Page 4 - MidWeek East - Sep 8 2021

4 SEPTEMBER 8, 2021
Hanauma Bay Is A Model For Regenerative Tourism
In 2020, when everyone needed a boost of positivity from all of the headlines about COVID-19, the East O‘ahu Community had to look no further than our own neigh- borhood and see news reports that the wildlife was coming back to Hanauma Bay — the fish were thriving, the coral was regenerating and the wa- ter was becoming more clear.
to enter the park (for visi- tors) and limit the amount of people entering the park. In October 2020, the state of Hawai‘i began to revise its entrance fees for other parks; Diamond Head raised its en- trance fee for the first time in more than 20 years.
was a student at Kaiser High School and would occasion- ally go down for a family outing or to hang out with friends. I appreciated yet took for granted that it was “a beach” and therefore would always be accessible and fun with all of the fish and scenery to experience. More than 20 years later, there is a system for entering the park — it’s closed two days a week and the parking lot is usually full on the days that it is open, but it’s still beauti- ful and wouldn’t be what it is now without community and government support.
As our tourism season slows down, it’s a great op-
portunity to remember this ecological delight in East Honolulu. “The beach and surrounding natural park get their name from two Ha- waiian words: “hana” which means bay and “uma” which means curved.” It’s where Hawaiian royalty came to fish and enjoy life, and with appreciation, planning and support, we can continuously enjoy Hanauma Bay.
Holly Itoga ‘Āina Haina
To get involved, visit friend- sofhanaumabay.org; to make reservations, visit pros4.hnl. info/hanauma-bay
Before COVID-19 spread across the world, Hanauma Bay was already an example for other natural attractions in Hawai‘i and elsewhere. It demonstrated we could in- corporate tourism with care for our natural resources by charging a substantial fee
As residents in East Ho- nolulu, what can we do to ensure the continuation of Hanauma Bay for our friends, family and visitors to enjoy? “Get involved!” says Sid McWhirter, vice presi- dent of Friends of Hanauma Bay. As the official adopting agency recognized by the state Department of Parks and Recreation, the Friends
The author writes that the management of Hanauma Bay for all stakeholders can be a template for other nature sites in Hawai‘i. PHOTO COURTESY HOLLY ITOGA
have been very active in working with the city to get facilities built and maintain the bay, as well as supporting reef-safe sunscreen legisla- tion. Currently, they are man- aging fundraising efforts to
start planting more coral and working closely with Univer- sity of Hawai‘i to continue to do what is best for the bay.
Growing up in Kuli‘ou‘ou, I passed by Hanuama Bay many times a week when I
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