Kilauea is an active shield volcano located along the southern shore of the main island of Hawaii.
How to get there: The airports on the main island are Kona International Airport and Hilo International Airport (ITO). While Punalu‘U Beach is a 41 minute drive from Kilauea, Papakōlea Beach is about an hour away.
Think Hawaii and see a care-free island life, hula dance and of course, the inviting beaches. But did you know the island and the beaches, are the result of volcanic eruptions? In fact, the most recent beach on the island was formed in 2018.
The main island is made up of five volcanoes: Hualalai, Kilauea, Kohala, Mauna Kea, and Mauna Loa, of which Kilauea is the world’s most active. So active that the 10,438 sq km-island continues to grow as lava keeps pouring into the ocean.
Being near an active volcano is what makes the beaches around it extremely dangerous. The black sand beach at Kaimu, a town on the island, was completely engulfed by an eruptive flow of lava from the Kupa’ianaha vent of the Kilauea volcano in 1990. Imagine playing on the beach, building black sand castles, and a few days later, the beach vanishes!
That’s sure to be one nail-biting experience — not what beaches are associated with. Despite that, those near the volcano are popular with tourists for the unique sand, pristine waters, scenic settings and seclusion that they offer from the touristy crowd.
Punalu‘U Beach:
While there are several black sand beaches in Hawaii, this is one of the most popular, because of the sight it offers — the endangered Hawksbill turtles and green turtles basking in the sun on the beach. This in itself is unique because turtles never bask in the sun. Only some species of green sea turtles do this in a few spots around the world, the Punalu‘U Beach being one.
The coconut palm-lined beach’s black sand is made up of fragments of lava which explodes when it reaches the ocean and cools down.
An interesting feature of the beach is the sensation of swimming in cold and hot water at the same time. This is because the cold water from the freshwater springs mixes and floats above the denser salt water. While snorkelling, hiking and swimming, are popular activities, extreme caution is advised as there can be strong currents at times.
Papakolea Beach:
Commonly known as the Green Sand Beach, it is one of the of two green sand beaches in the U.S., and one of only four in the world. The others are: Beach, Guam; Punta Cormorant on Floreana Island, Galapagos Islands; and Hornindalsvatnet, Norway.
As the name suggests, the sand appears green in colour. But it is not the sand that is green, but the green crystals from the 49,000-year-old cinder cone of the Mauna Loa volcano, within which the beach is located. These crystals are mixed with black and white sand.
The beach is formally named Papakolea after the kōlea bird that is commonly seen in the area.
While it is mesmerising and perfect for photos, the beach lacks any facilities for visitors, be it a lifeguard, food or water sources.
