Nearly 150 people gathered at Cliff House on Saturday following a video posted by shoreline activist Kai Nishiki, who claimed that Kapalua homeowner Jonathan Yantis hired a private security officer to “harass” visitors about noise and drinking, removed the ocean entry ladder and posted fake nature preserve signs to mimic official state signage.

“People are fed up, they feel pushed out, and tired of being treated like second-class citizens in our island home,” Nishiki said Monday night. “Everyone was having fun and enjoying themselves like they have done for many years. They felt empowered with the truth.”

Calling the whole situation a “targeted attack” and an “intimidation piece” by Nishiki, Yantis said that “this drama” will pass.

He claims that his actions thus far with the signage and security guard were to only reinforce current laws about noise pollution and underage drinking, as well as public safety, referencing the 19-year-old man who fell 30 feet off the cliffs Saturday night following the rally and was transported to the hospital in serious condition.

Swimmers and sunbathers line the rocks at Hawea Point, also known as Cliff House, on Saturday. KA‘APUNI AIWOHI photo

“Not once has anyone been told to leave, not once have we called the police, DOCARE, the sheriff or anybody,” Yantis said Monday afternoon. “We don’t say anything unless it’s underage kids, and that’s usually the problem — underage kids going there and partying and drinking and cranking music.”

Either way, Yantis told The Maui News that he received numerous complaint calls over the weekend, including death threats against him and his family.

“It’s a lot, it sucks,” he said. “I don’t know how to get people to realize that none of this is really true.”

Though Hawea Point, which fronts the luxury resort Montage Kapalua Bay and overlooks Namalu Bay, is publicly accessed by local residents and tourists, the area contains a mix of private property, unencumbered lands regulated by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and a conservation easement used to protect the native seabird ‘ua’u kani.

“Any land uses in the conservation district (CD), such as signs, kiosks, guard shacks, would have required a permit pursuant to Hawaii Administrative Rules 13-5,” the department said in a statement Tuesday. “OCCL (Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands) does not have any record that any permits have been applied for. Any signs with ‘rules’ posted does not have the force of law, same with the hiring of the private security officer. Removing the ladder, which was not installed by the state was not illegal.”

The allegedly fake signs placed at the swimming spot described it as the “Namalu Bay Nature Preserve” and prohibited music, stereos and boomboxes in the “natural sound only area.”

“The DLNR is aware of the concerns raised by the community through the news and social media and will investigate to determine if any Conservation District use violations by private property owners in the area of Hawea Point have occurred,” the department said. “Additionally, DLNR is aware of social media postings encouraging the public to rally at Hawea Point.”

Maui resident Ka’apuni Aiwohi said there were more people at Cliff House on Saturday afternoon than anticipated when he arrived with his 8-year-old daughter to join the movement.

At peak time, he estimated there could have been nearly 150 people, many of whom were in their late teens and early 20s.

“We stayed about four-and-a-half hours and I felt a sense of peace being part of a large movement with all these strangers who had the same idea of protest in mind,” he said Sunday night. “The feeling with all the other protesters was just like it was another aloha ‘aina rally. Family-oriented, aloha first, standing firm and watching out for one another.”

He said he was happy to involve his daughter in something with family ties — Aiwohi’s grandpa grew up fishing and diving in the area, from Namalu Bay all the way up to Honokohau, where they lived.

“This ‘aina is what our teenagers need and I can speak to that as I am a high school Hawaiian history and sustainability teacher,” he added.

A handful of local residents shared that view, too, with some telling The Maui News on Monday that Saturday’s gathering is part of an ongoing fight for continued beach access for recreation and cultural practices, which have been overrun by hotel properties and luxury homes.

“All over Hawaii you see these conflicts on our beaches and shorelines; outsiders moving here and trying to restrict access to these public areas. The hotels filling the beaches with chairs and umbrellas crowding out the locals,” Nishiki said via email. “Wealthy oceanfront property owners putting up walls, gates and seawalls to keep out the public. Overtourism, out of control real estate prices and so many people moving here have really impacted the quality of life for residents.”

DLNR’s Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement officers were monitoring Saturday’s activities and educating a few individuals about alcohol possession.

“They reported no problems,” DLNR Communications Director Dan Dennison said Monday.

While state unencumbered lands are generally open to the public, there are rules that prohibit disorderly conduct, the use of alcohol while on the premises and use of any audio devices “in a manner and at times which creates excessive noise,” according to DLNR.

The department on Tuesday added that violations on unencumbered land carry administrative penalties that can result in high fines and that DOCARE officers will be checking and monitoring the area for compliance.

Mayor Michael Victorino said he is urging all parties involved to seek a “win-win solution that respects the rights of Maui County residents, visitors and area landowners.”

“These kinds of conflicts are disappointing because, in Hawaii, shoreline public access is an important common law right shared by all residents and visitors alike,” Victorino told The Maui News on Monday.

Yantis purchased his 6,645-square-foot Kapalua mansion for $24 million in 2020, according to the county property tax records, and said he is planning to sell it for $59.5 million. The home has been listed for a few months.

“I’m still staying on Maui,” said Yantis, who has spent most of his life living in and out of Hawaii, including attending Hilo High School.

He’s not moving because of the backlash, he said, though he didn’t expect the situation to blow up and figured that visitors to Cliff House would “use their own brains and judgment” that the intent wasn’t to deny access.

Nishiki is still steadfast in encouraging the community to continue standing up for public shoreline access as well as for officials to remove the misleading signage and the security guard from Cliff House.

She hopes for continued and better communication with the community, DLNR and conservation organizations to “care for the area in the best interest of the public.”

“Public spaces and access must be respected,” she said. “This should be a cautionary tale to anyone buying oceanfront property in Hawaii; don’t try mess with our access.”

* Dakota Grossman can be reached at dgrossman@mauinews.com.