It is a sure bet that
visiting Hawaii would include a trip to a beach and none of these tropical
islands will ever disappoint. What sets the Big Island apart from the others
though are the varied colors of her beaches. On the north and west of the
island are the Kona and Kohala coasts. These are the oldest parts of the island
and the beaches here are beautiful white sand. Most of the tourist resorts are
in this area.
The beaches of the east
coast and around Hilo are comparatively new and black.
In the extreme southern
point of the island, which is also the southernmost point of the United States,
there is a rare green sand beach called Papakōlea..
WHERE TO GO?
It is sunnier, warmer
and drier on the Kona and Kohala coasts where many tourist resorts are clustered.
The combination of pleasant weather and white sand beaches may convince you to
travel there, especially since it rains a lot on the Hilo side of this massive
island and temperatures there are cooler.
Hapuna Beach
On our recent visit to
the Big Island, we split our time between the two coasts. We stayed for a time
in Kailua-Kona and then spent a week at the Hilton property in Waikoloa. We
then spent another week at a vacation rental in the Hawaiian Paradise Park
(HPP) development.
HPP is about 15 miles
from Hilo and 7 miles from Pahoa on the Puna coast. There are rainforests on
this side of the island and just 30 miles from Volcano National Park making this
must-do destination an easier trek than from the Kohala coast. The beaches on
the Hilo side are all black sand and there is a more Hawaiian feel in this area
as opposed to the glitzy resorts.
FIND YOUR BEACH
Depending on what
you’re looking for on a trip to the Big Island will determine your beach
destination. Don’t worry though, you can’t go wrong wherever you alight. First,
let’s explain the colors of the sand and to appease this geeky arenophile who
delights in collecting sand.
WHITE SAND
Anaehoomalu Bay
The sand on the beaches
of the Kohala coast are white, but it may not be the minute quartz crystals
that usually comprise a beach, say in New Jersey.
Instead, the sand is
mostly shells from marine life and coral fragments pulverized by the incessant
Pacific waves. Because this type of sand tends to have rounded edges it doesn’t
stack well and is not suited to building sandcastles.
Here are just a few of
the white beaches on the Kohala coast:
Hāpuna Beach
Regularly voted as one
of the best beaches in Hawaii, Hāpuna is a mile long and tree-lined offering
shade with a lifeguard and a pavilion. It can get crowded. Residents have free
entry, but supposedly $10 per car for non-residents. Our recent trip there had
a booth, but it was empty.
Anaehoomalu Bay or
A-Bay
In the Waikoloa beach
area. There’s a lifeguard and free parking, an ancient fish pond and most
importantly the Lava Lava Beach Club is nearby offering drinks and food.
Near Hapuna. Named 69
because of the utility pole marked near the parking entrance. In a small
residential community. During the winter months the white sand disappears
because of the stronger waves but returns in time for summer. Good snorkeling.
Mauna Kea Beach
Great for sunbathing.
During the summer months when the waves are calmer, it is a good place for
snorkeling.
Protected from high
surf by an offshore coral reef, this beach park is great for families. Camping
is allowed with a permit. There are BBQ facilities, a picnic area and a bathing
pavilion.
Kua Bay
Kua Bay
Secluded white sand
beach with beautiful crystal-clear water. Very popular with locals and
tourists. Such a great place that Kona Brewing Company named an IPA after it.
BLACK SAND
All black sand beaches
on Hawaii are tiny fragments of lava that have reached the ocean. Molten lava
cools down quickly when it hits the cold water, solidifying and then shattering
into large rocks or big sand granules so to speak. Over time this solidified
lava is ground down by the waves into smaller and smoother grains of “sand”.
Newer beaches that have
not been ground down can be difficult to walk along barefooted because of the
sharper edges and because black sand retains heat very well. Sea turtles often
choose black sand beaches to lay their eggs because of the heat retention.
Some of the black sand
beaches on the Hilo and Puna side.
Punaluʻu
Punalu'u
Popular beach for Honu
or turtle watching, both Hawaiian green sea turtles and the rarer Hawksbill
often sun themselves on the hot lava sand. Do not disturb Honu. It’s against
the law.
Lifeguard, facilities.
Snorkeling visibility can be poor. Only go in the water when the surf is calm.
It’s quite striking to
see the blue Pacific, the black beach and the verdant green palms all
juxtaposed.
Here’s a nice video of
Punnalu views.
Kaimū beach
Lava covered much of
the town of Kalapana and Kaimu Bay when Kilauea began erupting in the late 80s
creating a young black beach 50 feet over the old beach. Not a place for
swimming, but instead to marvel at the power of nature. We did see some locals
surfing when we visited. The road ends where the lava carved a path to the sea
and located there is Uncle Robert’s Awa Bar and market. On Wednesday nights it
is a lively party with music and dancing. Here's a glimpse at the revelry there.
Isaac Hale (Pohoiki)
In 2018 lava covered
the Isaac Hale Beach Park and added acres to the shoreline. A road was carved
through the ominous lava after it cooled to reach Isaac Hale. Though quite
majestic and with a lifeguard on duty when we visited we were not brave enough
to swim.
Isaac Hale Beach
Beach art Isaac Hale
Kehena Beach
Supposedly nude bathing
is illegal, but Kehena Black Sand Beach it is “overlooked”. I guess authorities
have more on their hands than grabbing up nudists. Kehena is on the same road
as Isaac Hale, McKenzie State Park and Kalapana.
…gone…
Ahalanui Beach Park and
Hot Springs
Ahalanui Beach park...gone
This once popular
destination did not survive the 2018 eruption. Fed by the cooler ocean water
and the thermal warming made this place a unique visit. Ahalanui even had a lifeguard.
Black sand beaches in the Hilo area:
Richardson Beach Park
There are several small
beaches around Hilo, but none have any great expanse of sand. Mostly rocky and
tide pools, but a great place to see turtles. I once put on my goggles and went
under only to come face-to-face with a turtle.
Richardson Beach Park is
just one of several in the area.
Richardson Beach Hilo
Richardson Beach, Hilo
GREEN SAND
Papakōlea beach is a 49,000-year-old
collapsed cinder cone near the South point of the island that is also called
“Green Sand Beach”. Glassy olivine crystals are what make up most of the sand
on this rare natural display. Other materials like ash, lava and shells are
less dense and tend to be washed out to sea, though there are still some found
in the sand.
Evidently there are
only three other beaches in the world
Green sand (Olivine)
that can claim they have green sand. One is on a
Galapagos Island, another in Guam and a third in
Norway. None of them though has the grandeur of
Papakōlea with the collapsed cinder cone tilting
towards the Pacific.
Known locally as
Hawaiian diamonds olivine is in the same mineral family as the semi-precious
stone Peridot though the latter has a slightly different chemical composition
that gives Peridot high-clarity transparent crystals.
Yeah, I know… blah blah
blah.
You can get there from
here…
It is a commitment to
reach the green sand beach, but worth the effort. There are no facilities here,
no lifeguard or concessions, the water can be rough, and to help you reconsider
a visit, it is a 2.5-mile hike from the parking lot at South Point.
cliff jumping at South Point
After pondering your
life choices by watching brave souls leap 40 feet off the cliffs at South Point
(which is an activity enjoyed by native Hawaiians and fearless individuals),
follow the windswept trail to the beach. You can’t get lost, just keep the Pacific
on your right. There are locals who will offer a ride to the beach for $20 pp, and
there were some people maneuvering their 4x4 rentals along the rutty track, but
evidently this is frowned on by the Department of Hawaiian Homelands (DHHL). We
walked to the beach but hitched a ride with a local and a pickup truck to get
back.
Janet thinking about jumping
There are some
makeshift steps that lead down to the beach once you arrive and after hoofing
in the hot sun or even riding in an open pickup the water is a great reward for
your efforts. When we went the water wasn’t that rough and we even had a sea
turtle cruise across.
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