Haiku Stairs: Stairway to Heaven
The Haiku Stairs were built in 1942 on the island of O’ahu, Hawaii, and it had a top secret purpose. It was built to be a pathway to the top of the mountain where the U.S. Navy was building the Haiku Radio Station. The wooden stairs had 3922 steps and public access was forbidden because the station was a top secret facility. The station was going to be used to transmit signals to Navy ships operating throughout the Pacific. Due to the height of the mountain and the amphitheater shape of the valley, the place was perfect to install the radio’s antennae.
In the mid-1950s, the Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay was transferred to the Marine Corps and the U.S. Coast Guard started to use the Haiku Radio Station for the Omega navigation system, the first global-range radio navigation system operated by the United States in cooperation with Argentina, Norway, Liberia, France, Japan and Australia.
Also, in the mid-1950s, the wooden stairs were replaced by sections of metal steps and ramps.
No trespassing
The stairs were prohibited from access to the public due to the strategic importance of the radio station. In the 1970s, the Coast Guard allowed access but closed it in 1987 after it appeared on a episode of Magnum P.I. and visitation increased a lot.
But this didn’t stop people from trespassing. Nearby residents have always experienced trespassing from people on their way to reach the stairs, as there’s no public access available.
In 2003 the stairs were repaired with plans to be reopened to the public but it never happened. Hikers kept ignoring the “no trespassing” signs and continued to climb the stairs. One of the reasons given for not reopening them to the public is liability concerns.
In 2021, after consideration of the significant liability and maintenance costs along with the impacts to the quality of life of the nearby residents, the city council approved the removal of the stairs. The mayor said that the location is not appropriated for a high-use tourist attraction because its entrance is in a residential neighborhood where there isn’t room for parking and the necessaries facilities.
Friends of the Haiku Stairs
Friends of the Haʻikū Stairs is a group of volunteers that gathered to protect the stairs against its removal. As the stairs are a historic World War II monument eligible for the National Historic Register, they want to keep it preserved. They filed a lawsuit in August 2023 against the City & County of Honolulu in order to block the demolition. If you want to know more about their effort, visit their webpage: https://www.haikustairs.org/
Bibliography
- Friends of the Haiku Stairs – https://www.haikustairs.org/
- Stairway To Heaven No Hawaii (Haiku Stairs) – Portofino Turismo – https://www.portofinoturismo.com.br/blog/stairway-to-heaven-no-hawaii-haiku-stairs/
- Haiku Stairs – Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haiku_Stairs#
- Omega (navigation system) – Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega_(navigation_system)