Fee for tourists, free for locals. Another Maui hotspot eyes tourism controls

HAIKU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Another hotspot for visitors on Maui’s North Shore is once again being overwhelmed.

Twin Falls property owners in Haiku are now on the search for solutions to accommodate the growing crowds.

The property owners recently started limiting the number of cars parked in their parking lot because of an influx in visitors.

“Prior to doing what we’re doing right now with the 43 cars, we would average anywhere upwards of over 1,000 to maybe 1,600 a day at Twin Falls,” said Ainahau Harold.

Harold’s family is one of the three property owners of the lush valley with a string of waterfalls.

They’ve had to put up cones, no-parking signs and have workers stand along Hana Highway directing traffic.

“I wish this was a bigger parking lot,” said California visitor Greg Buhagiar. “We’re here for a family vacation, there’s 30 of us … took about a half an hour to get in here.”

Not everyone has welcomed the changes.

“We get called a lot of different names here,” Harold said. “We’ve been cussed at, we’ve had people that even though we’re trying to control them and tell them the parking lot is closed, they’re still going to turn their vehicle at you.”

Harold said their goal is to expand the parking lot in August to allow 55 visitor vehicles. There is additional parking in a separate area for locals. Also starting in August, visitors will have to pay a $15 fee. Locals will remain free.

“I’m all for it, it’s well worth it to me,” Buhagiar said.

Harold said they are trying to get the crowd back to a “more manageable number.”

“Where we’re not impacting the community, yet we’re still being able to share the property and waterfalls with everybody,” she said.

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