Posts Tagged ‘a'bay’

On March 11, 2011 a 9.0 earthquake off the coast of Japan created a tsunami that made its way to the Big Island of Hawaii. This incident damaged parts of the Big Island including A’naehoomalu Bay, A’Bay. This is a stretch of beach directly fronting the Kolea Resort and the Waikoloa Beach Marriott. The damaged area is directly in front of the Marriott. The missing section separated the ocean from the Ku’ualii Fish Ponds, a place of great historical significance to the Hawaiian people.

The concern is that the water is pushing sand into the fish pond, which could cause a loss in sand volume and collapse permanently, making future restoration impossible. This would make a temporary coastline change into something long term.

Sea Engineering, Inc received the proper permits and a temporary solution was created. On July 28th, bulldozers were brought in to repair the area with sand-filled geo-textile tubes. These devices will not allow the force of the tides and ocean currents to continue to dismantle the beach area. The project creating this temporary barrier was completed as of August 3rd, 2011.

The crews worked quickly to ensure residents and visitors were impacted as little as possible knowing this was an extremely important project, not only securing the beach area but the historical fish ponds behind it.

The final stage of the permanent repairs are currently being discussed and will completed at some point in the future. As part of the permanent repairs, the addition of Makahas, or gates is being explored. This will give the fish ponds greater circulation to ensure the longevity of this historical landmark.

To view more photos visit our facebook page.

The Big Island of Hawaii is one of the most diverse places on the earth.  Given this, there are a variety of unique beaches on the island that offer something for everyone.  From green sand beaches to fun filled state parks, the Big Island has it all.

Green Sand Beach at South Point

The Green Sand Beach is located at the very south end of the Big Island. It is in a very remote location but worth the effort to see. To reach the beach, go down the South Point Road. Follow the road to the left and go to the boat ramp. If the soil is dry and you have a 4-wheel drive vehicle, you can drive farther. However, we recommend you park near the ramp and walk the mile to the beach. You will have to descend the remains of a collapsed cinder cone to the beach. This is steep and somewhat precarious. The beach is the result of the front half of a cinder cone collapsing into the ocean, leaving a sandy beach.  There are no public facilities in this area.

Anaeho’omalu Bay, better known as A’Bay, is is a beautiful, crescent shaped white sand beach in the Waikoloa Beach Resort.  A’Bay offers some amazing daytime activities and is famous for beautiful sunset settings in the evening.

A’Bay is located in front of the Marriott hotel and Kolea.  The white sands are just steps away from both of these locations.  This area of the bay is filled with activities.  Boats go out hourly for snorkeling, scuba diving, whale watches in the winter, and lunch sails.  If you do not want to do a paid excursion, you can rent some fins and snorkeling gear at the shack at A’Bay and enjoy some wonderful snorkeling.  Sea turtles are plentiful in this area.  You can also rent out kayaks, hydro bikes, and much more.

In the evening, there are dinner and sunset sails that go out.  I have had the opportunity to take the dinner sail.  The cocktails were complementary and surprisingly the food was excellent.  We took a small sail near the Mauna Lani Resort.  We anchored there and enjoyed the sunset while we ate and then we went back to A’Bay.  It was an easy sail so if you are worried about getting sea sick it should not be a problem.  If you do not wish to go out, you can sit on the beach and have a wonderful view of a beautiful Hawaiian sunset.

If the action packed beach area in front of Kolea is too busy for your liking you can walk down the beach almost a mile and find a very peaceful, romantic area of of A’Bay.  Since A’Bay is crescent shaped from this area you will be looking across the ocean and lava rocks and see Kolea across the way.  The sea turtles love resting in this area of A’Bay.  Contact Rob at waikoloavrm@aol.com for any A’Bay activity inquiry.