Native Hawaiian Woman Begs Tourists To Quit Visiting If They Can’t Show Respect
Native Hawaiian Woman Begs Tourists To Quit Visiting If They Can’t Show Respect
For most Americans, their ideal island vacation is Hawai’i. You see, Hawai’i has been a state since 1959. Before it became a part of the U.S. territory, it was an independent country. Hawai’i didn’t ask to become part of the United States. In fact, they opposed it.
The island is surviving on its own which is why it is so wrong for many people to think that they’re doing Hawai’i a favor by traveling there for a vacation. They simply assume that the island will not be able to survive without tourism.
This misconception has been debunked by one TikToker named Lily Hi’ilani Okimura. She wants tourists to know that this is not the case.
Lily is a 24-year-old Native Hawaiian. She has made it her mission to educate others through TikTok about issues that impact residents of pacific islands, especially her home, Hawai’i.
In one of her videos, she uses an example of a couple from Louisiana who touched a monk seal while they were on their honeymoon in Kauai. The husband even took a picture of his wife touching the endangered seal. Doing something like this is illegal. That is why the couple ended up having to pay a $50,000 fine!
But according to the couple, they were not aware of the law that you can’t touch a monk seal. However, according to Lily, this reasoning is so wrong on so many levels because there are signs on the beaches stating these laws.
In addition, she says that tourists need to do their research to learn the laws before going on vacation in Hawaii. Lily believes that tourists who are going to just disrespect the laws should “go back home.”
Aside from not touching the monk seal, there are plenty of laws in Hawaii that you are probably not aware of.
For example, plastic bags here are banned. In 2015, Hawaii banned single-use plastic bags. This way, plastic will not end up in the waterways. That means stores won’t give you a plastic bag to carry your purchases home. So always carry a light bag every time you go grocery shopping, a bag that you can use again.
Also, it is prohibited to touch sea turtles. Honu, or green sea turtles, bring hundreds of people to the north shore of Oahu every day. And if you are visiting, make sure that you keep your distance.
Sea turtles are an endangered species which is why it is against the law in Hawaii to touch, pick up, move, kill, or hurt one. Abusing sea turtles can result in a $25,000 fine and time in prison.
You must also avoid texting while you are at a crosswalk. In Hawaii, it is now against the law to text while walking at a marked crosswalk. Hawaii was the first state to make it illegal to text or look at a phone while crossing the street, even at a crosswalk. First-time offenders of the “distracted pedestrian” rule have to pay a $15 fine.
It is very important that you are fully aware of these laws even before you visit Hawai’i. In fact, do your thorough research before you go to any country. The last thing you want is to break the law and be fined, or worse, have to spend time behind bars.
