Our Favorite Places: Hookena Beach

When we’re in the mood for a sandy beach but don’t want to drive up north, we head to either Keei Beach, which is about five minutes away, or Hookena Beach, which is about twenty minutes away.  Both of these beaches are small, local, and relatively quiet – compared to the big northern beaches backed by resorts.

To get to Hookena, we head up Napoopoo to Middle Keei Road, follow Middle Keei up to the Highway, then drive south until we see the sign.  We follow a winding farm-road down to the beach at the bottom.

Hookena Beach is a mixed white-black sand beach.  It has soft sand, unlike the pure black of Punalu’u, that is lovely and hot (make sure to wear your flip-flops down to the water).  The Beach is backed by dramatic sheer cliffs and is a protected small crescent.  There are some rocks and there is reef along the side and out a ways from shore, so you can snorkel, but the sand and break make this beach great for body surfing and boogie-boarding.  The turtles seem to like it here, so stay on the lookout for them. 

Camping is allowed with a permit along the back of the beach, and there are a few houses just before the entrance.  This, coupled with a sometimes rowdy sunset crowd have given Hookena a bad reputation, but it’s really a fabulous small beach and completely worth a visit.  I went the other day and was once again taken in by its beauty.  It was morning and the light shining against the jagged cliff faces and up along the rugged shoreline was breathtakingly lovely.  The water was clear and calm and there were several large tide pools alive with baby fish.  I lay down in one with my son and watched the waves crash from a safe distance.  The sky and water were both utterly, shockingly bright-blue.  The sky was cloudless, and yellow butterflies fluttered along the tops of the wet black rocks in front of us. 

A perfect afternoon for us is time lazing at Hookena Beach, playing in the soft waves, digging in the warm dark sand, and resting under the shade trees reading.  We have seen turtles here, reef fish, and dolphins, and have watched many a glorious sunset.  We’ll often bring a picnic down, poke and sushi from Choice Mart, or pick up BBQ at Big Island Jake’s on the way home.  It always seems to rain in the late afternoon, providing soft counterpoint to the heat of the beach.