Guides to white sand, black sand, and tide pools already on BigIsland.org.
Reed’s Bay Beach Park is a hidden gem along Hilo’s looping scenic oceanfront byway known as Banyan Drive – named after the rows of gigantic Banyan trees lining the road – and features a short, crescent-shaped white sand beach studded with coral rubble that gently slopes down into the vividly clear waters of the shallow …
Reed’s Bay Beach Park – Come for the beach, Stay For The geese Read More »
Just east of the City of Hilo’s two-mile long breakwater sits Keaukaha Beach Park; a rocky shoreline of calm tidepools and swimming holes protected from the onslaught of rolling waves charging in from the open ocean. It’s a collection of unassuming windswept inlets and inviting tree-lined coves found just off of Kalanianaole Street – the …
Along a desolate stretch of coastline within Big Island’s Puna District, a group of tidal pools naturally formed long ago by a massive lava flow can be found among the endless stretches of unforgiving cliffs and crashing waves. Known as the Mermaid Ponds These are known collectively as “Mermaid Ponds” by locals, and they serve …
Hilo Bayfront Park is just a short walk away from its sprawling farmer’s market and neighboring bus station, downtown Hilo and its small colorful shops and leafy, rain-swept sidewalks give way to an incredibly long beach of black sand and gentle lapping waves. The expansive coastline of rough, smooth black lava pebbles appears almost perfectly …
Hilo Bayfront Park – A Paddler’s Delight, and One Of the Island’s Longest Beaches Read More »
Hawaii’s Big Island has no shortage of destinations deemed “magical” by the thousands of intrigued visitors it welcomes each and every year. Magic Sands Beach is one of the most popular After all, Big Island is the place of towering green Jurassic Park-looking valleys, mystical fairy forests of ironwood trees browsed by wild horses, bubbling …
Magic Sands Beach-The Disappearing Act Along Kona’s Ali’i Drive Read More »
The sands of West Hawaii beaches are predominantly white, made of finely pulverized coral built up over millennia. But on the eastern shores, Punalu’u Beach the sands are black; a testament to its active volcanic heritage, where rivers of lava from the massive volcano Mauna Loa and its smaller offshoot, Kilauea Volcano, charge downhill to …
Punalu’u Beach – The Best Black Sand on the Big Island Read More »
South of the small town of Captain Cook, and two and a half miles along a one-lane road winding downhill to meet the ocean, the soft grey sands of Ho’okena Beach Park come into view for the first time. Flanked on either side by walls of sea cliffs, the crescent-shaped beach of protected waters is …
Ho’okena Beach Park – Kayaking, Snorkeling and Camping At A Traditional Fishing Village Read More »
From the bustling, colorful shops of Hilo’s Bayfront, it’s only a short two-mile drive north to Honoli’i Beach Park to watch the surfers. Honoli’i is without a doubt the most important surf break for the Hilo surfing community – a small but dedicated tribe, who can be spotted from the park’s cliffside parking lot lined …
Honoli’i Beach Park – Hilo’s Premiere Surfing Spot Read More »
Roughly 30 miles north of Kona town on Big Island’s west side, along a sun-beaten highway with vast black lavafields stretching out on either side, lies the stunning white sands of Puako and its well-hidden gem of a swimming spot, Beach 69. Its official name is Waialea Beach, but hardly anyone calls it this. For …
Puako’s Beach 69: A Shady, Secluded Swimming Spot Very Different From Its Neighbors Read More »
Fifty thousands years ago, flowing underground magma from Hawai’i Island’s second most important volcano – Mauna Loa – collided with groundwater, causing an violent explosion of volcanic ash and creating what is known among today’s volcanologists as a “tuff ring”. This was a massive mound of mineral rich ash and other volcanic products which grew …
Papakolea Green Sand Beach – An Idyllic, Isolated Geological Rarity Read More »