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Published: April 24th 2009
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South Point was next on the trip. I rented a car and drove to South Point to hike to the Green Sand Beach. Unfortunately for me, I was stopped by construction on the road to the beach and was told to come back before 8am the next day so I decided to check out Punalu 'u Beach for the time being. According to the lonely planet guide sea turtles were known for coming on to shore and sun bathing in the black sand, so I saw it as a an opportunity to cuddle with a turtle.. or at least try. When I got there, I parked and roamed around the lava rock. There were little patches of water here and there, looking a little closer there were two turtles looking for food. Once I finally made it to the beach entrance, I saw a few people gathered around a turtle on the sand. They only allow you to get 15ft from the turtles but it was still awesome, a cute little turtle on a black sand beach... pretty sweet. After that I decided to head back to Kona, along the way stopping at free coffee and macadamia nut tastings.
Bright
and early the next day I decided to try the Green Sand Beach adventure again. At 8am on the dot I was driving past where the construction was soon to start and was on my way to the beach. I drove slowly till the roads got too rough, parked the tiny little rental car and began the hike. The paths that I hiked on had huge ruts that I'm surprised Jeeps could even go through. On the walk I was surrounded by beautiful lava rock, huge waves and green hills. After an hour into the hike I saw a very unique rock formation in the distance. The closer I got the more it felt like I was in a Salvador Dali painting and less like reality. When I arrived, there was some question as to how to actually get down to the beach, but walking around the edge I soon found a railing and rocks that acted as stepping stones down onto the beach itself. The winds were rough and it started raining, I was able to seek cover under some of the rocks on the beach, just as other people started arriving. No picture can do this justice, easily
one of the most unique places i've ever visited.
I saw a local selling green sand at Punalu 'u Beach and was a bit confused, there is a 500$ fine for taking the sand so be respectful so that others can enjoy it in the future.
Tip: Get there early to have the beach to yourself. This is my version of the directions on how to get to The Green Sand Beach: • Get on the Hw 11 and drive until you come across a sign that says South Point (between mile marker 69 and 70)
• Turn right, you will pass windmills and beautiful grassy areas, eventually you will come to a fork in the road
The right leads to south point the left to the green sand beach
• Keep left towards the green sand beach, drive until the road gives out ( that may seem immediate but you will eventually come to a parking lot)
• Park and begin your hike (don't forget water!) by following any of the rutted paths you see
You will quickly come up on an open gate and more rutted paths, which ever one you pick
just try to stay close to shore
• About an hour into your hike you will see a unique rock formation in the distance, that's the beach!
The closer you get the more obvious and beautiful it will be
• The hiking path takes you around the side of the beach with a welcome sign and a huge cliff that will leave you questioning how to get onto the beach itself
• Walk around to the other side to find a railing and indents in the rock that act like stepping stones right on to the beach.
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