HONOKOHAU BEACH, HI

From: richard@West.Sun.COM (Richard M. Mathews)

  HONOKOHAU BEACH, on the Big Island of Hawaii, is mentioned in the
  World Guide, and I visited it for the first time last Saturday morning.
  There is a long sandy beach, unusual for the Big Island.  The sand is
  a mixture of bits of black lava and white coral, making for a grey or
  tweed sand beach.  The sand has medium coarseness for Hawaii, but is
  coarse by California or Caribbean standards.  At the ends of the beach
  stand some trees for shade, but you must arrive early to claim these
  spots.  The sand goes into the water to about thigh depth, then gives
  way to rock.  The surf is particularly mild due to the combination of
  the beach's location on the leeward side of the island, and the reef
  100 to 200 yards offshore.  The beach is backed by a squishy-bottomed
  brackish water pond popular with ducks and other shorebirds.

  When we arrived about 8:30 am, one woman and six men in parties of 1 to
  2 were already there.  All were nude except for one man sunbathing at
  the farthest end of the beach.  Two of the men played with a Frisbee.
  There was also a fully dressed birdwatcher scoping the ducks on the pond
  behind the beach.  We stayed until about 10:00, by which time 8 more men
  and 4 women had shown or were showing up.  One woman, just arriving as
  we left, was bringing a guitar and two large drums out to the beach.

  To get there, go north a couple miles from Kailua-Kona toward Keahole
  airport or south from the airport toward Kailua, and turn west on the
  marked and paved road to the Honokohau Small Boat Harbor.  Just as
  you arrive at the marina property, turn right, and follow the road
  counter-clockwise around the fence.  When the pavement ends, it looks
  like the road continues into the bush, but the road is marked with
  "Keep Out" and "Dog Bites!" signs.  Don't go here.  Instead, turn
  left into the marina, and proceed through the drydock and repair
  area, and continue to follow the right edge of the harbor itself out
  to the end of the road, where there is a small parking area.  Here
  there is a "Don't Block Driveway" sign.  Beyond the sign is a small
  squatter's beach encampment on the edge of an old Hawaiian fishpond,
  and the ruins of the most recently constructed of Hawaii's old heiaus,
  or temples, which was built by King Kamehameha I at the outset of his
  campaign to conquer all the islands.  The squatters have several dogs
  tied up and barking their brains out.  Walk past the encampment and
  a quarter mile over lava (under water at high tide) to the strand
  beyond.  I understand there is a fresh/brackish water bathing pool
  called Queen's Bath some distance beyond the beach, but we didn't
  have time to explore out to it.

  Weather reports for the area can be found at
|   http://www.princeton.edu/cgi-bin/Webweather/ww?city=ito

  	[Original from David Herberg <HERBERG_DAVID@tandem.com>]