated 200 visitors a day hiked the trail last year. The 'Aihualama trail, which connects to the Manoa Falls trail, also has been closed to keep people away.

California resident Dwight Berg headed up the trail with his camera in hand after hearing other hikers say the trail looked safe.

"I've got to get one picture of a waterfall while I'm in Hawai'i," Berg said. "I've just got to see it."

Reach James Gonser at jgonser@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2431.