Sandy Shores

This morning I have a mission, to find Secret Beach. It should be easy enough. It’s on the map and I can read maps. The issue is lots of the roads aren’t marked and some are glorified cart paths. We have been told to take Kalihiwa Road and turn right onto Pier Road, drive to the end, park and take the path to the beach. On the way, I saw the sign pointing to Anini Beach Road so we turn down this dead end to find one of the more pristine and protected snorkel sites on the north side. And sure enough, the huge waves are breaking several hundred feet off shore. The reef that protects this beach is also responsible for the abundance and variety of marine life. All beaches are public in Hawaii but some, with services like lifeguards, rest rooms and propane grills are run by the county who can implement certain rules. The big one seems to be no pets allowed. I can understand that. No one wants to stretch out in the sand where a dog has done his business. So, people with pets choose less choice spots for pet recreation. We cam upon a lady, her two children and their two puppies in a quiet cove almost in site of Anini. The down side- no amenities and very little beach but the up side was a quiet tidal pool the children could play in and the dogs had free range to be, well, dogs! We found another place overlooking the outlet to the sea of the Kalihiwai River into the bay of the same name.  There, the surf was breaking a bit more reliably and there was a number of boards in the water. Another hour found us finally at the path to Secret Beach after three more dead ends and a turn down into two more quiet coves. But, oh the beach was incredible. It’s a two mile crescent broken at low tide by several lava benches jutting into the ocean. Absolutely no one was in the water and with good reason. The waves here were huge and I could tell by the way they were breaking, there was a massive rip tide and untold amounts of reef beneath the surface. The sun sparkled off the Kilauea Light up on the bluff and I think I took another 100 or more photos. I found it hard to leave. Each wave seemed larger than the one before and it may have been so. We were watching a rising tide. Before our return to Princeville, we drove another mile to Kilauea town to photograph the Christ Memorial Episcopal Church, built from stone and dedicated just one month after the attack on Pearl Harbor. We had lunch at the Chevron Station in Princeville which is reputed to have the best pizza on the north side. I passed up a slice for $7.00 and change to have the local Princeville Pride Beef in the form of a Holo Holo Burger. I’m pretty sure that means with the works as it came with cheese, lettuce, tomato and onion. In fairness to the price of a slice, I have to mention a slice is ¼ of the pie. The day ended with a visit to those Hanalei Taro fields we viewed earlier in the day from the overlook. After crossing the one lane bridge over the Hanalei River and taking a hard left, Carl found a safe place to pull of the one lane road so I could do my thing. The only accessible field is the first one on the right and even that one has signage to prevent theft or damage to the crop. That’s all well and good but I want photos that are unencumbered by fences, signs, and anything that screams of modern convenience like cell towers and power lines. I found a comfortable position on the ground just close enough to the water but not so close I was in danger of trespass. Taro is a staple of the Hawaiian diet and not just something to serve Haole tourists at luaus.