A tourist has sparked fury in Hawaii after brazenly ignoring warnings and entering a shuttered Maui beach before issuing a groveling apology when her defiant stunt exploded online.
North Carolina tourist Nuri Abdullah filmed herself brushing aside restrictions at Waiʻānapanapa State Park on September 26, despite the beauty spot being closed after severe weather battered the islands.
Rather than being deterred by a sign declaring the beach and hiking trails to be off-limits, Abdullah openly acknowledged it – and announced that she was going in anyway.
‘You see this? Guess what. I don’t care about it. I’mma go down anyway,’ she declared in the TikTok video as she ventured beyond the closed sign.
The footage then showed Abdullah taking in the dramatic black-sand coastline and pounding waves.
‘Black sand beach, we got some waves,’ she said. ‘Look at these beautiful black rocks. Black sand that has minerals and s***.’
But officials said the seemingly picturesque excursion could have ended in tragedy.
Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources said Waiʻānapanapa had been closed because storm conditions brought a host of potentially deadly hazards, including heavy rain, powerful winds, flash flooding, falling debris and dangerous surf.
North Carolina tourist Nuri Abdullah sparked outrage after filming herself ignoring closure warnings and entering Maui’s Waiʻānapanapa State Park during dangerous storm conditions
Abdullah openly acknowledged the closure sign before declaring, ‘Guess what. I don’t care about it. I’mma go down anyway’
Officials said Abdullah also went beyond a locked gate and passed closure signs.
‘When we look at the video here, clearly she’s trespassing,’ DLNR spokesman Andrew Laurence told Hawaii News Now.
‘The park was closed. That means the gate at the road was locked and then she went past the two signs that said that the area was closed.’
Laurence said the rough-looking surf visible in Abdullah’s own footage illustrated why authorities had taken the precaution of shutting the park.
‘She could have died before anybody could get to her,’ he warned.
The episode quickly provoked anger in the isolated Hana community, where residents said Abdullah had not merely disregarded restrictions designed to keep her alive, but had also shown disrespect toward an area with deep cultural significance.
Waiʻānapanapa contains important cultural resources including historic sites, cemeteries and a heiau, or traditional Hawaiian place of worship, according to DLNR.
‘There’s a certain level of respect that anybody should have when visiting that space,’ Hana resident Giselle Davidson told Hawaii News Now.
The tourist excitedly showed off the dramatic coastline in her video, describing the ‘beautiful black rocks’
Abdullah filmed the spectacular black-sand beach and crashing waves after entering the restricted area despite officials warning visitors to stay away
‘And unfortunately, in this case, it was pretty clear that she was trying to get attention and she was breaking the law.’
Davidson stressed that locals were not opposed to outsiders enjoying the spectacular scenery, but said visitors were expected to behave responsibly.
‘We love for people to visit Hana in a respectful way. We want to share this beauty with people. We want people to love it as much as we do. But respect is key to that. And that goes for anywhere you travel,’ she said.
Anger also erupted in the comments on Abdullah’s video.
‘Then they wonder why Hawaii people don’t like tourists!’ one commenter wrote.
‘I don’t get why folks choose to visit a place then disrespect it,’ another said.
Abdullah returned to social media two days later with an apology, admitting that she knew the beach was closed when she entered.
‘I want to take time out to apologize for the recent video that’s been causing a lot of drama and it’s just been a lot,’ she said.
‘To all the Hawaiian natives, I do want to apologize to you guys for disrespecting your land and for ignoring the sign.’
But Abdullah also hit back at some of the more vicious reaction she said she had received.
‘To all the people who are being disrespectful, rude and sending me threats, you guys can go to hell,’ she said.
Abdullah admitted she knew the beach was completely closed but said she had saved around $10,000 for her first trip to Hawaii and desperately wanted to visit
The tourist later warned others not to repeat her mistake, telling visitors: ‘Do not go on the beach if there’s a closed sign. Respect the signs’
Abdullah explained that it had been her first visit to Hawaii and said she had saved around $10,000 for what she regarded as a once-in-a-lifetime trip.
She insisted that her decision to ignore the restrictions had not been intended as an insult to the local community.
‘When I seen the sign and acknowledged it, I wasn’t meaning any disrespect by crossing the lines,’ she told Hawaii News Now.
‘I didn’t know I was disrespecting the land or its people. I just simply wanted to go.’
She conceded there had been no confusion over whether the beach itself was supposed to be off-limits.
‘I knew that the beach was closed fully. And I do take responsibility for going behind that sign even though the beach was closed,’ Abdullah said.
Waiʻānapanapa State Park on the Hawaiian island of Maui is famed for its dramatic volcanic coastline, black-sand beach and striking natural scenery (file photo)
The TikTokker has now used the controversy to warn other tourists against repeating her mistake.
‘You never know what lands are sacred,’ she said in a later video. ‘So I would say to all the tourists, do not go on the beach if there’s a closed sign. Respect the signs.’
Entering a closed Hawaii state park can carry serious penalties.
Under state administrative rules, violators can face fines ranging from $500 to $2,000 and as many as 30 days behind bars.
