If you’ve driven Hana Highway recently, as we have, tried to wedge your rental car onto the shoulder at Honolua Bay, inched along North Shore behind an hours-long nonstop line of brake lights, or followed a social media pin taking you to Hoopii Falls, Hawaii just put those exact places into specific future plans.
The state updated plans naming specific beaches, roads, trails, and bays where visitor pressure is highest and outlining what officials say could change at each. The first round of these (DMAPs) leaned heavily on broader goals and community meetings. The latest version, however, now lists the individual sites and attaches proposed actions. These are among the most in-demand places people build into their trips, not some policy abstractions.
Before assuming your next trip will look dramatically different, one basic reality is worth noting. The Hawaii Tourism Authority does not manage the roads, trails, bays, or neighborhoods in question, so the counties, DLNR, Hawaiian Home Lands, and private landowners will be needed to carry out most of what has just been described. In almost every case, the first year at least is focused on more studies, coordination, and setting up of what might come next.
Maui: Hana and Honolua finally get specific plans.
Maui’s plan centers squarely on the iconic Hana Highway, with six of the island’s nine site-specific actions targeting that single corridor.
The ideas are relatively straightforward. Paid community stewards at high-traffic stops such as Keanae Peninsula, a first-of-its-kind Hawaii tour guide certification program requiring culturally accurate mo’olelo (storytelling), safety guidance, and place-based knowledge instead of loosely scripted commentary, together with clearer signage identifying safe and legal pullouts while reminding drivers to let residents pass instead of backing up traffic for visitor photo opportunities.
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At Bamboo Forest off Hana Highway, the plan addresses repeated trespassing onto private land. There have been 35 rescues there over the past decade, most requiring use of emergency helicopters. The proposal calls for signage clearly indicating no access. But because that land is privately owned, any real restriction there depends on the owner’s full cooperation.
Honolua Bay carries perhaps the boldest concept of all in the statewide package of suggested changes, including a reservation and shuttle system to eliminate illegal roadside parking, a cultural trail staffed by stewards before visitors ever reach the water, and water stewards who will be paddling out to orient snorkel boat passengers. No procurement process has started, and no shuttle contract exists, so the idea remains on paper for now. Kaupo, where a recently paved road has attracted more traffic and complaints, would also get sensor-linked warning signs at blind hills to focus on driving safety.
Big Island: Kealakekua Bay may see closings.
Kealakekua Bay is the main headline site here, as might be expected. The draft introduces the possibility of “rest days” during coral spawning or other sensitive periods, coordinated by the DLNR, when the bay would be closed to visitors. It is still a concept and would require coordination beyond HTA.
At Keaukaha near Hilo, cruise ship impacts drive the conversation ideas, and the community has pushed for a permanent role in shaping how visitor flow is handled around the port. A steward program piloted in 2023 is now being formalized rather than remaining as a short-term experiment.
South Point, or Ka Lae, sits on Hawaiian Home Lands, so the state’s role here is to support the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands’ existing plan rather than create a new one from scratch. Hilo itself is described as needing more visitor activity even as other Big Island sites seek to manage crowding.
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Oahu: North Shore, pillboxes, and parking reality.
On Oahu, it’s the iconic North Shore that anchors the plan. Five sequenced actions are listed, but the first year focuses on studies, coordination, and groundwork.
There is no shuttle system scheduled for immediate rollout and no reservation platform ready to launch. During the public webinar, officials said any fees would be site-specific and pointed to the extremely limited parking infrastructure as a major constraint.
Lanikai Pillboxes and Maili Pillbox are cited as trails that have seen steep increases in use due to social media exposure. Lanikai already has daytime parking restrictions on residential streets between 10 am and 4 pm, and Maili has experienced a recent fatality. The plan for Lanikai is to evaluate managed access, while for Maili, it begins with determining who is responsible for the trail and what authority exists in order to manage it.
Downtown Honolulu appears in the draft as a future walkable corridor linking Iolani Palace, Honolulu Hale, and nearby historic sites and shops.
Kauai: this waterfall became a neighborhood fight.
Hoopii Falls in Kapaa has become one of the most tense sites in the statewide plans. What was once a local waterfall became a high-traffic destination after intense social media exposure. The trail crosses private, lease, and state lands and is not formally maintained, and residents have placed rocks and tree stumps at neighborhood access points to slow or block visitor flow. The plan’s near-term focus is to gather more data and bring landowners together to clarify jurisdiction and what can legally be done before any formal access system is devised.
The Kapaa Crawl along Kuhio Highway is listed as a priority, but the proposed response, which is a shuttle and visitor hub concept centered on Coconut Marketplace, has no funding, no operator, and no timeline.
Kokee and Waimea Canyon are also included. Two of four proposed actions are already deferred beyond the first funding year, and the near-term steps focus has moved to installing visitor counters and studying whether a reservation system would be feasible.
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What changes on your next trip.
Across all four islands, social media is repeatedly cited as a significant accelerant, turning lesser-known spots into must-see stops almost overnight. And in that regard, there is no end in sight.
There are no additional statewide fees attached to these newly identified sites, no disclosed budgets for even the most ambitious concepts, and HTA does not gain or lose any new enforcement authority through these drafts.
If you are visiting in the coming months, you are unlikely to encounter reservation systems at Honolua Bay, formalized rest-day closures at Kealakekua, shuttles operating on the North Shore, or state-managed access changes at Ho’opi’i. Most of what is described for year one is groundwork.
SCITUATE, MASS. (WHDH) – The Scitutate community is fondly remembering a couple killed in a helicopter crash in Hawaii Thursday during a post-retirement trip.
Patrick “P.J.” Haskell, 59, and his wife Margaret Rimmler, 65, lived in a Scituate neighborhood near the ocean. They took a trip to Hawaii last week after Haskell permanently retired from the insurance business he ran with his father for decades.
“We figured Massachusetts was close enough for us, and then when we hear it was our next door neighbor – it was shocking. Absolutely shocking,” said Steve Osborne, a neighbor.
Neighbors said Rimmler worked in the tech marketing field for years, and Haskell had big plans for retirement involving his garden and bee hives.
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“He loved his gardening, and he had an overabundance of vegetables in the summertime,” said Mary Talbot, a neighbor.
“I had just spoken to him last week, and he had checked the bees and they all made it through the winter,” Osborne said.
On Thursday afternoon, the sightseeing helicopter the couple was flying in crashed near a remote beach off the coast of Kauai, killing them and one other person. Experts say the area’s geography of tall seaside cliffs and sharp mountain ridges can make for turbulant air and hazardous flying conditions.
In a memorial posting, Haskell Insurance Agency wrote, “Patrick recently retired and along with Margaret, deserved many more years together…Patrick’s kindness and selfless nature impacted all who knew him. He extended respect and compassion to everyone he encountered.”
Neighbors said the couple will be sorely missed.
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“They were just the nicest people, the nicest people,” said Osborne. “Every time I look out over there it’s just so sad.”
Federal authorities are investigating the cause of the helicopter crash.
(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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KEA‘AU — The 2026 BIIF track and field season continued over the weekend, with Kamehameha-Hawaii hosting the meet for the second straight week.
Konawaena senior star Violet Schaut made her return to the track after missing last week’s meet, making her mark with wins in the girls 100 (12.37s) and girls 200-meter dash (25.19s). Schaut was also part of the 4×100 relay team with Kaella Masters, Jazmin Fillmore and Dasha Kala — winning the race in 50.19 seconds, which was a stadium record.
Schaut, who continued her dominant runner career by establishing herself as one of the best in the state in 2025, is picking up right where she left off in the new season — collecting seven total wins through two meets.
Schaut’s teammates, siblings Paxton Sokham and Aden Sokham, had a nice day on the track — with Paxton Sokham finishing first in the boys 400-meter with a personal-best 49.94-second finish and placing second behind Aden Sokham in the 100.
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The Sokhams were also part of the winning 4×400 relay team with Kareem Walker and Lucas Carvalho. who broke a venue record with a time of 3:29.95.
While Konawaena looked strong in the short-distance races, Kealakehe made its mark in the long-distance ones — as sophomore Zadie Bolton took victories in the girls 800 (2:27.62) and girls 3,000-meter race by over 20 seconds (11:13.01). Bolton has had a strong season already, earning six individual wins through three meets in long-distance running.
Fellow Waverider Elisa Childers, one of Kealakehe’s strongest long-distance runners, won the 1,500-meter run in just over five minutes, 26 seconds. The senior also placed second behind Bolton in the 3,000 race (11:35.54). Teammate Lily Marhsall won the girls 400-meter dash with a personal-best time of 1:04.65.
In the boys long-distance bouts, Hawaii Prep junior Jack Soon-Ludes claimed victories in the 800 (2:08.48) and 1,500-meter race with a season-best time of 4:22.24. Through three meets, Soon-Ludes has won five long-distance runs.
Leading the hurdles once again was Kamehameha-Hawaii junior Judah Kanoa, who won the boys 110-meter hudles for the third time this season with a time of 14.54 seconds. In the 300 hurdles, Kanoa won for the second straight week, crossing the finish line at the 39.89-second mark.
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Kanoa was also part of the Warriors’ 4×100 relay team that won in 43.93 seconds. His fellow teammates on the squad were Iopa Quintana, Hawaii Iokepa and Tanoatoa Muskat.
Kanoa has been outright dominant in the boys hurdles since last season, and has already collected six individual race wins thus far.
In the field events, Kohala junior Mari Ontiveros broke a venue record in the girls shot put — throwing for a distance of 12.57 meters (41-03.00).
In the discus throw, both the boys and girls winner notched personal bests — Kamehameha’s Chanse Kaaua-Long throwing 47.44 meters (155-08) and Hilo’s Wai Krismunando launching 31.19 meters (102-04). Saturday marked Kaaua-Long’s second straight week winning the event, while it was Krismunando’s first win of the year in any event.
Leading the high jump was Kohala sophomore stud Na‘i Rivera, who won the boys contest with a leap of 1.75 meters (5-09.00) — equaling his personal best that he set last season. Rivera has won the high jump twice in 2026.
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In the pole vault, both winners matched their personal-best launches — Kaimanamaikalani Bowman of Kamehameha leaping 3.96 meters (13-00.00) in the boys field and teammate Taliya Nishida clinching the girls contest with a vault of 3.04 meters (10-00.00).
Bowman has won the boys pole vault thrice this season, while Nishida has won the girls portion twice.
Konawaena senior Trenton Wong Yuen earned his second long jump win this season after matching his personal-best leap of 6.64 meters (21-09.50). Kealakehe’s Ia Pabre won the girls triple jump after launching a season-best 9.70 meters (31-10.25).
The season will continue this weekend in North Hawaii, as Hawaii Prep is set to host this upcoming Saturday’s meet.
Visit https://live.athletic.net/meets/58847 to view the full results from this past weekend’s contest.
WAIALUA (HawaiiNewsNow) – The free mobile medical clinic serving North Shore residents is relocating.
Starting Monday, March 30, the free mobile clinic, operated in partnership with the University of Hawaii’s John A. Burns School of Medicine and its Hawaii H.O.M.E. Project, will begin operating at Waialua District Park.
The clinic will continue offering free medical assessments and treatment Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians from Honolulu Emergency Medical Services, along with a nurse from the Crisis Outreach Response and Engagement program, will work alongside doctors and medical students from the H.O.M.E. Project.
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Officials said the clinic has treated nearly 100 individuals for illnesses and injuries related to the recent Kona low storms.
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