Waipio is the heart of the Big Island. I’ve driven and walked the road many times. The dangers are being exaggerated. The closure was a major but correctable mistake. All residents of the island should be able to visit. Tourist traffic can be restricted to appropriate tour vehicles. Meanwhile, a long-overdue plan to improve the road can be developed.

I have surfed for nearly sixty years. If there were a true emergency, I could accept losing this important part of my life, but the report that the closure is based on does not outline an emergency. I have to think that the Mayor did not read the risk assessment in that report but relied on others to interpret it for him. Visitor traffic has become too heavy in recent years and should be regulated.

My earliest memories are rooted in the black sands of Waipio. Over 40 years now, & my youth was spent in the healing waters of the valley. Feeding wild horses, chasing prawns, bathing in waterfalls, hiking to Waimanu, and surfing in the steel-blue waters; Waipio has always been a constructive outlet for me, and now for my Keiki as well. It is a sacred and treasured place for me and my Ohana, and it is our mission always to leave it in better condition than when we arrive from beach cleanups, and tourist etiquette education, to rides up and for residents, we always strive to do our part.