Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [94]
GRAY’S BEACH
Near the Halekulani Hotel, Gray’s Beach has suffered some of the Waikiki strip’s worst erosion. Because the seawall in front of the Halekulani was built so close to the waterline, the part of the beach facing the hotel is often totally submerged, though the waters off the beach are shallow and calm. What little remains preserves the memory of a boarding house called Gray’s-by-the-Sea established here during the 1920s.
CENTRAL WAIKIKI BEACH
Between the Royal Hawaiian Hotel and the Moana Surfrider, Waikiki’s busiest section of sand and surf is great for sunbathing, swimming and people watching.
Most of the beach has a shallow bottom with a gradual slope. The only drawback for swimmers is the beach’s popularity with beginner surfers and the occasional catamaran landing. Queens and Canoes, Waikiki’s best-known surf breaks, are just offshore, and sometimes there are scores of surfers lined up on the horizon waiting to catch a wave. A longer paddle offshore is Populars (aka ‘Pops’), favored by longboarders.
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GROANING ABOUT WAIKIKI’S GROINS
After Waikiki tourism took off in the 1950s, the beachfront inevitably became more developed. Private landowners haphazardly constructed seawalls and offshore barriers (called groins) to protect their properties, thus blocking the natural forces of sand accretion, making erosion a serious problem. Today, some of Waikiki’s legendary white sands have actually been barged in from Papohaku Beach on the island of Moloka′i.
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There are rest rooms, showers, a snack bar, surfboard lockers and rental stands at Waikiki Beach Center. On the Diamond Head side of the police station, you’ll see four boulders, known as the Wizard Stones of Kapaemahu, said to contain the secrets and healing powers of four sorcerers who visited from Tahiti in the 16th century.
Just east of the stones is a bronze statue of Duke Kahanamoku standing with one of his longboards. Considered the father of modern surfing, Duke made his home in Waikiki and gave surfing demonstrations around the world, from Sydney, Australia, to Rockaway Beach, New York. Many local surfers have taken issue with the placement of the statue; Duke is standing with his back to the sea, a position they say he never would have assumed in real life.
KUHIO BEACH PARK
For everything from protected swimming to outrigger canoe rides, this beach is marked on its eastern end by Kapahulu Groin, a walled storm drain with a walkway on top that juts out into the ocean. A low stone breakwater, called the Wall, runs out from Kapahulu Groin, parallel to the beach. It was built to control sand erosion and, in the process, two nearly enclosed swimming pools were formed.
Local kids walk out on the Wall, but it can be dangerous, due to a slippery surface and breaking surf. The pool closest to Kapahulu Groin is best for swimming, with the water near the breakwater reaching overhead depths. However, because circulation is limited, the water gets murky, with a noticeable film of suntan oil. The ‘Watch Out Deep Holes’ sign refers to holes in the pool’s sandy bottom created by swirling currents, so waders should be cautious in the deeper part of the pool.
Kapahulu Groin is one of Waikiki’s hottest bodyboarding spots. If the surf’s right, you can find a few dozen bodyboarders, mostly teenagers, riding the waves. These experienced local kids ride straight for the groin’s cement wall and then veer away at the last moment, thrilling tourists watching them from the little pier above.
KAPI‘OLANI BEACH PARK
Starting at Kapahulu Groin and extending down to the Natatorium, this stretch of beach is