For tourists using Instagram to guide their travels, a sojourn for one last shot at visiting the famous Ha’iku Stairs in Oahu could come with a hefty price. The days are numbered for Honolulu’s famous selfie spot, and CNN reports that tourists are flocking there hoping to grab a glimpse of the island from its heights before the stairs are dismantled. The problem is that the hike—nicknamed “Stairway to Heaven”—is illegal and passes through private property in sections. At least five people were arrested for first-degree trespassing last month and lots more received warnings or lesser charges.

“The city was disappointed and dismayed to learn that so many individuals appear to have recklessly disregarded clear warnings that the project to dismantle the Ha’iku Stairs has begun, putting themselves—and, potentially, first responders—in harm’s way,” said a spokeswoman for the city of Honolulu. The Washington Post notes that rescues from the trail—the 3,922 stairs rise to 2,800 feet above sea level—have been unfortunately frequent. Between 2010 and October 2022, authorities rescued more than 100 people, per KHON, and just this September, a woman and her dog had to be airlifted out by helicopter after falling 50 feet.

The Ha’iku Stairs were built by the US Navy during World War II, but were officially closed in 1987. Honolulu’s city council voted in 2021 to remove the steps, which attract an estimated 4,000 visitors each year. The council specifically cited social media for enticing people to make the trip, not only in sharing tips on how to get there but with the virality of “panoramic pictures that have encouraged people from around the world to take the hike.” Removal has hit snags but is expected to get going in earnest following an evidentiary hearing on May 10, reports Hawaii News Now. (A town in Japan made a ‘regrettable’ move in regard to Mount Fuji.)

Theater students from the University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM) are traveling to Japan in June to stage a rare English-language kabuki production at a classic playhouse in Gifu Prefecture, as a homecoming for a kabuki tradition taken to the Pacific islands by Japanese immigrants in the 19th century.

The show, part of the UHM’s kabuki project to produce “The Maiden Benten and the Bandits of the White Waves,” better known as “Benten Kozo,” comes after performances at the on-campus Kennedy Theater in Honolulu in April to mark the centennial anniversary of the first English-language kabuki performance ever given in Hawaii in 1924. “Benten Kozo” is a popular kabuki play depicting the twists and turns of five thieves following their own code of honor.

The project is led by UHM professor Julie Iezzi, a 61-year-old Asian theater specialist, in collaboration with Ichikawa Monnosuke VIII, 64, the eighth generation of a kabuki family lineage stretching back to 1713, during Japan’s Edo Period (1603-1868).

HONOLULU — It could take something close to perfection for the Hawaii baseball team to rally its way back into the Big West Conference title race over the next few weeks.

For at least one night, Alex Giroux was game.

Giroux tossed five flawless innings of relief – at one point striking out six batters in a row – and Jordan Donahue gave the Rainbow Warriors just enough to work with offensively in a 3-2 series-opening win over Cal State Northridge at Les Murakami Stadium on Friday night.

UH (27-15, 10-9 Big West) surged back above .500 in conference play with its season-best sixth straight victory and ended the nine-game winning streak of CSUN (28-15, 14-5), which got knocked out of a first-place tie.

The ‘Bows dugout was abuzz after Giroux set down all 15 batters he saw.

“That was unreal. That was one of the best performances I’ve ever seen,” said Donahue, who delivered two hits in two-out situations to drive in all three UH runs. “That was huge. We needed that big time.”

Said coach Rich Hill, “Oh my gosh, yeah, there’s not the proper adjectives to describe what he did tonight. What was it, six strikeouts in a row, eight strikeouts total? Didn’t give up a baserunner. That’s a first-place team that can really hit. Man, stunning performance.”

Giroux (5-2), the right-handed junior from Lake Oswego, Ore., came out for the start of the fifth after freshman Sebastian Gonzalez made his second start and gave up six hits and two runs (one earned) over four innings. UH had a one-run lead thanks to Donahue’s single to left-center to score Naighel Ali‘i Calderon in the fourth.

“Everything felt good. Ball was coming out of my hand really well, it was going where I wanted it to,” Giroux said. “I really had confidence in all my pitches today.”

In particular command was his cutter, which he throws in the low 80s.

“It was probably the best it’s been all season, throwing it as hard as I could and it was finding places where they weren’t touching it,” he said. “I was able to throw my sinker off that, get the outside corner, got a couple guys looking. Kind of had everything going. It was a good night.”

From the last out of the fifth to the first two outs of the seventh, Giroux set down Matador batters at the plate.

He had two comparable outings last year, his first season at UH as a transfer from Washington: five innings of hitless relief with one walk, a hit batsman and one strikeout at Tony Gwynn Stadium in San Diego; and four innings of relief against UC Santa Barbara with nine strikeouts and no walks at the Les.

The latter was the closest night he could remember to Friday.

It was the second time in 2024 that UH pitchers struck out at least 12 batters without issuing a walk.

With three teams – CSUN, UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara – with five losses or fewer in Big West play, UH still has plenty of work to do to either get close to the leaders or put itself in position for consideration for an NCAA at-large bid.

“If we make a run, maybe we get into range. Maybe we win it,” Hill said. “All I care about is tomorrow night.”

Game 2 of the series is 6:35 p.m. at Les Murakami Stadium. Members of the 2024 class of the UH Sports Circle of Honor will be introduced on the field before the first pitch.

Naighel Ali‘i Calderon sprinted to first base on a bunt attempt in the bottom of the eighth. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)

Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.