Kauai News & Information

LIHUE » The Kauai County Police Commission plans to ask the county for about $50,000 to hire a consultant that will help it find a new police chief.
The process would be similar to the steps Honolulu went through to select its current police chief, said Deputy County Attorney Galen Nakamura. The County Attorney’s office suggested hiring a consultant.
Nakamura told the commission that it would take about 30 days to choose a consultant, then about four months to find a new police chief.
Councilman Mel Rapozo said he supports the idea, adding $50,000 was not expensive if it enabled the county to select a police chief in a fair and impartial way.
The island’s last police chief, K.C. Lum, resigned last month after a tumultuous tenure.
Lum has vowed to run for office on Kauai but hasn’t said what race he’ll enter.

HONOLULU – Hawaii’s cities have the highest percentage of fuel efficient vehicles in the nation, according to a study released Thursday.
Motorists in Kapaa on the island of Kauai were more likely to drive fuel-efficient cars than anywhere else in the United States, according to MapInfo Corp.
The Kahului-Wailuku area on Maui was No. 2, followed by Hilo and Honolulu.
MapInfo said with the nation’s highest gas prices in Hawaii, it’s no surprise that the top four cities were in the Aloha State.
Hawaii drivers paid an average of $3.37 for a gallon of regular unleaded Thursday, about 12 cents higher than the next state, California, and 22 cents higher than the national average, according to AAA’s Fuel Gauge Report.
Despite the high cost of gas, island motorists spent a lower share of their income on fuel compared to other cities.
Motorists in Brookhaven, Miss. led in the nation in that category, spending an average of 7.4 percent of their household income of $46,621 on gasoline. No city in Hawaii made the top ten list.
MapInfo’s research was based on statistics supplied by R.L. Polk & Co.
The report also ranked Gillette, Wyo. as the city with the highest percentage of gas-guzzling vehicles.
Motorists in Gillette were twice as likely to own sport utility vehicles, trucks and sports cars than anywhere else in the country.
Marshall, Minn. was second, followed by Snyder, Texas and Rock Springs, Wyo.
“With surging gasoline prices continuing to be a topical issue, we thought it would be interesting to conduct research on which parts of the country are being most impacted,” said Sebastien Rancourt of MapInfo.
MapInfo makes software enabling companies to use geographical data in their analyses and forecasts.

LIHUE » The state has ordered tour helicopters to stop landing in Kauai’s Moloaa Forest Reserve because the forays into the pristine area could harm the ecosystem.

The Department of Land and Natural Resources sent 15 helicopter tour operators a letter last week reminding them that illegal landings could draw fines of $2,000 a day.

In early May the state inspected an area near a waterfall and pool of water in the reserve and found a helicopter landing site with two adjacent structures.

Peter Young, the DLNR’s director, said the landing pad consisted of a simple, cleared area, and the structures provided shade.

Young said the state was not sure who was landing at the spot, so it sent a reminder to all helicopter tour companies.

“In order to do things like this, you need to get a permit,” Young said. “In some cases a permit is not even available.”

Local helicopter operators said they have been following the rules.

“We’ve been with the understanding that DLNR wasn’t allowing us to have site landings like that,” said Chuck Dipiazza, owner of Air Kauai, which operates two helicopters out of the Lihue airport.

At least one tour operator, Inter-Island Helicopters, advertises trips to an unspecified waterfall.

The company’s Web site states, “We also provide a special Waterfall Adventure tour that will land at a remote waterfall for a cool dip in its freshwater pool. No one else on Kauai offers that!”

Company officials did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

The DLNR plans to continue monitoring the Moloaa landing site, Young said.

A violation would be reviewed by the Board of Land and Natural Resources, which Young chairs, before any fine would be imposed.

Kauai was named the number one island in Hawaii by readers of Travel+Leisure magazine in the publication’s 2006 World’s Best Awards.
“Because this honor is voted on by travelers, being named ‘Hawaii’s Best Island’ is a wonderful reflection on Kauai’s communities and people,” said Kauai Mayor Bryan Baptiste.
Respondents judged the islands on five characteristics: natural attractions, activities/sights, restaurants/food, people, and value.
“Travelers are always struck by our abundance of physical beauty and I think it showed in this year’s survey,” said Kelly Hoen, general manager of Princeville Resort and chairwoman of the Kauai Visitors Bureau.
Kauai ranked second on the overall listing of the World’s Best Islands, after Bali. The full list:
Bali.
Kauai.
Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia.
Maui.
Mount Desert Island (Acadia National Park), Maine.
Tasmania.
The Big Island of Hawaii.
Galapagos Islands.
Santorini, Greece.
Phuket, Thailand.
The awards will be given out in New York in one week. The complete listing appears in the August issue of Travel+Leisure.

HONOLULU The Navy said it will use active sonar during warfare exercises off Hawaii as early as this weekend, after reaching an agreement with environmentalists who claimed it poses a threat to whales and other sea life.

The settlement reached Friday prevents the Navy from using the sonar within 25 miles of the newly established Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument during its Rim of the Pacific 2006 exercises. It also imposes a variety of methods to watch for and report the presence of marine mammals.

Navy officials have said the value of training to detect stealthy submarines would have been severely diminished without the sonar, which bounces sound off objects in the ocean.

“We want to ensure that the U.S. Navy and its partner navies get the benefit of this opportunity to train in anti-submarine warfare,” said Rear Adm. James Symonds, director of environmental readiness.

The Navy hadn’t been allowed to activate the sonar under a temporary restraining order issued Monday by U.S. District Court Judge Florence-Marie Cooper in Los Angeles. She lifted the order after the settlement was reached between the environmentalists, the Navy and several federal agencies.

Environmentalists claim whales have stranded themselves on beaches after being exposed to high-intensity mid-frequency sonar. In some cases, whales bled around the brain and in the ears. The sonar is also claimed to interfere with the ability of marine mammals to navigate, hunt, take care of their offspring and avoid predators.

“Military readiness does not require, and our laws do not allow, our natural resources to be sacrificed in the name of national defense,” said Joel Reynolds, a Natural Resources Defense Council attorney.

The Navy suspended the use of sonar in similar exercises off Hawaii two years ago, after more than 150 whales gathered close to shore in Kauai’s Hanalei Bay and one calf died. The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration had asked the Navy to adjust how it uses sonar in this year’s drill.

Among other things, the Navy agreed to use electronic, airborne monitoring for marine mammals and to post marine mammal lookouts on all surface ships operating the sonar. The sonar will only be used during anti-submarine warfare exercises, except as required for maintenance and equipment checks.

The gathering of more than 40 ships, some 19,000 troops, 160 aircraft and six submarines runs through July 28. Ships from Australia, Canada, Chile, Peru, Japan, South Korea and Britain are joining the United States for the war games.

Hawaii Information Service reports the median price of $599,000 in June compares to $697,000 a year earlier. There were 41 sales, compared to 70 in June 2005.
Of those 41 homes that went to closing, 10 were in the Kapaa area (Kawaihau district) and 10 in the Lihue area. Lihue prices actually rose 21 percent from last year.
There were only eight sales in Hanalei compared to 18 a year ago, and Koloa district sales fell to nine from 12 a year earlier. Koloa prices fell only 7 percent and Hanalei prices actually rose 44 percent.
The condo median fell about 6 percent, to $424,000, from $450,000 a year ago, with 62 sales compared to 74 a year ago.
Of those 62 sales, 49 were in the Lihue area for a median price within that district of $395,000, up 18 percent from a year ago.
In Hanalei, where there were just eight condo closings compared to 18 a year ago, the median price rose 24 percent to $665,000.

Who is to blame for the dam break that killed seven on Kauai? Tonight it’s up to one man to decide.
The state announced it selected Robert Carson Godbey as the special investigator into the disaster. Godbey was one of two nominees who live in Hawaii.
Godbey worked as an engineer for years before graduating from Harvard Law School. He spent seven years with the U.S. Department of Justice.
He is on the mainland for one week, but will begin his new role when he returns to Hawaii.

A lovely strand of liquid jade, the Wailua River flows 20 miles from lush Mount Waialeale to its mouth near Lydgate State Park on Kauai’s east coast. The three miles of the river that are navigable border one of the most sacred areas in Hawaii.
Wailua means “spirit, ghost.” Legend says the spirits of those who recently died would travel up the river and make their way to the cliffs of Haeleele, which stand guard over Polihale Beach on the island’s west side. There, at a portal between the mortal and spirit worlds, they would leap into the next life.
The remnants of seven heiau (ancient temples) can be found between the mouth of the river and the summit of 5,080-foot Waialeale. Dating back to the 14th century, Holoholoku is the oldest heiau extant on Kauai.
Near Holoholoku, at the sacred stones called Pohakuhoohanau, royal women from throughout the islands came to give birth.
Further up Kuamoo Road (Route 580), which hugs the northern banks of the Wailua River, are the remains of Poliahu Heiau, which supposedly was built in one night by the industrious menehune. It is said Kauai’s last king, Kaumualii, presided over rituals here relating to war.
From Poliahu a short path leads to the famed Bell Stone, which was struck with a large rock to announce the birth of every new chief. So loud and distinctive was the sound, it could be heard by villagers living miles away.
These are among the treasures of what is now 1,093-acre Wailua River State Park, the magnificent backdrop for Kayak Kauai’s Secret Falls Paddling and Hiking Adventure.
This five-hour family-friendly excursion was launched a few years after Micco Godinez and his brother, Chino, founded Kayak Kauai in 1984. Initially, the company focused on open-ocean kayaking trips along the Na Pali Coast.
“I like to say Na Pali and its offshore waters inspired the business, but it is the more gentle rivers of Kauai that keep our heads above water,” Godinez says. “We soon realized that Na Pali was a seasonal endeavor that appealed to a small segment of the travel market. We needed an alternative that could be offered year-round and that was well within the capabilities of most people, including kids.”
Godinez notes participants on the Secret Falls Paddling and Hiking Adventure have the “carrot” of a waterfall to look forward to.
“That makes it the perfect ‘soft adventure’ for the average family,” he says. “No one gets really tired.”
Kayak Kauai’s Secret Falls Paddling and Hiking Adventure is a family-friendly tour that flows at a leisurely pace and leads to a waterfall reward.
THE TOUR STARTS with 45 minutes (2.5 miles) of paddling from Smith’s Boat Marina on the southern side of the Wailua River.
Never kayaked before? Not a problem. Kayak Kauai’s double kayaks are equipped with foot-controlled rudders that facilitate steering.
“If people can walk and chew gum at the same time, they can operate the foot pedals,” Godinez asserts. “They are connected to a rudder at the stern. When kayakers step on the right foot pedal, the vessel turns to the right; when they press the left foot pedal, it turns left. That allows folks to concentrate on producing even, consistent strokes. When you break the rhythm of your strokes because you’re having trouble steering, that can quickly tire you out.”
The Wailua River, Hawaii’s largest navigable river, is rated Class I: “Fast-moving water with riffles and small waves; few obstructions, all obvious and easily missed with little training. Risk to swimmers is slight; self-rescue is easy.”
Unlike most rivers, however, it is easier to paddle upstream than it is to go downstream. “That’s because the tradewinds generally blow inland, toward Waialeale,” Godinez explains. “The trades push kayakers up against the gentle current.”
He asserts age is not an issue with kayaking.
“We’ve had grandparents who’ve done better or just as well as the young ones, and they often prove to be ‘poetry in motion,’” he says.
When the river forks, you’ll cruise right (north) for about five minutes beneath a canopy of trees until you reach a landing that marks the trail head to Uluwehi or Secret Falls. The 45-minute hike to the waterfall takes you through a natural greenhouse that’s full of ti, ginger, mango, Java plum, kukui, hau and “some of the biggest albizia trees I’ve seen on Kauai,” says Godinez. Known as “herbal Prozac,” the bark and flowers of the albizia are used in concoctions that purportedly alleviate anxiety, stress and depression.
Rock walls and terraces partially hidden in the dense foliage serve as reminders that you’re walking in the footsteps of the ancients. The unhurried pace of the 1-mile trek allows you to savor the peace and beauty of the site, your playground for the next hour.
BEFORE OR AFTER lunch, immerse yourself in the cool stream fed by 120-foot Secret Falls. Godinez doesn’t recommend swimming in the pool beneath the waterfall, which is surrounded by rocks and debris.
“I have been there when rocks are falling, and it can be scary,” he says. “The sound echoes from everywhere, and unless you actually see the rocks falling, you don’t know where they’re coming from or whether you’ll wind up being the bull’s-eye.”
After the break, you’ll hike back to the landing for the return trip on the river. This time, you’ll be kayaking downstream, into the tradewinds, so you’ll get a bit more of a workout.
Although Godinez has done the Secret Falls tour “countless” times, it never fails to rejuvenate him.
“There’s always a lot of kayakers on the Wailua River, but it’s big enough for everyone,” he says. “I love the quietness of the river.”
And Godinez has found soul-searching is best done in a kayak.
“It’s a great place to meditate,” he says. “You may not solve all the problems in the world, but if you’re looking to find yourself, a kayak will take you there.”

YOU’VE come a long way, baby.” That’s how Virginia Slims, the cigarette slim enough for a small purse, was marketed to females — pregnant and otherwise — a generation ago.
Well, we have come a long way as a society in recognizing how deadly cigarettes are. On Nov. 16, Hawaii will join 13 other states in implementing a single statewide comprehensive smoking ban that will affect virtually all public places, restaurants, bars and work places.
And it’s about time. Twenty years ago, the U.S. surgeon general determined that secondhand smoke can cause lung cancer in nonsmokers. The latest report by the surgeon general, issued in June, found that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke and that the only way of fully protecting nonsmokers from secondhand smoke is to eliminate indoor smoking. Separating smokers from nonsmokers and improved ventilation cannot eliminate risks to nonsmokers.
The American Lung Association of Hawaii applauds Gov. Linda Lingle’s decision not to veto Hawaii’s comprehensive anti-smoking legislation and hopes she eventually signs it rather than simply allowing it to become law without her signature. There should be no ambiguity about the correctness of this comprehensive pro-health measure.
Nationwide, secondhand smoke causes an estimated 150,000 to 300,000 lower respiratory tract infections in infants and children less than 18 months old, and an estimated 200,000 to 1 million each year have their asthma symptoms worsened by secondhand smoke.
But even as Hawaii prepares to join other states in prohibiting tobacco smoke in restaurants, bars and other public places, a new threat is emerging that shows we still have a long way to go in protecting our children from tobacco. The new threat is flavored cigarettes marketed to youngsters.
Reynolds Tobacco’s marketing campaign for flavored cigarettes is aimed at teens and young adults. “Kauai Kolada” was one of the new flavors that rightly attracted condemnation by Lingle and others when it first hit the market. “Kauai Kolada” is no longer sold, but Reynolds still sells five Camel Exotic blend flavors — Dark Mint, Mandarin Mint, Twist, Izmir Stinger and Crema.
As former U.S. Secretaries of Health, Education and Welfare Joseph A. Califano Jr. and Louis W. Sullivan recently noted, Reynolds now has turned to alcohol-flavored cigarettes with cool names based on gambling terms — ScrewDriver Slots, BlackJack Gin, Snake Eyes Scotch, and Back Alley Blend, a bourbon-flavored cigarette.
The two former secretaries call marketing candy-flavored cigarettes “child abuse,” and the American Lung Association of Hawaii agrees. Ninety percent of adult smokers become addicted to cigarettes when they’re kids, and the younger a child is when he begins to smoke, the more likely it is that he will be a smoker as an adult.
The pro-health, anti-tobacco coalition in Hawaii can be proud of the public smoking ban that will take effect this year, but the fight against candy- and alcohol-flavored cigarettes is just beginning. We hope that fight extends into the 2007 session of the state Legislature and results in innovative ways to address the latest insidious efforts of the tobacco industry to hurt our kids.

Some owners face a ban on building additional homes

LIHUE » Owners of small agricultural and open-zoned plots on Kauai have until Dec. 31 if they want to build additional homes on their land. But many are confused about the rules.
While additional dwelling units are permitted in perpetuity statewide on residential lands, Kauai’s ordinance will allow additional homes on nonresidential land only until the end of the year.
Kilauea resident Jeff Goodman said he bought his property — which qualifies for a home and an additional dwelling unit — so each of his sons could have a plot for a home. Now he worries that time may be running out.
“I’ve been very diligent. What free time I have, I’ve spent on this project, and I feel like it’s escaping me,” he said.
Some landowners are confused as to what qualifies them to protect their right to the additional home by the deadline, whether obtaining a zoning permit is enough or whether one needs to have construction already started or even completed.
“There seems to be no clear administrative rules to outline the process which will determine whether or not a landowner has ‘vested’ a right to build an (additional dwelling unit) on a qualified lot,” according to a letter to the County Council from the Kauai Board of Realtors, which prefers an extension of between five to 10 years.
While the Council also has proposed a 10-year extension on the measure, the proposal hasn’t earned strong support.
“We’re having a lot of problems with infrastructure right now. I think people have had ample notice when this is going to be ending,” said Shaylene Iseri-Carvalho, a council member.
About 400 agricultural and open lots have received zoning permits for the additional homes since 1989.
An additional 500 to 700 parcels could still qualify for them, said Rick Shaw, president of Kauai Board of Realtors.
In some cases, owners are holding onto the plots to build housing for their children or to divide the parcels off as separate building lots.
But if the buyers of the separate lots don’t meet the deadline, they could face the possibility of never being able to build any home on their lot.
“Realtors may not have been fully informing people,” Iseri-Carvalho said.
Shaw said landowners may not have kept track of the timing and the deadlines may not have been fully discussed with buyers when those deadlines were a long way off.
The Kauai Planning Commission is scheduled to hold a public hearing next Tuesday on the issue of extending the deadline.
After the hearing, the commission will make its recommendation to the Council.