Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [186]
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KIHOLO BAY
With its pristine turquoise waters and shoreline fringed with coconut trees, dramatic Kiholo Bay (7am-7pm) is yet another oasis. Indeed, Kiholo Bay makes a good alternative to Kekaha Kai beaches, since the graded access road is kind to 2WD and the black-sand beach is remarkably uncrowded.
The 2 mile–wide bay rewards explorers. The main beach (near the parking lot) is pebbly, and swimming is fine when seas are calm. Follow a trail south over the lava to find secluded pockets of fine black sand, and further south, a coconut grove surrounding Luahinewai, a lovely spring-fed pool. Walking north, low tide reveals tide pools that are popular feeding and napping grounds for sea turtles and offer plenty of snorkeling possibilities. Inland near the end of the gravel path is a lava tube filled with clear freshwater; adventurous swimmers can check it out. You’ll pass a gargantuan private estate with a yellow mansion and tennis courts, and at the northern end, you can walk across a shallow channel to a small island with white sand.
To get here, turn makai on the graded gravel road between the 82- and 83-mile markers. Follow the road for a mile, taking the left-hand fork and parking at the abandoned roundhouse.
For a little more adventure and even more solitude, check out Keawaiki Beach just north of Kiholo Bay. This secluded black-sand strand fronts the former estate of Francis I′i Brown, an influential 20th-century Hawaiian businessman. It’S fine for swimming when calm, but wear reef shoes, as sea urchins like the rocks. To get here, park between the 78- and 79-mile markers on Hwy 11; there’S a small lot in front of a boulder-blocked gravel road. Walk the road to the estate’S fence, then follow the trail to the right around the fence to the beach.
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SOUTH KOHALA
What began in North Kona continues in South Kohala: the sometimes plumb-straight highway cuts through sweeping coastal plains. Stark lava fields alternate with barren pastures, all baking under a relentless sun. Punctuating the drive, a series of sumptuous resorts have carved green oases at the water’S edge on some of the island’S best beaches – making their own beaches, if necessary. This region is known as the Gold Coast, but whether that’S for the sun, the prevalence of yellow tang in the waters or the wealth generated by tourism, it’S hard to say.
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TOP PICKS – SCENIC DRIVES
Chain of Craters Road (Click here)
Kohala Mountain Road (Click here)
Highway 270 from Hawi to Pololu Valley (Click here)
Saddle Road (Click here)
South Point Road (Click here)
Highway 19 along the Hamakua Coast (Click here)
Old Mamalahoa Highway from Waimea to Holualoa (Click here)
Red Road in Puna (Click here)
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In contrast to the very modern world of the resorts, South Kohala also contains numerous ancient Hawaiian sights. Apparently, the Kohala Coast (including North Kohala) was more populated then than now, and the region is packed with village sites, heiau, fishponds, petroglyphs and historic trails.
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WAIKOLOA RESORT AREA
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The celebrated Waikoloa Resort area has a lot to offer and makes a compelling destination: in addition to two huge first-rate resorts – along with their golf courses, spas and gourmet restaurants – there are two wide-ranging and attractive outdoor shopping malls, regular cultural events and entertainment, a good beach and a huge petroglyph field.
Inland from the resort area is Waikoloa Village; this ‘town’ of condo complexes was originally meant to be affordable housing for resort workers, but it’S now become more an upscale haven for retirees. The village contains a range of shops and services, but nothing you can