No one can put up a tent in City parks on Oahu without a permit, under a law that went into effect last year.
But a City Council member is pushing for an exemption at Hanauma Bay.
Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi says the purpose isn’t to allow people to camp overnight at Hanauma Bay, but rather to allow people to put up a tent for shade during the day.
Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve gets about a million visitors every year.
"When I first saw this area, this is the first time at this point, it looks magical to me," said Niki Jarrett, visitor from Nevada.
It’s a place where people come to snorkel, and see the diverse marine life.
Last year, a bill was signed into law banning tents and shopping carts in City parks, as a way to move the homeless out.
Those who get cited face a fine of up to $500 or up to 30 days in jail.
The law applies to all City parks, including Hanauma Bay.
"Some people who frequent Hanauma Bay say they see people wanting to bring tents to protect their infants or children from the sun," said Honolulu City Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi.
That’s why she introduced a resolution to create a one-year pilot program allowing the use of tents at Hanauma Bay.
"I believe that would be a great idea. It would be really really nice to have a little shade so you can spend the day and it would be more comfortable for everybody," said Hugo Mugica, visitor from Illinois.
"A lot of the families at the moment like even ourselves, were scrambling trying to fit underneath the little trees. And people would probably stay and enjoy the park a lot longer if they had the little pop up tents," said Sonya Dryland, visitor from New Zealand.
But not everyone sees it that way.
"Right now you look down there and see the beautiful different colors of the greens, and the coral underneath there, and the palm trees in the sand. And just visually I would like to see it stay this way, and not be littered up with commercial items such as those tents," said Jarrett.
Kobayashi says it would be up to the Friends of Hanauma Bay to determine the size of the tents that would be allowed.
"I talked to people from the Friends of Hanauma Bay and they said oh that would be fine, that’s a good idea. But we thought we’d do a pilot project for like a year to see if this works," said Kobayashi.
The Parks Committee will take up the resolution during tomorrow’s meeting, starting at 10:30 in the morning.
If it passes out of committee, it would still need to be voted on by the full Council.
See the original article at: KHON2 Developing Stories
