Lindsay Dodgson
Fri, November 26, 2021
The Haiku Stairs in Oahu, Hawaii, have been closed to the public since 1987.
Marcin Wloch / EyeEm/Getty Images
A Hawaiian TikToker shared a viral video of tourists appearing to climb the Haiku Stairs in Oahu.
The trail, also known as the "Stairway to Heaven," has been closed to the public since 1987.
Camille Leihulu criticized the video and said, "Outsiders get to blatantly ignore laws."
The Hawaiian TikToker Camille Leihulu went viral when she criticized a travel TikToker whose video appears to show her climbing a forbidden hiking trail in Oahu.
Leihulu posted her reaction alongside the original video (known as duetting on TikTok) of a travel vlogger named Sofia McMillan who has 40,000 followers. The original video shows McMillan and her friends at the top of a hiking trail. Leihulu speculated it was the Haiku Stairs, which has been closed to the public since 1987.
The video was captioned "full circle rainbow on stairway to heaven," which the trail is also known as.
McMillan did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
@camilleslagle #duet with @sofmcmillan yes, she acknowledged it’s an old video, but think of the thousands more who’ve done this. DON’T DO IT. #hawaii ♬ original sound - AntiNightcore
In her response TikTok post, which received 1.5 million views, Leihulu said she had never been on the stairs.
"I've never been up these stairs to see this view and I never will because I have respect for Hawaii and my homelands," she wrote in the caption. "Why do outsiders get to blatantly ignore laws and rules and do as they please without facing any repercussions or acknowledging the consequences that Hawaiians have to deal with as a result of their actions?"
@camilleslagle #duet with @sofmcmillan yes, she acknowledged it’s an old video, but think of the thousands more who’ve done this. DON’T DO IT. #hawaii ♬ original sound - AntiNightcore
The 3,922 steps were constructed along Oahu's Ko'olau mountain range in the 1940s to reach the US Navy's top-secret Haiku Radio Station at the summit, which was used to transmit radio signals to submarines. The stairs were open to hikers in the past but closed in 1987 over safety concerns. Anyone using them is considered to be trespassing on government property and could face a fine of up to $1,000, according to the TV-news outlet Hawaii News Now.
Leihulu added: "Hawaiians and Hawaii residents pay thousands in taxes to rescue people who get stuck up there."
In April, the Honolulu Star Advertiser — Hawaii's largest daily newspaper — reported that a 24-year-old man had to be airlifted from an area the summit after injuring his knee.
In September, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi ordered the stairs be removed following a City Council meeting.
"Due to rampant illegal trespassing, Haiku Stairs is a significant liability and expense for the city, and impacts the quality of life for nearby residents," Esther Kiaʻāina, a city-council member, told Hawaii News Now.
Another council member, Brandon Elefante, told the outlet the city had spent "$1 million in taxpayer dollars to remodel the stairs," as well as "hundreds of thousands of dollars in security costs."
Blangiardi's office did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
Despite warnings, there are dozens of videos posted by TikTokers who have trekked along the Haiku Stairs, which often rack up hundreds of thousands of views.
A Hawaiian TikToker shared a viral video of tourists appearing to climb the Haiku Stairs in Oahu.
The trail, also known as the "Stairway to Heaven," has been closed to the public since 1987.
Camille Leihulu criticized the video and said, "Outsiders get to blatantly ignore laws."
The Hawaiian TikToker Camille Leihulu went viral when she criticized a travel TikToker whose video appears to show her climbing a forbidden hiking trail in Oahu.
Leihulu posted her reaction alongside the original video (known as duetting on TikTok) of a travel vlogger named Sofia McMillan who has 40,000 followers. The original video shows McMillan and her friends at the top of a hiking trail. Leihulu speculated it was the Haiku Stairs, which has been closed to the public since 1987.
The video was captioned "full circle rainbow on stairway to heaven," which the trail is also known as.
McMillan did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
@camilleslagle #duet with @sofmcmillan yes, she acknowledged it’s an old video, but think of the thousands more who’ve done this. DON’T DO IT. #hawaii ♬ original sound - AntiNightcore
In her response TikTok post, which received 1.5 million views, Leihulu said she had never been on the stairs.
"I've never been up these stairs to see this view and I never will because I have respect for Hawaii and my homelands," she wrote in the caption. "Why do outsiders get to blatantly ignore laws and rules and do as they please without facing any repercussions or acknowledging the consequences that Hawaiians have to deal with as a result of their actions?"
@camilleslagle #duet with @sofmcmillan yes, she acknowledged it’s an old video, but think of the thousands more who’ve done this. DON’T DO IT. #hawaii ♬ original sound - AntiNightcore
The 3,922 steps were constructed along Oahu's Ko'olau mountain range in the 1940s to reach the US Navy's top-secret Haiku Radio Station at the summit, which was used to transmit radio signals to submarines. The stairs were open to hikers in the past but closed in 1987 over safety concerns. Anyone using them is considered to be trespassing on government property and could face a fine of up to $1,000, according to the TV-news outlet Hawaii News Now.
Leihulu added: "Hawaiians and Hawaii residents pay thousands in taxes to rescue people who get stuck up there."
In April, the Honolulu Star Advertiser — Hawaii's largest daily newspaper — reported that a 24-year-old man had to be airlifted from an area the summit after injuring his knee.
In September, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi ordered the stairs be removed following a City Council meeting.
"Due to rampant illegal trespassing, Haiku Stairs is a significant liability and expense for the city, and impacts the quality of life for nearby residents," Esther Kiaʻāina, a city-council member, told Hawaii News Now.
Another council member, Brandon Elefante, told the outlet the city had spent "$1 million in taxpayer dollars to remodel the stairs," as well as "hundreds of thousands of dollars in security costs."
Blangiardi's office did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
Despite warnings, there are dozens of videos posted by TikTokers who have trekked along the Haiku Stairs, which often rack up hundreds of thousands of views.
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