Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [179]
HIKING
The 1871 Trail is a pretty hike (2-miles return) that leads to the abandoned village of Ki′ilae. The visitor center lends a trail guide describing the marked archaeological sites along the way; in all, it takes about an hour. However, the park’S recent expansion was largely aimed at protecting more of this village site, and plans are underway to extend this trail.
Among other things, you pass a collapsed lava tube and a tremendous, if overgrown, holua (sled course) that ali′i raced sleds down. The steep Alahaka Ramp once allowed riders on horseback to travel between villages, and halfway up the ramp, the Waiu o Hina lava tube opens to the sea. Once an unofficial cliff-jumping site, it’S now permanently closed (with bars).
From the top of the ramp, the incredible vista of ocean coves and ragged cliffs is a trail highlight; for confident snorkelers, some of these coves can provide water access in calm seas. Continuing on, you reach a gate that once marked the park’S boundary; this is the current Ki′ilae Village site, where the ruins are pretty ruined, with almost nothing to see.
Festivals & Events
On the weekend closest to July 1, the park puts on a cultural festival with traditional displays and food, hukilau (net fishing) and a ‘royal court.’
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HO′OKENA
Ho′okena is a tiny, impoverished fishing village with no businesses to speak of, but it fronts a beautiful bay with a popular charcoal-sand beach park. This is primarily a locals’ spot, where large families picnic and teens hang out, blaring music from car speakers. Unlike Miloli′i, the vibe is mellow and open to outsiders and, particularly during the day, travelers should have no qualms about hanging out.
Ho′okena was once a bustling village. King Kalakaua dispatched his friend Robert Louis Stevenson here in 1889 to show him a typical Hawaiian village; Stevenson then wrote about Ho′okena in Travels in Hawaii. In the 1890s, Chinese immigrants moved into Ho′okena, a tavern and a hotel opened, and the town got rougher and rowdier. In those days, Big Island cattle were shipped from the Ho′okena landing, but when the circle-island road was built, the steamers stopped coming and people moved away. By the 1920s, the town was all but deserted.
Ho′okena’S modest-sized beach is backed by a steep green hillside. The bay’S waters are often calm and great for swimming and kayaking. The snorkeling is decent, though it drops off pretty quickly. There are strong currents further out. When the winter surf is up, local kids hit the waves with bodyboards.
The beach park has a picnic pavilion, bathrooms, showers and a concession stand, but no drinking water. Camping is right on the sand, at the base of the cliffs. Sites are awesome, but be warned that the beach is very isolated at night, and it’S a favorite late-night drinking spot. Campers have occasionally been hassled. While there’S now a security guard patrolling the park, survey the scene before committing yourself. A county permit (Click here) is required.
The signed turnoff is between the 101- and 102-mile markers. A narrow road winds 2 miles down to the beach. Veer left at the bottom.
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MILOLI′I
Miloli′i residents highly prize the traditional lifestyle of their modest fishing village, and they are very protective of it. Compared to Ho′okena, Miloli′i feels quite prosperous, with new homes dotting the hillsides (and a 1926 lava flow), well-kept churches, and fishermen zipping around in motorized boats – along with makeshift shacks and older fishermen patiently fixing their nets by the water. Miloli′i means ‘fine twist,’ and historically the village was known for its skilled sennit twisters, who used bark from the olona (a native shrub) to make fine cord and highly valued fishnets.
But Miloli′i is also known for its resistance to, and lack of, tourism. Villagers prefer their isolation and are not enthusiastic about visitors strolling through town. At the end of the steep, winding 5-mile road to the village is a small county beach park with bathrooms,