The Neighbor islands in the Hawaiian Island chain have long been known for a more rural lifestyle than Oahu, (the most populated island). The controversy over the Hawaii Superferry has brought up some very uneasy feelings among Neighbor island residents. Some say the Hawaiian Islands are at a tipping point and that the root is far bigger than the Hawaii. Some people call the Superferry H-4 a new kind of freeway linking the islands. Recently when the ferry tried to enter Nawiliwili harbor on Kauai, over one thousand protesters came to stop it. There were lawyers, doctors, real estate agents, union agents, construction workers, activists, retirees, students, pharmacists, college professors, tourist industry workers, government workers and contractors at the harbor and in the water on surfboards, kayaks and canoes, to stop this massive boat. You may ask, why all the fuss?
Maybe the fact that cruise ships and direct flights from the mainland come straight in to the neighbor islands now, bringing crowds of tourists to places that local folks aren't used to having them.
Maybe it's the fact that all the neighbor islands real estate has been booming for a number of years and the prices are unrealistic for the regular working folks, or the fact that the property taxes have surged because of this.
Or it could be the traffic that our neighbor islands residents are not accustomed to, with the infrastructure always two steps behind in these areas that have grown so quickly, like Kihei, Lahaina, and Haiku on Maui, and Kailua on the Big Island.
Or possibly because some of the schools are overcrowded now.
Mabey some are standing up and opposing the Superferry because they feel that this is the straw that will break the camels back with automobiles driving off and on the ferry on each island, possibly bringing mud and dirt with invasive species eggs, larvae, and seeds.
Or maybe neighbor island residents are concerned that their natural resources will be plundered, including hunting on the Aina and in the water and taking stone and cinder that are no longer available on Oahu. A good example of this being that on one of the first voyages 3 trucks came to Maui from Oahu, they were all filled with ocean rock from Maui's beaches and brought back to the Kahului harbor for the trip back to Oahu. Luckily that voyage home was canceled and the rock was returned to the Valley Isle beaches where it belongs.
It could be any or all these things that have brought us to this "tipping point". I do know having lived on Maui for 25 years, that I have never seen so many residents on the neighbor islands feeling uneasy, I've never seen such a split in the communities as I do right now.
Here are a couple of articles about the Hawaii Superferry: http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070827/NEWS09/708270351 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20837793/
Comments(1)