Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [425]
This long, golden-sand beach, named after L David Larsen (former manager of C Brewer’s Kilauea Sugar Company), is good for solitary strolls and beachcombing.
Although shallow, snorkeling can be good when the waters are very calm, usually only in the summer. Beware of a vicious current that runs westward along the beach and out through a channel in the reef.
When the tide is low, you might share Larsen’s with Hawaiian families collecting an edible seaweed called limu kohu. The seaweed found here is considered to be some of the finest in all of Hawaii. Otherwise, it will be you, the sand and the waves.
To get here, turn onto Ko′olau Rd from whichever end (ie where it intersects either Kuhio Hwy or Moloa′a Rd), go just over a mile then turn toward the ocean on a dirt road (easy to miss from the south: look for it just before the cemetery) and take the immediate left. It’s 1 mile to the parking area and then a five-minute walk downhill to the beach.
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NORTH SHORE
Forget Eden. Arguably the most pristine part of the island, the North Shore’s quilted green slopes and valleys are effortlessly fertile. Somewhere between Hanalei Valley and the ‘end of the road,’ the seemingly untouched landscape makes it easy to imagine what it must have been like for the Hawaiian gods taking in from above the sand, sea and mountains below. Savour life here: swim through the turquoise sea, bite into juicy farmers-market fruits and nap away the afternoons on warm sugar-sand. To be sure, the sleepy little enclave that is the North Shore is an unassuming treasure.
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KILAUEA
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Many North Shore visitors treat Kilauea as an ephemeral stop in which to gas up, grab lunch and snap a few photographs on their way north – perhaps they’re a little too hasty.
The most northern point of the island offers lush vegetation, great eateries and some of the best souvenir shopping around. It’s home to wine vendors, fish markets, a scenic wildlife refuge and one of the island’s best fruit stands, but perhaps the fact that it has one of the most well-known (and counterintuitively named) ‘secret’ beaches on the island will justify you giving it a look-see.
Sights & Activities
Kahili (Rock Quarries) Beach & Pools of Mokolea
Best for a sunny calm day, this scenic little stretch of beach is a little hard to get to and tucked away between two cliffs where the Kilauea Stream meets the ocean. Public access is via Wailapa Rd, which begins midway between the 21- and 22-mile markers on Kuhio Hwy. Follow Wailapa Rd north for less than 0.5 miles beyond Kuhio Hwy and then turn left on the unmarked dirt road (4WD recommended) that begins at a bright-yellow water valve.
KAUAPEA (SECRET) BEACH
No, that’s not Adam and Eve, it’s likely a visiting couple wearing less than fig leaves, as this is a spot renowned for nude (albeit illegal) sunbathing. Kauapea remains reclusive, despite the fact that it’s lost its virgin-quality mystique. To be sure, the oft-dubbed ‘secret’ beach hardly lives up to its moniker these days. If you can handle nudity, this might just be the beach for you.
Accessing the beach requires a trek of about 15 minutes, which, during inclement weather, is dangerous. Turn right at Kalihiwai Rd and turn at the first dirt road. Follow the trail to the bottom. If the swells are down, you can consider strolling left instead of right where the trail meets the beach. Take caution and have respect for the ocean. Continue if water is calm to the lava rocks, about a quarter-mile down.
KILAUEA POINT NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
Home to some of Hawai′i’s endangered wildlife, this refuge (828-1413; www.fws.gov/kilaueapoint; Lighthouse Rd; adult/child under 16 $5/free; 10am-4pm, closed federal holidays; ) also has sweeping views, as seen from the 52ft white tower of the lighthouse abutting 216ft sea cliffs. Plummeting rare birds and soaring 8ft-wingspan great frigates, along with views of breaching whales, make this historic landmark a treasure. The list of reasons to at least stop goes on and on (it