Sightseeing on Hawaii 270 - Hawai'i Island

Retracing our path from the Pololū Valley during our February 2014 visit, we made a few additional stops.

Kēōkea Beach Park

Located one mile down Kēōkea Beach Road, this county park has picnic tables, restrooms, a pavilion with a kitchen and a rocky beach.  While it isn't a prime location for swimming or surfing, it was an excellent location to relax and watch the ocean.

Parking can be a bit of a problem on weekends

View from the pavilion

Pavilion with tsunami siren in the background

The pavilion contains picnic tables, a kitchen and restrooms

The rocky beach of Kēōkea Bay

Kēōkea Bay

A wave crashes ashore

The breakwater at Kalalae Point provides protected access to the water

A lone surfer takes on the waves beyond the breakwater

Kapaʻau

King Kamehameha I was born near here at Moʻokini Heiau on the coast west of Hāwī and the Upolu Airport.  The Hawaii legislature appropriated $10,000 for a statue to commemorate the 100th anniversary  of the arrival of Captain Cook to the islands.  It was sculpted by Thomas R. Gould in Florence, Italy and sent to Paris, France to be cast in bronze.  After a shipwreck in 1883, the casting was thought to be lost at sea near the Falkland Islands, but it was recovered and placed at Kapa'au while a replacement statue was placed at ʻIolani Palace in Honolulu.

The original King Kamehameha I statue

Copies of this statue are located in Honolulu and in the US Capitol Building

Upolu Airport Road

After seeing wind turbines from a distance, we decided to drive down Upolu Airport Road to see if it went near them.  The two mile road actually forms the western border of the wind farm.  Upolu Airport was built by the federal government in 1927.  The general aviation airport consists of a single 3800' long asphalt runway with an airplane tie down area and a small service building.

The Hawi Renewable Development Wind Farm at Upolu Point has been in operation since 2006

The wind farm consists of 16 Vestas 660-kilowatt wind turbines

The coast of Maui is 30 miles from the Upolu Airport

Admission to all attractions mentioned in this post is free.

While there is not a Kēōkea Beach Park website, the county does provide a map and description of the park at http://www.hawaiicounty.gov/pl-n-kohala-map2.

Mahai'ula Bay - Kekaha Kai State Park - Hawaii

Our February 2014 visit to Hawaii continued with a day at the Mahai'ula section of Kekaha Kai State Park.  The park is located about 2.5 miles north of Keahole Airport in Kailua-Kona.  Access to the beach is by way of a once paved 1.5 mile track across lava to a graded parking area.  Signs that advise motorists to "Drive Carefully Unimproved Road Ahead" are not kidding.  The road ends near the beach south of Mahai'ula Bay.  A parking area and wheelchair accessible vault toilets have been built there.  In addition, a network of sidewalks provides access to several picnic tables and the beach.  To reach the beach at Mahai'ula Bay requires either walking along the soft sand and across the lava flows or parking at a smaller parking area a few hundred feet from the end of the road and hiking down a gated lava road.  The lava road is an easier and quicker walk, but not as scenic.

Picnic tables

A lone tree grows next to driftwood

The beach is alternating lava and sand

Green sea turtles bask in the sun beside the bay

Surfers hone their skills at the northern edge of the bay

Waves crash against the rocks at the northern edge of the bay

The beach abruptly ends at a lava field

These buildings are in disrepair and have been posted as off limits to visitors

Lava rocks have been stacked to make a fence

An old water tower stands at the north end of the bay

Mahai'ulu Bay is not very large

The lava field acts as a partial breakwater for the bay

In the constant battle between land and sea, the sea always wins in the end

A wave crashes against the lava shore at the southern end of the bay

Another wave comes ashore

A very small arch has formed in the lava

A wave crashes through the arch...

...before draining back to the ocean

Looking north across the bay toward the water tower under the palm trees

Another wave crashes against the rocky shore...

...and flows back into the bay

The white sandy beach glows with the setting sun

The beach is fairly steep

Waves on the sandy beach 

A tree grows in the sand just above the normal high tide

The sun sinks low in the sky

 Golden light

Sunset is quick and twilight is fleeting in Hawaii

The lava flow paths are easy to discern decades after the eruption is over

The lava road providing pedestrian access to the bay

A very distinct boundary between the lava and the sand

There is no entry fee to visit Mahai'ula Bay in Kekaha Kai State Park.  The park is closed on Wednesdays, but otherwise open from 9AM until 7PM.

The park website is http://www.hawaiistateparks.org/parks/hawaii/index.cfm?park_id=47.

'Akaka Falls State Park - Honomu, Hawaii

Our February 2014 trip to Hawaii continued with a stop at 'Akaka Falls State Park.  This little jewel is slightly off the beaten path near the town of Honomu on the Big Island.  From Hilo, drive about 11 miles north on Hawaii route 19, Hawaii Belt Road.  Turn left on route 220, Honomu Road, and follow the signs through another left turn, Old Mamalahoa Highway, and a right turn, Akaka Falls Road, before reaching the park in about 4 miles.  From the turnoff on Route 19, the road averages a 5% grade as it climbs over 1000 feet to the park.  Restrooms and drinking water are available at the park.

Once at the park, a concrete loop trail complete with handrails and steps provides views of the two large waterfalls in the park.  Signage indicates that visitors interested in seeing both falls should proceed in a counterclockwise direction, so we did.  The path led down a series of steps through the rain forest before crossing a small creek and climbing up to an obstructed overlook of Kahūnā Falls on the far side of the gorge.  Kahūnā Falls is a cascading 417 feet on a tributary to Kolekole Stream downstream of 'Akaka Falls.

First glimpse of the top of 'Akaka Falls

Rainforest along the path

More rainforest covers an unnamed stream

Bamboo growing along the trail

The trail crosses this small stream on a sturdy bridge

Looking back up the trail from the bridge

An obstructed view of Kahūnā Falls

Another view of Kahūnā Falls

A closer view of a portion of Kahūnā Falls

After leaving the overlook, we turned right and followed the pathway up stairs, past a banyan tree and through more rainforest before arriving at the edge of the gorge and a direct view of 'Akaka Falls.  This is a free-falling 422 foot tall plunge on Kolekole Stream.

The upper portion of 'Akaka Falls

'Akaka Falls

A slightly different view of 'Akaka Falls

Once we left the 'Akaka Falls view point, we continued along the trail passing more rain forest and re-crossing the small creek we had crossed earlier.  Just upstream from the bridge, the creek provided two small waterfalls of its own.

A banana flower along the trail

Two waterfalls on an unnamed stream

There is a $5 entrance fee per vehicle or $1 each for pedestrians.  Hawaii residents are admitted free.

The park website is http://www.hawaiistateparks.org/parks/hawaii/index.cfm?park_id=2.