A North Carolina tourist filmed herself brushing off a closed sign at a Maui state park, then apologized after the clip drew anger and a warning she could have been killed.
Reporting detailed how Nuri Abdullah entered Waiʻānapanapa State Park on September 26, walked past a locked gate and posted signs, and recorded the black-sand coastline for social media.
Hawaii had shuttered the park for storm hazards. Officials later said the video showed clear trespassing, and a local resident called the stunt a bid for attention that broke the law.
Abdullah, on a first trip she said cost her about $10,000 in savings, later returned online with an apology to Native Hawaiians and a warning to other visitors. She also pushed back at people who sent her threats.
Waiʻānapanapa State Park sits on Maui’s volcanic coast near the isolated Hana community. The state closed it because of heavy rain, powerful winds, flash flooding, falling debris, and dangerous surf.
In the video, Abdullah pointed at the restriction and said she would go anyway.
Andrew Laurence, a spokesman for Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources, told Hawaii News Now the clip left little doubt.
"When we look at the video here, clearly she's trespassing,"
Laurence added that the road gate was locked and that she passed two signs saying the area was closed.
"She could have died before anybody could get to her,"
State administrative rules allow fines from $500 to $2,000 and as many as 30 days in jail for entering a closed Hawaii state park. No arrest or citation against Abdullah appears in the available account.
On camera she highlighted the scenery: black sand, waves, and rocks. One line needed masking for print: she called the sand full of “minerals and s***.”
Her own words on the entry were blunt.
"You see this? Guess what. I don't care about it. I'mma go down anyway,"
Hana resident Giselle Davidson told Hawaii News Now that visitors owe the place a basic standard of care.
"There's a certain level of respect that anybody should have when visiting that space,"
Davidson said it was plain Abdullah was chasing attention and breaking the law. She added that residents want people to see Hana’s beauty and love it, if they show respect, the same rule that applies anywhere people travel.
The park holds cultural resources, including historic sites, cemeteries, and a heiau, a traditional Hawaiian place of worship, according to the land department’s description in the coverage. Online commenters piled on, asking why anyone would visit Hawaii and then disregard the place, and linking the clip to wider friction over tourism.
Rules at a storm-closed park are not optional scenery. They protect visitors from surf and debris, and they protect ground that locals treat as more than a backdrop for views.
Two days after the September 26 recording, Abdullah posted again. She said she wanted to apologize for the “drama” and spoke directly to Hawaiians.
"To all the Hawaiian natives, I do want to apologize to you guys for disrespecting your land and for ignoring the sign."
She told Hawaii News Now she had not meant disrespect when she saw the sign and crossed anyway, and that she “just simply wanted to go.” She also said she knew the beach was fully closed and took responsibility for going behind the sign.
In the same stretch of comments she answered people who were rude or sent threats, telling them they could “go to h***.” A later video urged tourists not to enter beaches with closed signs and noted that visitors may not know which lands are sacred.
"When I seen the sign and acknowledged it, I wasn't meaning any disrespect by crossing the lines," she said. "I didn't know I was disrespecting the land or its people. I just simply wanted to go."
Wanting a once-in-a-lifetime photo does not unlock a gate the state closed for a reason. The sequence was simple: ignore the barrier on camera, collect the reaction, then apologize when the reaction turned hard.
Laurence’s point was practical, not ceremonial. Storm closures exist because heavy water, wind, debris, and surf can kill someone before rescuers arrive. Filming the bypass does not make the risk smaller.
Public land still comes with conditions. Locked gates and posted signs are the minimum test of whether a visitor can follow plain instructions. When those instructions are treated as content, local goodwill drains fast, and the law still sits on the books with real fines and possible jail time.
Abdullah’s later message to other tourists was the one she should have followed on September 26: if the sign says closed, stay out.
Closed means closed. A TikTok is not a permit, and regret after the fact is cheaper than the rescue no one could have staged in time.
