Roughly 45 minutes south of Kailua-Kona you will find Ho’okena Beach Park. It is known as one of the better beaches on the island for camping. It is bordered by sea cliffs giving it a beautiful setting and is a great place for snorkeling with the waters being relatively calm most of the year. When there is a south swell it is known for a great place for boogie boarding. The beach itself is made up of a mix of white and black sands giving it a greyish look.
For one of the more isolated beaches on the island, Ho’okena Beach Park offers several amenities including outdoor showers, restroom facilities, camping, parking, and picnic tables. There is also a concession stand there that offers ice food, drinks, ice cream and more. While it is typically open during normal business hours, it can at times be closed. While many beaches allow pets, Ho’okena Beach Park does not.
Ho’okena Beach is rich with Hawaiian history being one of the last active Hawaiian canoe fishing villages in Hawaii. While visiting you will see several canoes around the beach owned by local fisherman that continue to fish in that area.
If you are interested in camping at Ho’okena, Hookena.org is a great resource for more information on the area as well as offers a link to the camping permit that you will need to acquire.
Just a short distance from Ho’okena Beach is Kalahiki Beach. Here you will find a while sand beach, but not swimmable waters. While it is on google maps, it is probably one of the least recommended beaches on the Big Island of Hawaii. Overall the waters are not very swimmable and there is not much to offer in that area as far as parking, etc goes. It is home to some lucky individuals that have homes located just off the beach giving them a nice beach to take early morning walks on.
While there is not much information online about is area, it does seem to possess some ancient burial grounds or something of that nature so if you do choose to visit the area please be careful with where you walk. There is an ancient cemetery located a short distance up the mountain from here.
About the Author: Rob Dalton is the owner of Waikoloa Vacation Rentals and has been managing vacation rentals on the Big Island of Hawaii for over 20 years.