On Kauai, we can hike all the way from Po’ipu to the last shoreline area before the Hoary Head Range at Ha’ula Bay.   The whole distance is a long and rugged route so we often hike sections with some beach time at Maha’ulepu (our favorite) Beach.   If we take the rough road in to Maha’ulepu, we park at Kawailoa Bay and hike over the headlands to Ha’ula Bay and back.

Many trails crisscross the headlands, so we just take the ones closest to the water, following headlands past overhanging lithified dunes, surge blowholes, beaches, lava fields, sand dunes, naupaka-covered dunes, ironwoods, wildflowers, and wave breaks on the seacliffs.   This is a  route to take your time.

the rough route to Ha’ula

The trails seem to end at a barbed wire fence but there is a gate higher up the slope (which is an easier route too) or adventurous sorts (who me?) can go around the end of the fence on the seacliffs (just hold on to the end post) and across the very ragged headland all the way round to Ha’ula Bay.

Ha’ula Bay is a perfect crescent sandy beach, the last before the rugged, vertical Hoary Head Range.   It is possible to hike beyond this, but only with leg protection and good footwear.   The route is overgrown and the kiawe (shrub) will rip at your clothes, the cactus will lodge in your boots, and the a’a (lava flow) is very rough.   We usually sit at Ha’ula Bay for a while, then loop  back through the dunes.

Ha’ula Beach

The whole route is about 4km return, but we spend a lot of time watching for turtles and whales, witnessing the crashing waves, and inspecting the wildlflowers of the dunes and ironwood forest so that it takes some time, just enough to warrant a swim at Maha’ulepu.