Frommer's Kauai - Jeanette Foster [127]
One of the most photographed beaches in Kauai (it’s where Mitzi Gaynor “washed that man right out of her hair” in South Pacific), this is a great beach for a picnic or for sitting and watching the waves. It is not a good swimming beach. The scenic beach is almost a mile long and extremely wide; the far eastern end occasionally is calm enough for swimming in the summer, but it can be very, very dangerous during the rest of the year. (The best reason to go to this beach is to picnic, inland, under the trees—chow down on lunch and watch the waves roll in.) The reason for caution: Unlike other beaches on Kauai, Lumahai has no protective reef offshore, so the open ocean waves come rolling in—full force. The force is so strong that the waves reshape the beach every year, moving the sand from one end to the other. When the surf is up there is a strong rip current and a powerful backwash, along with a dangerous shorebreak. There have been drownings here, so if the surf is up, do not go near the ocean (high surf has swept people out to sea).
Summer is the best time to enjoy this beach. On the eastern side (technically Kahalahala Beach), the surf is only calm enough for swimming on the few days when there are no waves—even small ones. The western end appeals more to body and board surfers. To get here, take Kuhio Highway (Hwy. 560); just after Hanalei, look for the wide turnoff for the scenic lookout, park here, and take the trail from the highway that leads to the beach below. Keep heading east for Kahalahala Beach. There is also a parking area at the western end of the beach, off the highway, just before you get to Lumahai River. Lumahai Beach has no facilities and no lifeguard.
Tunnels Beach & Haena Beach Park
Postcard-perfect, gold-sand Tunnels Beach is one of Hawaii’s most beautiful. When the sun sinks into the Pacific along the fabled peaks of Bali Hai, there’s no better-looking beach in the islands: You’re bathed in golden rays that butter the blue sky, bounce off the steepled ridges, and tint the pale clouds hot pink. Catch the sunset from the pebbly sand beach or while swimming in the emerald-green waters, but do catch it. Tunnels is excellent for swimming almost year-round and is safe for snorkeling because it’s protected by a fringed coral reef. (However, the waters can get rough in winter.) The long, curving beach is sheltered by a forest of ironwoods that provides welcome shade from the tropical heat.
Around the corner is grainy-gold-sand Haena Beach Park, which offers excellent swimming in summer and great snorkeling amid clouds of tropical fish. But stay out of the water in winter, when the big waves are dangerous. Haena also has a popular grassy park for camping. Noise-phobes will prefer Tunnels.
Take Kuhio Highway (Hwy. 56), which becomes Highway 560 after Princeville. Tunnels is about 6 miles past Hanalei town, after mile marker 8 on the highway. (Look for the alley with the big wood gate at the end.) Haena is just down the road. Tunnels has no facilities, but Haena has restrooms, outdoor showers, barbecue grills, picnic tables, and free parking (no lifeguard, though).
Kee Beach State Park
Where the road ends on the North Shore, you’ll find a dandy little reddish-gold beach almost too beautiful to be real. Don’t be surprised if it looks familiar; it was featured in The Thornbirds. Kee (kay-ay) is on a reef-protected cove at the foot of fluted volcanic cliffs. Swimming and snorkeling are safe inside the reef but dangerous outside; those North Shore waves and currents can be killers. This park has restrooms, showers, and parking—but no lifeguard. To get here, take Kuhio Highway (Hwy. 56), which becomes Highway 560 after Princeville; Kee is about 71⁄2 miles past Hanalei.
Stargazing
Any Kauai beach is great for stargazing, almost any night of the year. Once a month, on the Saturday nearest the new moon, when the skies are darkest, the Kauai Educational Association for the Study of Astronomy sponsors a star watch at Kaumakani softball field. For information on the next star watch and directions, contact