Explore Hawaii's Magnificent, Open and Wild South Coast!

Many people, flying along the highway from Kona to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, dash through South Hawaii as quickly as possible to reach the park without realizing they are missing some of the best, and least visited, places in the whole state. This southern end of the island is where the Polynesians first landed and began their colonization of the Hawaiian Island; it is home to the beaches where most o the endangered green sea turtles breed and lay their eggs in the main Hawaiian chain, and it is home to some of the most amazing history and awesome history anywhere in the world...let's take a few minutes and explore some of the fabulous and fantastic things to see and do along the Hawaii Belt Road through South Hawaii. 
Mauna Loa South Flank Land Slides 
The flanks of the Hawai'ian volcanoes are unusually unstable because of their extreme youth, rapid growth and because the flows are very thin, discontinuous and loosely stack a'a lava, air-fall material, pahoehoe lava with the loose rubble that forms when the lava flows into the sea. Because of this instability, many extremely large landslides in the past have broken loose, and this is the reason for the steep topography on the lower southern flanks of Mauna Loa.

The angle of repose of Hawaiian lava flows (how steeply the land must tilt to get the lava to flow) is roughly 6 degrees, and looking at the gentle slopes of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, one sees that they come very close to this angle. Therefore, topography on the island that is steeper than about 6 degrees represents either faulting, erosion due to water movement or to landslides.

One such twenty-mile long landslide, from about Mile 109 on Highway 11 to just north of Miloli'i, slid away about 120,000 years ago. One can see the scar from where the landslide broke loose along Kealakekua Bay and the precipitous cliffs that enfold the Captain Cook Monument as well as the steep hills of South Kona and northwest Ka'u. This landslide generated a tsunami wave of sufficient height to completely wash over the 1427-foot tall summit of Kaho'olawe and wash high up on the mountains of Lana'i. Coral rubble deposited by this tsunami can be found to this day on top of Kaho'olawe and at altitudes in excess of 1000 feet on Lana'i.

Old Mamalahoa Highway 
A scenic stretch of the old Mamalahoa Highway between mileposts 88 and 86 offers a glimpse into what life in Old Hawai'i was like. This rough old road remnant rolls through macadamia orchard and wild countryside and is worth the detour. Driving this stretch of road, remember that to Island residents, the Hawai'i Belt Highway is relatively new; many people living in Hilo will tell you they haven't been to Kona in 20 years or more because the road is just too hard to drive, you know they are remembering the old highway like this, as it used to be, not as it exists today.

Manuka State Park 
An easy 1-2 hour stroll, a great place for a picnic or a break from driving The Belt Highway, Manuka State Natural Area Reserve and Manuka State Wayside Park lie between the 82 and 81 mile markers and offers the unique setting of both lush wet, and dry-land, forest. The arboretum around the parking lot was planted of native and introduced trees from the 1930s to the 1950s.

The hike, which circles through the forest to a pit crater, takes 1-2 hours and has well-marked nature points of interest along the way. The trail also winds over both newer and older lava flows, so it's easy to see how the forest develops through stages as the lava ages and weathers. Although an easy walk, some of the footing is loose, so sturdy shoes should be worn; no water is available along the trail, so you should carry a quart per person. This also is a very pleasant place to observe some of Hawai'i's unique forest birds at dawn and sunset.

The cool, inviting and fragrant Wayside Park has ample parking, picnic tables, restrooms and water available. There is a small covered pavilion at which "by permit-only" camping is allowed.

Road To The Sea 
Miles of empty, savage land, a pair of lovely green and black sand beaches, great fishing and a brilliant frolic in blue-green water-perhaps the most unique and spectacular spot in Ka'u, this is also one of its wildest and least visited. The wind, tide and currents here are also very strong...all in all, a raw, beautiful and elemental spot.

A long, straight and lonely road takes off from Highway 11 between the 79 and 80mile markers (look for the mailboxes) on six miles and forty-five minutes of bone jarring lava road straight from the highway to the sea to Kaupua'a Beach. Four-wheel drive is definitely a necessity on this road; if you are tempted to try this with a two-wheel drive vehicle, don't.

Swimming at the first beach is delectable during periods of calm water, but don't go in if there is surf or surge or if there is a strong onshore breeze (onshore breezes cause riptides that pull you away from shore). There is an amazing, deep, tide pool just to the north of the road.

The second beach, larger and nicer; there are palm trees and some shade at this beach. There is excellent fishing from the cliffs above the Beach, and a heiau rests on the ridge above the beach. There is a beautiful, freshwater (not potable) pool for soaking in, or rinsing salt off, on the north end of the beach. Stay close to shore when swimming to avoid strong currents.

Hawai'ian Ocean View Estates (H.O.V.E.) 
Check your gas gage, check your canteen, check your lunch box! Hawai'i Ocean View Estates is the last outpost of civilization for miles around.

Hawai'ian Ocean View Estates is the world's largest residential subdivision. As such, it lacks only three things: water, electrical power and, most importantly, residents. Built in the 1960s, ownership of the subdivision has passed from hand to hand, but lack of utilities has kept residence numbers low.

Despite this, a hardy settlement has sprung up with a great sense of community, even though many residents rely strictly on catchment for water and personal generators for electricity. The climate in Ocean View is perfect year round, but there are no public beaches or cultural amenities, so it hasn't flourished as a town.

Ocean View boasts a few stores, restaurants, churches and a post office. Public restrooms are available below the Post Office.

Disaster of 1868/Kahuku Village 
Ferocious earthquakes! Floods of glowing lava! Tsunamis swallowing hapless survivors! Between the 71 and 72 mile markers of Highway 11, just west of the South Point Turn-off, is the scene of a natural disaster of the proportions of a Cecil B. DeMille film, the only remaining reminders of which are the lava flow of 1868 exposed here, and the ruins of Kahuku Village which lie beneath it.

Starting on March 27, 1868 and continuing for five relentless days, earthquakes shook the Ka'u region, including the worst earthquake recorded in Hawai'ian history, one of 7.9 magnitude on the Richter scale. Hundreds of landslides were loosed, cinder cones collapsed and small tsunamis continuously licked the Ka'u coastline. On the second of April, after a massive convulsion, a giant river of lava burst through from underneath, inundating everything in its path. A giant tsunami washed over the coastline, swallowing whole villages and canoe fleets, killing 46 people. Massive landslides flowed across the land, burying parts of Punalu'u and Ninole and ultimately killing 31 people.

South Point 
This sweeping landscape arches openly and inviting from the tumultuous shore break at Ka Le to the icy heights of Mauna Kea's summit almost 14,000 feet above. The farthest point south in the entire United States, South Point is haunting, windswept, wild, empty, beautiful.

Although still only 1-lane wide in many places, the road to Ka Lae from the Hawai'i Belt Road has been greatly improved in recent years. The roads, beaches, boat launching facilities and parking are all free and on public land, contrary to what some signs and unsavory characters might try to tell you. Just don't leave valuables in your car, and be sure to lock it up.

The brooding and dilapidated wind turbines of the Kamaoa Wind Farm are along the road to Ka Lae. This wind farm, when all of the turbines are operating, can generate enough electricity to power 100 homes; unfortunately, usually 1/3 to ½ of the turbines are out of service at any given time. The surreal setting on the green plain with the cows grazing unconcernedly, coupled with the eerie, "sci-fi" sound of the generators makes this a unique place to stop, look and listen.

The waters at South Point are wild, crystalline turquoise and wicked. It is obvious from the surf and the currents that swimming is right out along most of this coastline. The only recommended snorkeling is at the Kaulana boat launch and at the green sand beach...and then only, it is recommended only in calm seas. But it is beautiful; perhaps as beautiful and wild a spot to snorkel as anywhere in Hawai'i.

Unique and special, Hawai'i's green sand beaches are as beautiful as they are strange. The beach sands are composed of crystals of the semi-precious mineral olivine (also known as peridot). The green sand beach at South Point,the best known, is reached by turning left onto a signed, patchy-paved and dirt road immediately when you arrive in the Ka Lae area. Follow signs to the Kaulana boat launch and park just to the left (south) of it. The dirt road that leads along the shore to the green sand beach is sometimes gated and locked. Hiking distance is 2 ¼ miles each way along rolling tropical prairie (and if you cannot envision that, you really need to do this hike). Despite the multiplicity of dirt roads, you really cannot get lost as you are never out of sight of the shore.

When you arrive above the beach on the crater rim, there is a faint track to scramble safely and easily to the beach. One can also easily scramble down from the middle (easternmost) of the cone, but this can be slippery. Although tricky to spot on the way down, from the beach looking up the way back to the crater rim is easy to follow.

When visiting here, plan and act as if there were no services, and no rescue available.

Waiohinu/Mark Twain Monkey Pod Tree 
Waiohinu is a for-real Old-Hawaii town, as are it's neighbors Na'alehu and Pahala. Waiohinu boasts a gas station and store, public restrooms, a small hotel and numerous bed and breakfasts as well as Margo's Corner privately-operated campground. It is always wise to fill your gas tank at the first opportunity when traveling on the Southern Coast because there is no service station operating at regular, predictable hours, or at all after dark, in any of these tiny towns.

Waiohinu has another more historic distinction. It is here that Sam Clemons (Mark Twain) planted a Monkey Pod so he'd have a shady spot to sit and write. Although the original tree blew down in a hurricane in 1957, but a new tree has sprung-up from the surviving roots and can be seen in the center of town by the Mark Twain Monkey Pod Tree Gift Shop.

Na'alehu 
Lovely, scenic, sleepy Na'alehu, the southernmost town in America is the not-so-bustling mercantile hub the southern end of Hawai'i Island. Here is the Na'alehu Fruit Stand, the source of wonderful fresh fruit and the best pizza on the Island; the Punalu'u Bakeshop, known Island-wide for its malasadas and Portuguese Sweet Bread. The Union 76 gas station is your best bet for after-dark gas in South Hawai'i, but don't bet the farm on it being open on any given night. Especially during fishing season. The Na'alehu Police station, on the east end of town, is the only outpost of law and order constabulary between Captain Cook and Volcano.

Whittington Beach Park/Honuapo Bay 
The wild, ragged southern coastline of Ka'u, reminiscent of Big Sur, reaches its apogee here at Honuapo Bay. Although the County Beach Park is in poor repair and frequented by a less-than-desirable element, the raw sense of connection to the ravenous ocean, the eerie mood of the collapsed Pahala Sugar Co. wharf and the joy of ever-renewing life in the many tidepools and ponds that dot this shoreline make this Park a must-see stop.

There are two, perhaps not conflicting, but interesting interpretations to the name Honuapo in Hawai'ian. If the reading is "honu apo", it means "caught turtle", a reference to the many dozens of Hawai'ian Green Sea Turtles who make this bay their home. However, if you read the words as "honua po" it means "land of the gods"; clearly in such a wildly beautiful, stark and powerful landscape, this is an apt name, as well. The true meaning is lost to the mists of time and depredation on native culture made by the missionaries, but knowing how modern speakers of Polynesian delight in the multiplicity of puns and double entendres their tongue is mother to, it is not far fetched to imagine the ancient Hawai'ians giving the bay this name with both meanings intended. 
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Punalu'u Black Sand Beach Park 
Punalu'u's black sand beach, a truly remarkable place of great peace, beauty and spiritual healing is home to dozens of endangered Hawai'ian Green Sea Turtles. The wildness of the ocean and the serenity of the freshwater fishpond and coconut palm-shaded beaches make this an ideal place to spend some soul-recharge time.

Snorkeling, picnicking and camping, or just relaxing on the beach, are major destination pass-times here. 
Due to chilly waters, off-shore winds, strong currents and a fearsome rip, swimmers and snorkelers should use caution when swimming at Punalu'u, but it's hard to resist getting in and swimming with all those turtles.

Camping is permitted around the pavilions by permit only and can be a windy, but wild and elemental, exercise in campcraft. Due to the exposed nature of the terrain, however, there is little privacy.

Pahala 
Friendly, clean, quiet, scenic; Pahala seems a perfect community. Twenty years ago Pahala was a bustling center of activity for the Pahala Sugar Company, but with the demise of the sugar industry, Pahala residents have either moved on to other towns seeking new employment, or hunkered down the await what future may come.

There are a few good art galleries and the old Plantation House Inn, which offer the traveler a look into post-plantation life in South Hawai'i. Pahala is also the only outpost for groceries, gasoline, banking, post-office and restaurant activities between Na'alehu and Volcano; one should be careful, however, as business hours tend to be irregular and never extend much past dark. The causal traveler should also be wary of a couple of bad speed traps on either side of Pahala.

A re-birth, of a sort, is underway in Pahala and other small towns in Hawai'i; because of the extremely undervalued real estate, compared with the extremely over-valued real estate elsewhere in Hawai'i, mainlanders and retirees are buying up land as residents finally sell. This has caused a small renaissance in service-sector employment, but it will take a generation or two for these tiny towns to rebuild and return to their former bustling selves.

Wood Valley 
A few miles upslope of Pahala into the macnut groves is the tiny community of Wood Valley. There are no services available here, except for a couple of bed and breakfast establishments and the Nechung Dorje Drayang Ling Buddhist Temple, which serves as a place of teaching and retreat. If time permits, it' is a very worthwhile way to spend a lunch hour to procure a take-away meal in Pahala, drive the short way up into Wood Valley and enjoy lunch in the utter tranquility that steeps this community.

Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park 
Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park is a magical, spiritual, wondrous, strange and beautiful place comprised of great contrasts and contradictions: dry as dust desert to teeming tropical jungle; frigid sub-arctic wasteland to steaming black sand beaches to rivers of flowing lava.

The star attractions in the Park are a pair of active volcanoes; Mauna Loa is the largest mountain on earth and Kilauea is most active volcano on earth. However, there are numerous other wonders from lava tubes to crawl down, black sand beaches with sea turtles to watch, mysterious petroglyph fields to explore, tropical jungles to hike through, endangered bird species to find, happy-face spiders to amuse and an otherworldly volcanic landscape so fresh it's still steaming.

Famed for its fabulous views of Mauna Loa and Kilauea as much as for its interesting exhibits, The Jagger Museum (named for geologist Thomas A. Jagger) is open daily from 8:30a.m. to 5:00p.m. Exhibits include murals by Herb Kawainui Kane, seismograph charts of eruptions and earthquakes, geological displays and display about the natural and human history of the Park.

Perhaps the finest short day hike in the park, a four-mile, 2-3 hour trip down into, across and back out of Kilauea Iki Crater gives one an intimate feel for volcanoes, Hawaiian-Style. Along one side, thick fern and ohi'a forest skirts along the rim and on the other, lush tropical rainforest crowds to the very brink of the crater; bleak volcanic desert lines the crater walls and covers the floor. The start and finish of the hike are along well marked, wide trails. The remainder is an easily followed, well marked trail with stone ahu (cairns) over the crater floor. As always when hiking in the Park, it is wise to avoid the noonday sun, and to remember that afternoon showers are common, especially near where this hike meets the crater rim.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. During daylight hours, an access fee is charged. The Visitor Center has a 24-hour information line at 808.985.7017 and there is a 24-hour eruption hot-line at 808.985.6000. Within the Park tune to A.M. radio 530 for continuous information broadcast.

Whether returning to Kona or to Hilo after visiting the Park, remember that after dark except for perhaps in Kea'au, there is little or no food and no gas available on the south end of Hawaii Island after dark. One should plan ahead and expect to fill the gas tank and tummy in Volcano Village, across the highway from Hawaii volcanoes National Park. Gas prices are not, contrary to what you may have heard, any more confiscatory in expense than anywhere else on the island and Volcano is home to some first class restaurants, bakeries, interesting shops and even the island's only winery. Plan on staying a while and enjoying the aloha in this mountain town while you recharge yourself from your busy day in South Hawaii.

For more information on traveling to Hawaii in general and visiting the Big Island in particular, visit http://tourguidehawaii.com and www.lovingthebigisland.wordpress.com.

Tourguidehawaii.com Presents: Kahalu'u Beach and Snorkeling Etiquette

Loll in sand and sun under swaying palms, watch humpback whales dance in an exotic Kona sunset, snorkel among rainbow-colored fish on a protected reef or ride surf where the Kings of Hawai'i defined the sport a thousand years ago.

Kahalu’u Beach is the most popular snorkeling beach on the Island of Hawai'i with good reason; protected from the open ocean by a seawall, the reef is also protected against commercial aquarium fishing. The snorkeling is in calm, shallow water; there is an abundance of fish of an enormous variety…perhaps the best display on the island. Dozens of Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles call this bay home, eating the limu and thrilling the snorkelers. Numerous freshwater springs and shallow water bathers make the near-shore snorkeling unpleasantly cloudy, but about 100 feet offshore the water turns crystal clear and the display of coral is nothing short of amazing.

Outside the seawall is an excellent surf break that is for intermediate or better surfers and boogie boarders. There is a fair current north out of the bay and along the coast…swimmers caught in this current should relax and swim with the current, angling towards land.

Adjacent to Kahalu’u Beach is St. Peter’s Church, locally know as “The Little Blue Church”; it is the most photographed church in the State of Hawai’i. The history the St. Peter’s is fascinating and takes longer to tell than a tour of its Spartan interior and dozen pews. Originally built in 1880 on the site of La Aloa (Magic Sands) beach, the church was dismantled and hand carried piece by piece to its current location at Ku’emanu Heiau in 1912. In 1938, Father Benno of St. Michael’s added the belfry and the porch. Twice since it was situated here, St.Peters has been moved off its foundations by tsunami, but due to its small size and sturdy construction, has survived long in a harsh environment.

The Hawai'ian word Kahalu'u can be translated as "the place where people go into the water"; in ancient, as well as modern times, Kahalu'u was a place of recreation, relaxation and restoration. There are numerous sites of historic importance around the park, such as the breakwater, Paokamenehune, which predates the 15th century temple complexes in the area and is widely said to have been built by the menehune (sort of the Hawai'ian equivalent to leprechauns), but building was actually initiated to enclose the bay as a fishpond. Whether the work became beyond the powers of the Ali'i at the time to administrate or the surfing faction won-out in the battle over use of Kahalu'u Bay is not known, but the breakwater was already in disarray at the time of European contact in the 18th century. The springs on the northern edge of the park, at Ku'emanu Heiau, Waikui Punawai, where luakini sacrifices were ritually cleansed and today surfers rinse ocean water off themselves after surfing. Between St. Peters and the northern restroom is the Awa pae Wai O Keawaiki canoe landing which figured prominently in the Maui-Hawaii wars of the 16th Century. The large pond between the northern restrooms and the small pavilion, Wai Kua'a'la loko, was the private bathing pond of Hawai'ian Ali'i in residence at Kahalu'u.

Between the two pavilions is another ancient canoe landing and even into historic times, a halau wa'a, or canoe storage house, was situated here. An important heiau and royal residence, Mokuahi'ole, stood where the large pavilion is today. It was at this site that the great queen and wife of Kamehameha the Great, Ka'ahumanu, and her cousin Kuakini (later Territorial Governor) were raised.

Most days there is a food wagon selling sandwiches, burgers, shave ice and cold drinks at reasonable prices and a vendor renting snorkeling gear and boogie boards.

Since Kahalu’u Beach is where most people go to snorkel, let’s take a moment to talk about reef etiquette and the animals which inhabit the coral reefs. Please do not feed the fish, it disrupts their natural feeding habits and you may be injured. Reef fish do occasionally “nip”, so do not chase, harass or touch them (this includes octopi). The oils on your fingers will injure their skin and they may carry diseases which they can pass to you on your hands.

No discussion of Kahalu’u would be complete without a word about Hawaii’s Green Sea Turtles. Called Honu by Hawaii's natives, the Hawaiian Green Sea turtle is beautiful, serene and seeming wise. Though they have swum the oceans for over 200 million years, peacefully feeding on algae and invertebrates, this highly successful product of amphibian evolution is in grave danger. Loss of habitat, hunting and molestation by humans has conspired to push the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle to the very verge of extinction. Protected now by state and federal law, the population of once millions of individuals has been decimated to just a few hundred thousand; although they are making a comeback, Hawaii's honu are still very much endangered. Honu may grow up to 45 inches and weigh as much as 400 pounds at maturity, reached at 25 years of age.

Hawaiian Green sea turtles can easily be differentiated from the other near shore sea turtle in Hawaii, the much less common Hawksbill turtle, by counting the scales between the eyes. Hawksbills have four scales between the eyes and Hawaiian Green Sea turtles have two. Lady honu crawl on shore to lay their eggs, generally after migration to the quieter shores of the French Frigate Shoals, 800 miles northwest of Hawaii, or the black sand beaches on the south end of the Big Island of Hawaii.

Do not approach basking turtles closely, never touch or pick them up. Harassing turtles carries a stiff fine and in any case, touching the turtle is a good way to get a raging salmonella infection. If honu are swimming near where you are, do not approach or chase them; always swim to the side of them, never above (as a predatory shark would) nor below them (so they won't feel that their soft belly is at risk).

Anyone who observes their beauty and grace underwater easily understands why the Hawai'ians base their word for "peace", "honua", on their name for the green sea turtle, "honu".

Snorkeling etiquette calls for protecting not only the reef fish, but also the fragile corals growing on the reef. Corals, actually colonies of very small animals, take hundreds of years to form the structures visible today; they feed, shelter and provide habitats for other reef animals. Coral reefs also protect the lagoons and shoreline from waves and sand erosion. Corals are at the very root of Hawai’ian history and culture; the Hawaiian creation chant places the origin of life at the sea, beginning with a coral polyp.

Simply touching corals to see what they feel like can cause the death of an entire colony. Oils from your skin can disturb the delicate mucous membranes which protect the animals from disease. Please don't walk upon or stand on coral, as this can kill the living coral polyps which, as the builders of the entire reef structure, are the very foundation of the reef ecosystem. Sunscreen washing off your body can kill coral; wear a t-shirt and a swim cap for UV protection.

For more information on visiting Hawaii in general and touring the Big Island in particular, go to www.tourguidehawaii.com as well as here.

Kuamo'o: Where the Hawai'ian Gods Died, Big Island, Hawaii

Kuamo'o Battle Field/Lekeleke Burial Ground

Melancholy, lonely, desolate; this beach cut into the fresh scar of an a'a flow marks the place where the Hawai'ian gods died at the battle of Kuamo'o. In 1819, the year before the Christian missionaries arrived in Hawai'i, forces loyal to Kamehameha II and Queen Ka'ahumanu fought to overturn the kapu system and the pagan Hawai'ian religion in favor of Christianity. Kahuna Kekuaokalani led the last supporters of the old ways and the old gods and fought a desperate battle here to preserve their ancient way of life, and lost. Their graves, numbering in the several hundreds despite the official-looking marker at the site, are under the numerous, large stone altars erected by the victors over the very spots the warriors fell.

A walk along the dirt road that bisects the battlefield is ineffably sad and a little creepy. However, the road soon climbs into dryland forest along the lava ocean cliffs and provides some memorable hiking and sunset views.

Kuamo'o Battlefield is located at the very end of Ali'i Drive, somewhat appropriately. No facilities.

For more information on exploring the Big Island of Hawaii in general, and the ancient villages and temples of Kona in particular, visit: www.tourguidehawaii.com and www.lovingthebigisland.wordpress.com.

Produced by Donnie MacGowan.