‘Do not go beyond this point’

Say it’s a Saturday. You and a group of friends grab some spicy ʻahi poke, garlic edamame, a few other snacks, maybe a couple of drinks — or any kine grinds you like — and throw em in the backpack to hang on a sunny afternoon at the Boiling Pots section of Wailuku River State Park in Hilo.

Once you get there, it’s automatic. The party makes its way from the parking lot along the same trail you’ve hiked a thousand times or more to find the perfect riverside chill spot to sunbathe, spread out and be able to get into the waters of the Wailuku River.

There’s something different about this trip though; a small change based on its size, but one that could have an enormous impact.

Glaring back at you from the side of the trail is a new sign listing nearly 30 dates of when people died near the same place you’re standing and the words “Do not go beyond this point,” stark reminders of the countless stories you’ve heard before about the dangers of the Wailuku River and what can happen when you ignore or disrespect them.

After seeing the sign, do you keep going — ignoring its message like you have time and time before, risking harm or worse — or do you heed the warning and turn around?

Hawai‘i County Councilwoman Jenn Kagiwada of Hilo is hosting a town hall meeting at 5 p.m. Nov. 25 online via Zoom to share and discuss new signage she hopes will encourage more safety among those who use the Boiling Pots and Rainbow Falls sections of the state park located along the Wailuku River on the north side of the East Hawai‘i community.

The new signage also is aimed at discouraging people from entering the river’s often turbulent and dangerous waters.

Modeled after signage installed in 2022 at the popular ‘Olomana trail on the windward side of O‘ahu, where 6 hikers fell to their deaths throughout the past 13 years, the new posts at the Hilo park would list the dates of when people died in the area and warn visitors to not proceed.

The ‘Olomana trail sign was posted just 2 years ago and there has been only one fall since. No no one else has died.

Rainbow Falls and Boiling Pots are popular attractions along the Wailuku River, the longest river in Hawai‘i County and the state’s largest river by volume.

They are separate sections of Wailuku River State Park. Each welcomes thousands of residents and island visitors annually.

The 2007 Hawai‘i State Parks Survey prepared by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority, the latest figures found in a quick Google search, showed 211,200 visited the park that year, with 157,900 counted at Rainbow Falls and 53,300 checking out Boiling Pots.

Boiling Pots is a succession of large pools connected by underground flow or cascades, where waters roll and bubble as if they’re boiling. The exposed hexagonal columns that line the pools were formed by the slow cooling of basalt lava.

Rainbow Falls is renowned for the rainbow that often appears when sunlight refracts through the mist created as the river’s waters cascade 80 feet down the falls.

They share the Wailuku River, but the two areas also have a more grizzly link — both have kill counts.

Statistics provided by Kagiwada revealed 27 people have died during the past 29 years after entering the Wailuku’s “waters of destruction,” as its name means in Hawaiian, flowing through the parks — some of their bodies never to be found.

The river doesn’t discriminate. Its victims — almost evenly locals and visitors — came from a wide variety of backgrounds. Some were strong swimmers. Others were elite athletes. Lifeguards have also succumb to the river.

The youngest was 14 years old and the oldest in his 80s.

The most recent was 42-year-old Stanley Walker II of Pensacola, Fla., who went missing the afternoon of Sept. 17 in the waters of the Wailuku River.

Witnesses reported an unidentified man — later identified as Walker — entering the water at Boiling Pots and immediately being pulled under the rapids. They lost sight of him and he never resurfaced.

His lifeless body was later found about 30 feet underwater in one of the pools and extricated by Hawai‘i Fire Department rescue personnel.

“The hope in creating this new signage is to encourage those who visit these scenic areas to be mindful of the dangers that exist and honor the memories of those who have died by not entering the water,” said Kagiwada.

The signs are under development and would be installed by the Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of State Parks.

Register for the Zoom meeting here. Call Kagiwada’s office at 808-961-8272 with questions.