Built by the navy during WW2 as a way to access a once top secret radio station. The Kaiku Stairs were closed down to the public in 1987. But this hasn’t stopped hikers and thrill seekers. Who have made the location a popular “once” hidden gem for the adventurous. Earning it the nickname, the “Stairway to Heaven. ” And for a long time it stayed that way. Enough so that the neighbors and authorities somewhat looked the other way.
Enter the Instagram generation. With the Kaiku Stairs going from a few hundred visitors a year to a few hundred a month. People attempting to access them at all hours. Passing close by and on the property of long time residents. All to access the “illegal” stairs. This all led to the council meeting on September 14th 2021.
It was at this council meeting that they voted to tear down the historic haiku stairs. Literally destroying the stairway to heaven. A large group of supporters tried to save them. But in the end, the community allocated $1 million to tear them down.
There is currently no timeline on when they will be tearing them down. But the common consensus is that is will happen sometime in 2022. We will update this page as soon as a date is decided.
