Gathering Places
Gathering Places
In Waikiki where it's easy to observe the face of tourism. Here millions of people every year book rooms in the high-rise hotels of this sprawling resort, relax on its world renown beaches, shop and dine in its vast array of low and high-end shops and restaurants, buy tickets to stage shows, and take bus trips to luaus and the many attractions outside Waikiki. They come expecting to spend money and be entertained and Hawaii's visitor industry has long been measured by the number of arrivals and dollars spent in Waikiki. Maha‘ulepu:
Too sacred
to sacrificeThere is another side of tourism not so easily quantified, places so significant that they have become irreplaceable, their value immeasurable because they have remained largely untouched despite all the pressures of development.
One of those places is Maha'ulepu, a 2,900-acre beachfront property on Kauai's south shore near Kipu Kai and the Hyatt golf course. Though the property is privately owned, it has remained undeveloped and open to both the public and to researchers who have uncovered significant cultural and scientific resources. It's a site that, defined by its living history, has become sacred to all who understand its past and present.
Maha'ulepu, however, lies in the path of sprawling resort and residential growth. Zoning and planning documents currently project 5,000 more units in the Koloa region. As urban development continues, there is less and less wilderness on the island's south shore, less natural and accessible recreation and open space for residents and visitors.
From the onset, the group Malama Maha'ulepu has sought a collaborative solution to the preservation of this irreplaceable site. Among the group's principles is that public access to Maha'ulepu should be perpetual and appropriate, and that the landowner should receive fair value for land that is dedicated or sold for public purposes. They have found support from Governor Cayetano, the Legislature, the County Council and thousands of Kauai residents.
The groundwork has been laid and the last thing this hardworking coalition wants is the emergence of a contentious process. Through the years, debate over important issues on this island has disintegrated as people and groups defend opposing positions often failing to grasp what some people call the "third solution." That is a collaborative resolution reached through thoughtful and honorable discussion dedicated to arriving at a solution.
Malama Maha'ulepu is a coalition of people dedicated to preserving Maha'ulepu in a way that does not entertain a contentious process. This place is too significant in its cultural, historic and scientific resources - too sacred - to be submitted to the usual environment vs. development debate.
The preservation of Maha'ulepu goes well beyond these issues. This place has somehow managed to maintain its existence and secrets throughout thousands of years. Out of respect for its past and its future - our future - let us move wisely and without rancor toward a permanent solution to the preservation of this site.
Susan Dixon is a writer living Hanalei, Kauai.