Visiting Papakōlea Green Sand Beach

With everything happening so far this year I haven't had time to talk about my trip to Papakōlea Beach while my family was visiting in January. Papakōlea Beach is one of two green sand beaches in the world (the other being in the Galàpagos Islands), with papa kōlea meaning “plover flats” in Hawaiian. It's located about three miles east of Ka Lae, or South Point, the southernmost-point on Hawaiʻi island, in the state of Hawaii, and in the US.

Windmills near South Point (facing north). They're on top of a huge scarp falling off to the west.

I'd never actually been to South Point before so visiting it was a new experience. I was once again struck by the vast amount and array of microclimates to be found around this island. The southern tip of Mauna Loa is windswept and barren, with only low grass or scraggly trees blowing fitfully in the ever-present breeze. 

Sea cliffs at South Point (facing north up the west coast).

Beach at South Point (facing south, towards Antarctica).

I knew there were sea cliffs at South Point, but didn't realize there were also beaches within the space of half a mile or so. It's interesting to think that, looking southwards, the next land is Antarctica, almost half the globe away! (And if you get swept out to sea, the current will take you straight there…) The eerie solitude of the place definitely instills a respect for the ocean. There are no lifeguards here, so while you can swim, it's definitely “at your own risk” (emphasis on risk). People have absolutely been lost to the sea here (I think there was one just last year).

Papakōlea Beach, within a volcanic tuff cone (facing east along the coast).

It's a few miles from the parking lot to the beach, and takes about an hour and ten minutes to hike. As I went along, at some point I remember looking down at the ground and thinking that the sand was starting to have a definite greenish cast to it. The trail passes very near the point where the photo above was taken, which provides a fantastic vantage point to see the partially eroded volcanic cone which provides the olivine crystals that give the sand its color.

View from the top of the path looking down to the beach.

I didn't get a great view of the path down, but it's not the easiest walk. Some old metal ladders near the top provided a start where the path is steepest, after which we carefully made our way down sloping, eroded tuff cliffs. It was slightly dicey, but it's not a long path and once down on the beach it was fine.

Sand up close! (Hand courtesy of my brother Joel.)

The color is a little hard to bring through in photos (I wonder if the camera is doing some color balancing), and it's not exactly a vivid green, but it's definitely not your normal sand color either.

View of some of the eroded parts of the cone on its eastern side, from down on the beach.

Looking back west from near the highest point of the cone.

Overall it's a very interesting beach to visit. Even if it weren't for the green sand, the topography and the way it exists inside an old volcanic cone is fascinating, and very picturesque.

One thing noticeable in many of these photos is the weather. The day we visited there was a winter storm over much of the island, and the clouds were fairly thick in the sky with a constant, stiff wind blowing. (Our timing couldn't have been better, though, since literally as we reached the car on our way back it started to rain.) This was probably about the best weather we could have asked for, in terms of hiking, as the exposed trail would be brutal under a clear sky or without a cooling breeze. If you go, definitely make sure you have good sun protection and plenty of water (and maybe try to go early in the morning).

I'm glad I finally made it out to the beach (it only took twelve years…), and hopefully I can get back there sometime with my drone in better weather when the wind isn't blowing constantly and get some aerial photos. We'll see! A hui hou!