Years-long closure of Waikiki bathroom ‘disappointing’ to many, some demand answers

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – For Waikiki regular Ken Burig, the years-long closure of the bathroom at his favorite spot, feet away from iconic Prince Kuhio statue, has been especially troublesome.

“It’s very disappointing, cause it’s been like that for a long time and it’s very inconvenient for myself because I’m handicapped,” Burig, who gets around using an electric chair, said.

For the past four years, the city has blamed the bathroom’s closure on vandals who flushed clothes down the toilets, as well as mechanical and electric issues with a pump, requiring more than $40,000 for repairs.

The two nearest public restrooms are about a quarter mile away in both directions along Kalakaua Ave, an estimate five minute walk to reach either.

Visitor Ayah Muhsen agreed with Burig that the lack of a loo in the heavily-visited stretch of beach is “very inconvenient.”

Nicole Ancheta, another beach regular, added, “Dozens of people have put in complaints over the past year, since last August, September, not just me.”

Ancheta is adamant about getting the restroom reopened, reaching out to the city herself.

“Still waiting, they don’t have answers. I went to the board meeting in February. I get a note in February that it’ll be open in March, and it’s still closed, and still no answers. I emailed them last week,” Ancheta said.

A city spokesperson sent HNN the following response it provided to Ancheta:

“The maintenance contractor (Alakai) for the ʻŌhua Avenue comfort station at Kūhiō Beach Park is scheduled to work on the bathrooms this Friday, February 27, 2026 and we hope to have the bathrooms reopened soon. We further hope that these repairs last, and the bathroom can be utilized by you, your ‘ohana, and the public for longer than just a few days.

I know you are familiar with the problematic history of this particular bathroom building, but I did want to provide some context so we can all be on the same page. This bathroom is below ground,, so it requires its own tank, grinder, and two pumps to direct the sewage to the municipal lines. The extended closures have indeed been numerous, lengthy, and can certainly give the impression of continuous closure; making this facility one of our most challenging bathrooms we oversee. That’s primarily because the closures have resulted from vandalism of people flushing clothing down the toilets or mechanical/electric issues with the bathroom’s pump. Repairs to the pump and electric issues have experienced delays because the parts are under warranty, and we have been working to have them replaced or repaired under that warranty, saving taxpayer dollars.

We are determining our next course of action with this problematic facility, as we have already spent over $40,000 in repairs to this one bathroom coming on four years. Realistically,Head side a larger Capital Improvement Project will likely be needed if these current repairs don’t last.

Fortunately, there are public bathroom facilities within decent proximity to this one; near HPD’s Waikīkī Substation (0.3 miles away) and on the Diamond Head side of Kapahulu Avenue (0.2 miles away) just past the beach volleyball courts. I understand it can be difficult to walk that distance when you have kids or kupuna to take into account, but there are other nearby options.”

The spokesperson also pointed out that because there is no public parking for the stretch of beach, some walking is involved to get there as well.

One of the closest parking areas is on Kapahulu Ave, which is near a public comfort station.

We are still waiting for updates from the city.

However, another city spokesperson explained that the city is also a victim of the vandalism to the facility, not just those who need to use it.

Money and resources meant for normal maintenance that are not budgeted for improvements, the official added, get derailed to fix damages, impacting repairs in other places.

But two months ago, Hilton Grand Vacations donated $1 million to improve the area, which the Waikiki Business Improvement District hopes will help deter vandals.

“We really believe if things look nice, if you clean up dead grass, if you get rid of graffiti, if you repair that broken window, then crime will reduce, and things will get better,”

You can report vandalism to city facilities here.