HONAUNAU — More than 420,000 people visited Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park in 2016, according to the Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.
And from 2013-16, it was the second-most-visited island and cultural attraction — behind Hawaii Volcanoes National Park — on Hawaii Island.
But visitors to the South Kona site might be paying a little more at the gate depending on a proposal to increase entrance fees for vehicles, pedestrians and motorcycles.
The park’s proposal would raise fees at the site for vehicles, people and motorcycles to $15, $7 and $10, respectively.
Currently, the per vehicle, per-person and motorcycle rates are $5, $3 and $7.
The park is accepting feedback and comments through March 1. Comment cards are available from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily at the park visitor center and comments can also be submitted online through the online system, accessible at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/HawaiiFees.
A direct link to the proposal is available here. Those interested can submit comments by scrolling to the bottom and clicking “Comment now.”
It’s not the first time the park has considered increasing entrance fees in recent years.
Toward the end of 2014, the park sought input on proposed fee increases that would have made entrance to the park even costlier than the current proposal.
According to a notice published in West Hawaii Today in October 2014, that proposal would have raised the per vehicle fee to $20, the walk-in fee to $10 and the motorcycle fee to $15.
Following the comment period, Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park received a waiver and refrained from increasing its fees, leaving them at the same level they were as when first implemented in 2004.
A release from the park outlining the new proposal says the newly proposed increases “represent the smallest fee increase possible under the current National Park Service pricing model.”
The new proposal would also make available a $30 annual pass to just Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park and would also increase the cost of the Tri-Park Pass, which also includes Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and Haleakala National Park, from $30 to $50.
But some visitors said even raising the per vehicle entrance fee to $15 is too much for what the park offers.
Marina Nickel and Claudius Huppert, visiting from Germany, said they felt the $5 admission fee per vehicle “is absolutely fair.”
“Because it’s not too big, the area,” Nickel said, saying $5 makes sense with the map and self-guided tour.
Huppert said the reason they came to the park was because they had read about it in a guidebook and figured if it wasn’t too expensive, they would stop in.
But if it would have cost more than $10 for the two of them, they said, they wouldn’t have come.
Still others said they don’t mind paying more if it helps the park.
Nathan Willkie and his mother Veronica, both of Oahu, said they wouldn’t mind the fee increases if it helps improve the park.
“As long as it’s well spent, I think it’s fine,” said Nathan Willkie.
Thursday’s visit was Nathan Willkie’s third to the park. He said he loves the park and the history behind the location.
A former teacher, Veronica Willkie said she often accompanied groups of fourth-graders to the park as part of their visit to Hawaii Island. She said the site is a great resource and its significance as a place of refuge has important lessons to offer.
“Even though you mess up — because we all mess up in life — there’s a place you can go where you make amends for that, and this was a place to do that,” she said. “And you can be reintegrated into society. It’s important for kids to know that if you make a mistake, it’s not the end.”
And just where is all this money going and can it be proven?
It’s going to increase the wages of their relatives and buddies working there.
In this day and age that sounds plausible. Who paid for that patk in it’s beginning?
Harry Kim is getting a big smile and a bigger grin.
You understand that this article is about an entry fee for a National Park?
Another chance to look at the Big Picture from the Big Island. Consider the concept of you, an individual on this island, paying for the entry fee of a user of a National Park on Oahu or any Park across the nation. This is essentially what happens when in lieu of paying an increased entry fee here to support and maintain your island parks, the park system will request an increase in the country wide budget. Yes, paid for by you and our neighbors in form of a tax increase. Your tax monies is not earmarked to go to Big Island parks or even parks in the state. It goes to the support and maintenance of all parks across the country. Keep your money here and pay the increased entry fee but ask for oversight on how it is used .
The big picture is that only the government can confiscate a free natural resource, use tax money to fence it off and maintain it, then charge fees to use it and say they need more money.
The Grand Canyon used to be free, then it was $5 now, its $25 and they are trying to raise it to $75. Stop the madness these are our resources that they are extorting us to use.
Thank you for explaining the big picture in simple terms that even the simpletons can understand – assuming they still have 2 working cells after a lifetime of indoctrination.
They keep jacking the prices up on everything, No end to it.
Thankfully my younger brother shamed me into getting a “Senior Pass” that may work at this park. .Never asked for a “senior” anything before, so it felt weird.
NO increase…enough visitors pay the fee as it is…start using the money wisely instead of it going to the capital (maybe)..this constant increase crap has to stop..sadly it wont….
I am fine with the increase. It’s worth it. The (federal) rangers are very professional unlike in state run parks. But open the lava tube again or make the cliff side near it accessible with a foot path. It’s spectacular with it’s overhanging lava curtains and caves. The caves are all gated so need to worry about the burials in there.