Kapa’a Beach Park’s rocky coastline and pockets of rugged campsites tucked into stands of native keawe trees are a far cry from the elegant, obsessively manicured and easy to navigate beach parks found farther south along the Big Island’s Kona Coast. It doesn’t boast long tracks of soft white sand, lines of beach chairs and parasols, gear rental shops, wide flat sidewalks, ranks of surfers and boogie boarders, or a small army of food trucks lining the curb of its parking lot – the typical sights at fancier swimming spots like Hapuna Beach and iconic locations along Ali’i Drive like Magic Sands and Kahalu’u Beach Park.
Rather, Kapa’a is quite the opposite: it is a raw, peaceful and largely undeveloped swath of oceanfront forest composed of stout cliffs and gnarled, spindly trees casting shade on its collection of campsites. These are areas of reddish-grey bare earth linked by a network of overgrown footpaths zig-zagging across the park’s uneven terrain. Badly weathered lava rocks are cast to and fro in piles, their color revealing their age; a dull light brown that contrasts sharply with the freshly churned lava found within Big Island’s newest Lower Puna District flow field of jet-black, brittle and shiny rock.
This juxtaposition can also be seen along the park’s shallow rocky bay, where boulders of much newer, darker rock the size of engine blocks lie atop the old, faded lava bed. This precarious landscape can be tricky to navigate, and getting in and out of the ocean at Kapa’a can be a challenge, especially on high surf days where large rolling waves come in off the open ocean and crash against the jagged coast, sending some of the larger stones tumbling with their backwash.
These rugged conditions make the “beach” part of the park’s name a bit of a misnomer, as there is essentially no sand to be found along its small crescent-shaped bay. This makes the place much more popular with snorkelers, fishermen and scuba divers than with casual swimmers, who have better options farther south at the scattering of beach parks found along the coast right outside of the tiny Big Island port town of Kawaihae.
On calm days, though, when the waves breaking against the scraggly shore are just a light lapping, the outcrops just offshore are a great place to see various forms of Hawaiian sea life like octopus, eels, urchins, sea horses and the myriad species of colorful tropical fish. There is no reef along this stretch of coast, though, and snorkelers and divers won’t find fields of delicate, intricately patterned coral that are typical of other popular exploration spots. These coral complexes are the building blocks of West Hawaii’s reef ecosystems and are the reason why the sandy beaches of Big Island’s Kona-side are white.
Even without a reef, these waters are alive with life, and are often plied by scuba divers hoping to get an even closer look at this seemingly alien world found just offshore of the unassuming, often-deserted beach park. These latter qualities make it attractive in some circles of divers who prefer to be the only ones in the water, not having to contend with swimmers, paddlers, boaters and surfers scaring the fish away. Piles of white coral rubble still pock the beach, presumably washed in on heavy surf from farther down the coast, and stand out vividly against the otherwise monochrome landscape of huge black lava rocks.
In the wintertime months when Hawaii’s iconic humpback whales, also known as “kohala”, return to the island chain, Kapa’a is a great place to see them. The park is well-positioned along a stretch of Big Island’s coastline that sees the most frequent whale activity, and during the season its waters are frequently bustling with the slaps of tail fins and the jets of white sea spray exhaled during their breaches.
Ancient Ruins, Thorny Trees and Surprisingly Good Amenities
The land around the park’s oceanfront is littered with the remains of an old village, with the ruins of platforms, enclosures and low rock walls that long ago enclosed yards poking out of overgrown bright green vegetation. Thankfully, the campsites at Kapa’a are located far enough from these historic sites so that they aren’t disturbed by campers, many of whom come to the park not realizing the camouflaged ruins are even there.
Amenities found within the park include modern bathrooms, public cold water showers, an assortment of picnic tables and barbecue pits, as well as a large pavilion with a green roof and louvered windows. These facilities set Kapa’a apart from other coastal camping spots in the area like Mahukona Beach Park, located just a few miles down the highway, which features fantastic snorkeling grounds but doesn’t currently have water for washing or showering at its campsites, and whose restrooms are only portable toilets. So, even though its coastline is some of the most rugged of all Big Island beach parks, camping here is actually quite comfortable compared with other options in the area, with plenty of well-hidden plots of bare, flat earth to pitch a tent and plenty of shady keawe trees to string hammocks from.
Toilets and showers at the park are supplied by a large green plastic water tank located right above the day-use pavilion, poised on stilts and found inside a chain-link fence topped with barbed wire to keep out vandals. This water is non-potable, as warned by large signs posted around the spigots, so campers still need to pack in drinking water in addition to all other supplies and gear, as there is no concessionaire at Kapa’a. There are more picnic tables inside the pavilion structure, providing enough space for several different groups of people to be working propane stoves and deploying cutting boards, with a barbecue pit set into the concrete slab just beyond the roofline.
The forested areas surrounding the beach’s parking lot and day-use center are comprised mostly of kiawe trees – easily recognized by their gnarled trunks and wizened branches of tiny green leaves outfitted with massive razor sharp thorns. This native hardwood tree is notorious in West Hawaii, as it grows prolifically at several popular beach parks around Kona and Kawaihae and has a bad habit of perennially dropping thorny twigs onto walkways. These dry up and turn pale white, blending in with the sand and waiting for some hapless barefoot beach-goer to step on it and get a very painful surprise.
So, if planning on exploring the outlying coastline during a visit to Kapa’a, but sure to pack sturdy shoes – or even better yet: boots – to protect your feet from the ubiquitous piles of kiawe twigs sure to be lining the paths. The tree’s thorns sometimes grow to be over an inch long, and are sharp enough to go right through the sole of cheap rubber flip-flops. Good footwear is also important at the park when exploring the beach area, as walking over the cumbersome boulders in slip-on sandals is almost a sure-fire way to sprain an ankle.
How To Get There
Kapa’a Beach Park is easily accessible from either the tiny Big Island port town of Kawaihae to the south, or from the artsy bohemian town of Hawi located just a handful of miles north of the rocky beach and campground.
From Kawaihae, turn onto Highway 270, otherwise known as Akoni Pule Highway, and continue for roughly 14 miles past the turn to the Hamakua Macadamia Nut Company showroom and factory, and past Lapakahi State Park and Mahukona Beach Park farther on up on the road. Just past Mahukona will be signage for Kapa’a, and a left-hand turn will bring drivers onto a narrow road that winds downhill for less than a mile through golden fields of livestock pasture and past still more stands of withered, parched-looking kiawe trees.
Park at the bottom of the hill next to the pavilion building, and if you’re intent on camping at the park be sure to reserve and pay for your spot using the County of Hawaii’s online reservation system found at hawaiicounty.ehawaii.gov/camping/welcome. Fees for non-residents are around $20 per night, and reduced rates are available for residents of the state who have a State of Hawaii identification card or driver’s license.
Kapa’a Beach Park is open daily from 7:00am to 7:30pm, but a few years ago the day-use area of the park was open until 11:00pm, so these current operating times are subject to change. No potable water is available in the park, so campers and day visitors must bring enough for everyone in their group.
