I don’t know how many different beaches there are around the island of Oahu, but based on a quick glance at my map, there must be at least two dozen, from small, intimate beaches tucked in inlets and coves to larger beaches like Waikiki. In six days, we visited four beaches spending between two hours and “most of the day.”
There were four of us in “our crew,” and each of us has our own idea of the perfect beach. I am not a strong swimmer nor am I a surfer. My academic major was biology, and I prefer wild beaches with tide pools, rocky outcrops, small islands, etc., to explore for beach life. My wife loves the surf and swimming. One passion we all share is photography.
During our week in Hawaii, we were able to visit four beaches—each one distinctly different
Our traveling companions—my sister-in-law Karen, and her husband Dustin, were celebrating their 40th anniversary. They are both accomplished videographers with their own YouTube channel, Boomer’s Outdoors.
Waikiki Beach
Waikiki Beach is located near one of the busier tourist areas near many hotels and restaurants. Standing on the beach looking back at the shoreline, central Honolulu is to the left and Diamond Head crater is on the right.
Waikiki Beach is wide with a very gentle slope seaward. When the tide is out, you can walk 100 yards or more to the surf, at least in some areas. You can lounge on the beach, swim, surf, hunt for shells or just people-watch. There are a variety of concessions along the beach, and there are several major hotels that open onto the beach so you can slip inside for lunch or shopping. Waikiki is on the east side of the island, so get up early one morning and head to the beach—sunrise is almost always a treat. If early mornings aren’t your thing, Waikiki is active well into the night.
Makapu’u Beach Park
Makapu’u Beach Park was the first beach we encountered traveling east along Highway 72 east out of Honolulu. There are other secluded beaches along the way, but Makapu’u was the first we saw from the highway
A paved parking area high above the beach provided excellent views. There are several paths down to either a secluded sandy beach or a broad open tidal beach consisting of beach sand and a broad area of ancient, tide-worn lava that created many tide pools for exploring where lava and sea collide.
Makapu’u is an interesting beach that offers swimming, fishing, kayaking, beach combing and exploration—with some rock climbing thrown in—or just relaxing. The park also has a nicely equipped picnic area. While we were there, we saw that people had set up small tents and other sun shelters on the beach, apparently planning to stay for a while.
Not far from the beach, on the seaward side of the steep hill just south of the beach is the Makapu’u lighthouse. This is the eastern most point of Oahu. Access to the lighthouse is via a road off of Rt 72 near Kaloko Beach and then a hiking trail from a parking area. The hike to the lighthouse is about a two-mile round trip. Note: the lighthouse itself is not open to the public.
Overall, we recommend the drive to Makapu’u as it takes you along one of Oahu’s most scenic stretches of highway winding along Koko Head Crater—a black lava mountain.
LaniKai Beach Park
For our second day of beach exploring, Karen and Dustin had identified LaniKai, a beach farther up the east coast. We took coastal Rt 72 out of Honolulu north to Kailua Drive. From that point, we recommend either a good local map, Google Maps, or a GPS for detailed driving directions. Your destination is LaniKai Beach, a long sand beach that runs between La’ie and Kalani Points. Swimming is good here during the summer. In the wintertime when the surf is up, be alert for strong currents.
LaniKai Beach Park is a beautiful spot on Oahu’s eastern (windward) shoreline. Additionally, it has the perfect combination of powder-soft sand and turquoise-blue waters. This park is an excellent beach for water sports, including kayaking and windsurfing.
The beach area is more than a mile long, so there is plenty of room even on a busy day. There was a steady flow of what I would call mild surf—waves about two feet high, ideal for amateur surfers. This is the kind of beach that you make it what you want—relax in the shade and watch, swim in the in surf or beyond the surf, surf boarding, wind surfing, and I even saw some team canoes farther away from shore.
Makaha Beach Park
Our return flight was scheduled for late afternoon, so we took a drive along the southwest side of Oahu and discovered Makaha Beach Park. This is near the western tip of the island that includes the Makua Military Reservation. There are several military or other government installations on the western tip of the island, but it appears that they are reasonably well integrated with visitor areas for hiking in the mountains.
Makaha Beach is a small beach compared to the others we visited, but it is so far out on the western end of the island that few folks bother to make the trip. We spent several hours relaxing and enjoying our last beach opportunity.
There is a large outcrop of lava midway down the beach, and as the incoming tide waves rolled in, they crashed up under this outcrop and blew up through a hole in the rocky formation.
It was soon time to begin our trek home from the Paradise of Oahu .
Aloha, Hawaii.
Renaissance Musings 