Kawailoa Bay and the
lithified sand dune bluff of Makawehi Point.
You will never guess that we could hike from the
Bird of Paradise home in Poipu Kai resort to Kawailoa Bay and Ha'ula
Beach (also called the secret beach).
There is an easy but spectacular walking trail
along the elevated shoreline and we encourage
you to try this short but a wonderful hike.
Direction: Start walking from Bird of
Paradise home to Shipwreck Beach where the Hyatt
and the Poipu Bay resort golf course are. Walk
along high sand dunes toward northeast (border
of the Poipu Bay golf).
The trail starts
at a fence opening where the fence encounters
the ocean. Within 15 minutes from home,
you will be at Makewehi Lithified Cliffs, great
place to observe the Pacific Ocean on the south
shore of Kauai.
In the morning you can watch the
sunrise as well as see whale
(December
-through March) pods spouting. The
shoreline views and Lithified Cliffs are
breathtaking! The trail is never crowded,
occasionally you may be passed by a CJM stables horseback
riding tour.
After about two miles along
the shore you will come to a creek (there
is a trail that goes inland along the creek to
see some caves etc) cross the creek and you
are at the beginning of Mahaulepu beach. You will
see on your left coconut trees and the Gillin
house.
Another half a mile, you will reach
a point with a reef about 100 feet offshore. If
you are walking in the afternoon and the wind is
blowing you will see many locals kite surfing or
windsurfing. However, windsurfing or kite
surfing in Mahaulepu is not for the
inexperienced. Do not try it alone (especially
kite surfing) you may get into
trouble.
Continue
walking along the beach shore for
another ten to fifteen minutes, the next beach
you will see will be Ha'ula Beach,
where local fisherman love to come and fish from
the cliffs on weekends.
Overall this hike
will take about two hours, and having good
shoes is a necessity, you can not do it with
sandals. In warm weather you should definitely
take along some water because there is no
drinking water along the way.
If you are
ambitious you can continue for another ten to
fifteen minutes (crossing under a cattle guard
fence) and come to another really
beautiful hidden beach where you can find many
small shells. An alternate and easier way to go
to these secret beaches would be to drive to Mahaulepu park there and walk northeast along
the shore. This will cut the length of the hike
in half.
Please note that if you want to swim, the only
really safe place to swim is the little lagoon
like area at the point ( where the kite surfers
launch). Even there, there can be strong currents
during the summer so be careful and enjoy
yourself in safety.
Hiking from Bird
of Paradise home to Makawehi Point (# 8)
Please click Maha'ulepu Heritage Trial for more hiking in Poipu, Kauai
Please click here for more hiking in Kauai, Hawaii |
Makewehi Lithified Cliffs |
Horseback riding along the
Maha'ulepu Beach.
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