HILO — They sat empty for about three years, but initial registration numbers indicate the Queen Lili‘uokalani Trust’s two newly reopened Keahuolu Camping Program sites should be busy for awhile.
Trust officials said Wednesday the scenic camping sites have been booked every weekend since opening May 1, and more than 550 people have enrolled into the program’s registration system since its mid-April launch.
“Everyone really loved these sites,” said Mana Purdy, natural resource manager for the trust. “It’s a special place, and I think people are just really excited. They haven’t had the opportunity to come back for awhile. It’s good to see the families back.”
For decades, the program offered a family-oriented camping experience at the two grounds, both situated between Kailua-Kona and Honokohau Harbor along the Keahuolu shoreline, on land set aside to benefit Native Hawaiian children.
To be eligible, a family must have a child 17 or younger and have an electronic copy of their birth certificate to show proof of Hawaiian ethnicity.
In early 2013, the sites closed. Officials told the Tribune-Herald the closure allowed time to make campground improvements, study water quality and species monitoring, among other things, get the shoreline certified, and give the land a break from extensive use.
“It was to give some time for the resources to rest and replenish,” Purdy said.
Early this year, the trust announced plans to reopen and has since been flooded with reservations. Purdy said the month of June is already getting packed — campers can book as little as two days out, or up to a month in advance.
The trust has uploaded a series of “camper orientation videos” to its website explaining camping rules and the cultural significance of the land, among other things. It plans to keep the program open into the unforeseeable future, Purdy said.
The first campground — Halepa‘o — is “a sandy beach surrounded by a grove of milo trees with a swimming area and tide pools,” according to the website. It features five campsites.
The second — Hi‘iakanoholae — is also a sandy beach with “tide pools, blowholes and deep ocean waters,” the website says. It offers three campsites.
Each site features a 10-person capacity which is contingent on a group’s camper-to-guest ratio. For example, an ohana with one registered camper can bring up to four guests; one with three campers can bring up to seven.
Groups can camp Thursday to Monday. Stays are capped at three nights and four days per reservation. For more information call 238-3120.
The registration form can be found online at http://campingform.wufoo.com/forms/zgduy9j0hajlh4/.