Though previously open to hikers who obtained permits, the Haiku Stairs were fully closed to the public in 1987. However, some people continued to hike the stairs illegally.

In recent years, videos posted on TikTok and Instagram of people illegally climbing the stairs — and instructing others on how to get to them — made the location even more popular with tourists.

In August 2021, the Honolulu City Council voted to remove the Haiku Stairs despite resistance from some community members advocating for the structure’s preservation. Reasons for their removal included illegal trespassing on the stairs, disruptions to locals, and liability for the city.

When Hawaii officials announced the removal of the Haiku Stairs would begin in April, it set off another influx of visitors scrambling to visit them before they were gone for good.

On April 23, the Honolulu Police Department arrested five people for trespassing at the stairs and issued 11 citations, local Hawaii News Now reported. Another 60 people were given warnings, according to CNN.

The Honolulu Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for more information from Business Insider.

The stair removal project is set to cost over $2.5 million and take at least six months.

People illegally hiking the stairs have required risky rescues in the past. A woman and her dog were rescued in September after falling 50 feet while hiking the Haiku Stairs trail.

In October 2022, local outlet KHON2 reported 118 people had been rescued on the Haiku Stairs since 2010.

The soap opera surrounding Oahu’s Haiku Stairs — also known as the Stairway to Heaven —  continues even as the famed landmark is being dismantled.

On April 20 and 21, the last weekend before demolition was to begin, police say that they gave out 60 warnings to hikers, eight citations for second-degree trespass and 25 parking enforcement actions. Second-degree trespassing is a misdemeanor.

On April 23, five people were arrested and charged with first-degree trespassing, according to CNN affiliate Hawaii News Now.

The staircase was built during World War II by the US Navy for access to Naval Radio Station Haiku. Its 3,922 steps wind along a ridge to the summit of a 2,800-foot mountain in Kaneohe, affording incredible views.

It has remained a tourist attraction despite being officially closed to visitors since 1987, and its exposure on Instagram and TikTok has brought even more visitors.

As there are no official trails, thrill-seekers have cut through private property to get there.

This increase in tourism – and the bad behavior that came with it – was among the reasons cited when Honolulu’s city council voted to remove the stairs in 2021.

“Due to rampant illegal trespassing, Haiku Stairs is a significant liability and expense for the city, and impacts the quality of life for nearby residents,” councilmember Esther Kiaʻāina told Hawaii News Now.

Early this month, local authorities announced that demolition would begin on April 22, leading to the flood of hikers taking one last chance to visit the site in recent days.

“On top of (access) being illegal, it’s an active worksite,” Honolulu PD District Maj. Randall Platt told Hawaii News Now. “There’s heavy machinery. The helicopter is working back and forth so it’s dangerous for people to be up there in the first place. It’s a closed site. It’s a work environment.”

“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 Haiku Stairs has begun, putting themselves – and, potentially, first responders – in harm’s way,” a Honolulu city government spokeswoman said in a statement.

The removal will require one 700-foot section at a time being taken away by helicopter, a process that will cost the city $2.5 million.

It has not yet been decided where the stairs will go after being removed. One local tourist attraction, Kualoa Ranch, has expressed interest in buying and housing them.

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Listing of the Day

Location: Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Price: $28 million

Perched above Keauhou Bay on the private and historic Ha’ikaua Peninsula on Hawaii’s Kona Coast, this compound offers four fully renovated and furnished homes, more than 600 feet of waterfront and 270-degree views of the Pacific Ocean.

“I’ve been doing this a long time and I’ve never seen anything like this—to have 600 linear feet of oceanfront and this much privacy,” said co-listing agent Rob Kildow, of Hualalai Realty. 

“The way this is configured you have no beach in front of you, so you have nobody looking in your windows or walking by,” he said. Yet you have three access points down to the water, which is very swimmable because a nearby reef keeps the water calm.

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“If you’re looking for a resort lifestyle, 10 minutes down the road is a private golf community with dining and tennis,” Kildow said. 

“This is a very special piece of property” due to its association with Hawaiian royalty, including important historical figures like King Kamehameha I and King Kalakaua, he said. In ancient times, Keauhou Bay was a significant cultural and political gathering place for Hawaiian Ali’i (chiefs) and their communities, and the site is where ceremonies, rituals and trade took place. 

“The history goes way back,” Kildow said. Only Ali’i were allowed to set foot on Ha’ikaua Point. 

Known as Ha’ikaua Point Estate, the 1.3-acre property comprises five contiguous properties acquired over a 10-year period, including the main residence on the point, two oceanfront bungalows and a building with an office, a media room and a four-car garage, according to the listing. A hidden road leads up to the private property.

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“The owners had a vision,” said co-listing agent Kurtis Becker, of Hawai’i Global Luxury Group. “The homes were there. They bought them and remodeled all of this and made them into a single village.”

“This was designed and built to be like your own private resort,” he said. All of the materials were locally sourced, and “there was no question about costs,” Kildow said. “The owner told me, ‘My wife didn’t have a budget and she exceeded it.’”

“This place is bulletproof and the ocean views are unbelievable,” he said.

The main house has open-plan living and dining areas downstairs, and the primary bedroom suite takes up all of the upstairs level, Becker said. Every bathroom has an indoor-outdoor shower.

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The estate is being sold fully furnished, including the owners’ art collection, according to the listing. The value of the art collection hasn’t been disclosed.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale will go toward the Jonathan Dale Miller Foundation, which the homeowner and his wife started in 1999 to honor their grandson’s final wish, Kildow said.

The landscaped grounds “have movement to them, with a wonderful flow,” he said. “There is really good energy here.”

“The options are limitless,” he said. “It could be a corporate retreat or a family deal. This has some real underlying meaning and texture and history to it.”

MORE: A Tropical Private Island Atop the Great Barrier Reef Sold at Auction for a Steal 

Stats 

Including the main house, the two bungalows, and the building with an office and a media room, the home has 8,913 square feet of interior space with eight bedrooms, 10 full bathrooms and one partial bathroom. The parcel measures 1.3 acres.

Amenities 



Amenities include a free-form infinity swimming pool, 600-plus feet of private ocean shoreline with access to Keauhou and He’eia bays and the ocean, a large covered patio with multiple seating and dining areas, unobstructed 270-degree ocean, bay and sunset views, two bungalows, an office, a media room and a four-car garage.

MORE: [[

Neighborhood Notes 



Kailua-Kona is the second-largest settlement on the island of Hawaii, after Hilo, and the largest on the island’s west side, according to published reports.

The Kona International Airport is 15 to 20 minutes from the home, Becker said. The Kona Coast is known for its calm, blue waters most of the year.

It also has some of the best sport fishing in the world, Kildow said.

Agents: Rob Kildow, director of residential sales and principal broker at Hualalai Realty, and Kurtis Becker, managing director at Hawai’i Global Luxury Group

View the original listing.