County’s Honuʻapo Lands in Kaʻū to Reopen

Because the area is cooling and new safety measures put in place, Hawaiʻi County will reopen some of its public lands in Kaʻū that have been closed since October.

According to a county news release, the Department of Parks and Recreation announced that all public lands north of the estuary at Honuʻapo in Kaʻū will reopen Thursday, Feb. 24.

The public lands were closed Oct. 7, 2021, to protect the public from ongoing bagasse fires throughout the area.

“We understand the importance of this place for our Kaʻū community and have worked diligently to make the area safe to reopen to the public,” said Mayor Mitch Roth in the press release. “As we welcome back the community to a favorite fishing and lounging spot, we would like to extend a huge thanks to our Public Work’s Highways crew and our firefighters for their work over the past few months. Reopening wouldn’t be possible without them.”

Hawai‘i Fire Department reports that the area has significantly cooled, and the county Department of Public Works completed a fencing project that will maintain a safe perimeter around the affected areas.

For more information, call Assistant Fire Chief Darwin Okinaka at 932-2906.