Beaches :: Milolii ~ Napoopoo Beach
From Milolii to Napoopoo Beach, these are the beaches of Hawaii Big Island's South Kona Coast. Read this "Star-Bulletin" article about beach safety in Hawaii.
Milolii Beach County Park
South/Central Kona, Big Island, Hawaii. This beach, remarkable in its location (see NOTES), offers safe swimming inside the coral reef as well as some of the best tidepools on the southern coast. Wash off in the brackish pond after a long day of swimming. One of the most noticeable things about Milolii is the extensive camping that goes on here. During the weekends, dozens of local people pitch tents and spend the night by the ocean. Notice how a few of the tents even look to be pitched on a permanent basis.
Location :: Milolii.
Access :: While traveling north along Mamalahoa Highway, look for signs to your left indicating a spur road leading to the fishing village of Milolii.
Services :: Restrooms, basketball courts, camping (with permit). No drinking water.
Notes :: The village of Milolii is a must for any true seeker of Polynesian culture. Traditional fishing is still the major source of income in the area, and many of the older locals can be heard conversing in Hawaiian.
Hookena Beach County Park
South/Central Kona, Big Island, Hawaii. The broad black sand beach at Hookena is one of the surest bets in the south Kona area. Besides offering some of the best swimming and bodysurfing conditions in all of South Kona, the postcard-worthy palm trees lining the beach make Hookena one of the most scenic as well.
Location :: Hookena, approximately two miles south of the Puuhonua O Honaunau turnoff.
Access :: While traveling north along Mamalahoa Highway, look for a well-marked spur road on your left leading to the village of Hookena.
Services :: Restrooms, picnic tables, pavilion, camping (with permit). Drinking water can be obtained by way of a tap attached to a telephone pole found near the beginning of the spur road.
Notes :: Once the site of a bustling port, the village of Hookena has since fallen into a state of disrepair. Evidence of its former prosperity can be found around every corner. Portions of the old wharf are still intact, and the surrounding hills are riddled through with burial caves.
Kealakekua Bay
South/Central Kona, Big Island, Hawaii. The beach at Kealakekua offers good swimming as well as superb snorkeling due to its status as a marine life conseration district.
Location :: Outside Napoopoo, at the end of Napoopoo Road.
Access :: Napoopoo Road.
Services :: None.
Notes :: Anyone with even a casual interest in Hawaiian history and Polynesian culture would do well to visit Kealakekua Bay. Its name translates into English as "Road of the God," for it was prophesied in Polynesian mythology that it would be at this very spot that the god Lono would return to usher in a new age. Kealakekua was also the site of the first contact between Europeans and Polynesians. It was at this site on January 17, 1778 that Captain James Cook came ashore. A 27-foot white marble monument marks the site of this historical occurence. The site of Cook's death is a mile's swim from the beach. A mile's swim through open, sometimes-shark-ridden ocean that is. The swim to the bronze plaque marking the site of Cook's death is recommended only for expert swimmers/snorkelers.
Napoopoo Beach County Park
South/Central Kona, Big Island, Hawaii. Like nearby Kealakekua Bay, Napoopoo Beach is a marine life conservation district; the snorkeling is fantastic. And though the beach is often crowded as a result of organized tours based out of Kailua-Kona, the ocean is large enough to allow space for everyone.
Location :: Napoopoo.
Access :: Napoopoo Road.
Services :: Showers, restrooms, picnic facilities, lifeguards (on weekends).
Notes :: Even if your interests run to bird-watching, Napoopoo should still be near the top of your list of "must-visits." Beautiful tropical birds with yellow tailfeathers are known to frequent the area.
