Waimanalo Beach Park

This past Memorial Day our family decided to visit Waimanalo Beach Park to escape the crowds on other beaches.

Located in the center of the 75-acre Waimanalo Bay Recreation Area towards on the South East end of the island, Waimanalo Beach Park is a beautiful and uncrowded white sand beach perfect for family recreation.

Similar to other beach parks on the windward side, there are plenty of shaded areas with picnic tables throughout the park.

Across the street local residences sell refreshing ice cold coconut juice ( chilled whole coconut with a straw.)

There is a lifeguard on watch, restroom facilities, and grills to rent. Locals gather for all-night barbecues and visitors come to sunbathe, snorkel and have fun.

The beautiful white powder sand is perfect for kids to build sandcastles or moms to exfoliate their legs.

One of the major attractions of Waimanalo Bay is the surreal underwater environment. Snorkelers will revel in at the clarity of the water, the abundance of marine life, and calm conditions. .

Since Waimanalo Beach isn't know to many tourists, on weekdays  families will often have the beach to themselves.

 
  A panaromic view of one of the most beautiful beaches on the island that could be considered most people's definition of paradise. .

  Behind the park there is a gorgeous view of the mountains. Parking is free and always available, even on holidays like Memorial Day. There is also fresh water showers available to wash off when the family is done playing.



The Address for Waimanalo Beach Park is:
41-741 Kalanianaole Highway, Waimanalo, HI 96795

(808) 259-9106 ‎

Note: if your looking for vacation rentals in Waimanalo check out:
 

Waimanalo Beach on Dwellable

Ho'omaluhia Botanical Garden

The Ho'omaluhia Botanical Garden features 400 acres of geographically laid out botanic garden, rare plants from around the world, a network of trails, and  32-acre lake (no swimming allowed.)

Rare plants represented are from Philippines, Hawaii, Africa, Sri Lanka & India, Polynesia, Melanesia, Malaysia, and Tropical America.

Hoomaluhia Botanical Garden was designed and built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide flood protection for the area of Kaneohe.

Source

We parked next to the visitor center and put our daughter in the stroller since she was taking a nap. Most of the area is paved with the exception of the network of trials. Perfect for use of a stroller. Sightings of ducks, peacocks, mongooses, and birds are common throughout the park.

Stop by the visitor information for information on programs being offered, permits, car passes and special events. Guided nature hikes are offered at 10:00 a.m. on Saturdays and 1:00 p.m. on Sundays. Call (808) 233-7323 to register. 

The Kaneohe Mountain range provides a beautiful backdrop to an already surreal environment.

As the sign suggests, use caution when hiking near the stream or lake.

Exotic plants are abound making this truly a nature lover's paradise.

 
    The trail wraps around the entire 400 acres of the garden and leads to various spots to park. Restroom facilities are located at each of the parking areas. Picnic tables are also available.

Most of the tress and plants throughout the park are tagged with signs describing the species and geographical information.

    We stopped by the Ka Mala No Na Lei, or Garden of Life, to do a little exploring. This area is located steps away from the visitors center parking lot and is quite beautiful.

   Parts of the pathway were missing pavement until the end where it just turns to grass. I ended up ditching the stroller and picking my daughter up the rest of the way. Perhaps an off road stroller would have been more efficient.

    
     Some of the many exotic plants we stumbled upon throughout the park.

    We only spent about an hour at Ho'omaluhia Botanical Gardens due to time constraints, but I highly recommend spending the day here to really take in everything it has to offer. Also make sure to take advantage of the Guided Nature Hike the visitor center offers. The address for your GPS is : 45-680 Luluku Rd Kaneohe, HI 96744

Telephone for the visitors center.
(808) 233-7323

Pu'u Ualaka'a State Park

Places like the Pu'u Ualaka'a State Park are the reason why I made this website. To help readers like you find amazing places to take the family they otherwise might have overlooked.

There are quite a few stops on the way to the top of Round Top Drive where the park is located offering amazing views of Diamond Head, the Pacific Ocean, and the city of Honolulu. Parking is FREE.  

I was surprised to find the park was well equipped with restrooms, picnic tables, and a few trails to hike.

As you can see from the photo above the view is accessible by stroller or wheel chairs for the disabled.

Here is an incredible view best viewed at sunset. I imagine the Fourth of July firework display the city of Honolulu puts out every year would be a spectacle from this vantage point.

Behind the view point, near the picnic area, you will find access to a few hikes, some well fed feral cats, and a few unexpected surprises.

Here is the entrance to one of the trails. I was ill prepared with flip flops to attempt the hike and it looked quite steep to take small children, therefore I just took some photos of the entrance.

If you plan on hiking these trails use caution and come prepared with proper shoes, a hiking carrier, and maybe a light windbreaker as it was a little chilly towards the evening at that altitude.

     
   What I thought were squirrels running around the park were actually mongooses. Here one of the mongooses steals some of the cats food. The impressive speed at which the mongoose moves makes it quite difficult to snap a photo, but I managed to get a this picture and a video demonstrating just how fast these animals were. The mongoose is not a native species to Hawaii, but rather introduced in the 1800's.

The 1800's were a huge century for sugar cane and plantations shot up on many tropical islands including Hawai'i and Jamaica. With sugar cane came rats, attracted to the sweet plant, which ended up causing quite a bit of crop destruction and loss. In 1872 a gentleman by the name of W. B. Espeut, in an attempt to control the rising rat populations introduced Indian Mongoose from Calcutta to the island of Jamaica. A subsequent paper published by Espeut, that praised the results intrigued local Hawaiian plantation owners who, in 1883, brought 72 mongooses from Jamaica to the Hamakua Coast to the Big Island. These were raised and their offspring were shipped to plantations on Oahu.

Source


 Check out the video below.





 

   Mongooses weren't the only wild animals roaming the park. Look closely at the photo above and you may spot the wild chickens.

   

  On the way back on Round Top Drive we spotted a swing hanging from a tree over looking one of the view points. This would be a great spot for a Kodak moment. Use caution if your kids use the swing because it is on a very steep hill. Pu'u Ualaka'a State Park is a great place to bring the family to have a picnic or unwind from a hectic day. Don't forget the camera!
The address for Pu'u Ualaka'a State Park is Round Top Dr Honolulu, HI 96805

TIP: you will need to rent a car and bring a GPS to help navigate the windy road. 

Don't have a GPS? Pick up the: Garmin nüvi 265W/265WT 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic (See all Portable Vehicle GPS Units)

Kualoa Beach Park

Kualoa Beach Park is located on the east side of Oahu in Kaneohe across the street from the Kualoa Ranch.  Parking is free and is right in front of a sprawling lawn facing one of the most beautiful beaches on the island.

The island off in the distance is called Chinaman's Hat. The water is calm, clear, and shallow making this a perfect beach for families.

This park has plenty of trees to supply shade for a family picnic. The huge lawn is great for flying a kite, soccer, or throwing a football.

Kualoa Beach Park offers an awesome view of  the Ko'olau  Mountain range. If this look familiar its because this mountain range is a backdrop for the Lost TV series. Many Hollywood films were also shot at the Kualoa Ranch right across the street.

Chinaman's Hat is easily reachable by Kayak. Off in the distance we could see quite a few people on the island. The calm, shallow, and clear waters of Kualoa Beach Park make it perfect for kayaking and snorkeling.

For a hike, kayak, and snorkel combo package of Kualoa-click here.

Here is a departing shot of the beautiful view. Kualoa Beach Park is conveniently located near the Tropical Farms Macadamia Nut Farm Outlet which is a great place for the family to shop.  We stayed only for a bit to have lunch and check out the Kualoa Ranch across the street, but we could have just as easily spent the whole day here. It was quite relaxing and a great way to de-stress.

It takes about 40 minutes to get to Kualoa Beach from Waikiki. The address for your GPS is 49-479 Kamehameha Highway. Enjoy!

Pūpūkea Beach Park

 

This past weekend I took my daughter to visit some friends that were staying at the Plantation Village located on the North Shore. They rented a nice 2 bedroom unit with full kitchen and BBQ on the patio.  Wild pigs and chickens roam the grounds and provided some entertainment for Kaylyn.  In the photo above, you can see the pigs moving in towards the smell of my Friend's BBQ.

She was a little freaked out from the pigs although they were quite friendly and tame. She was happy Uncle saved her from the vicious boars. I am sure they were pets to one of the neighboring homes, but we didn't stick around long enough to find out. She was too excited to check out the Pūpūkea Beach Park across the street.  

Across the street from Plantation Villiage lies Pupukea Beach Park, just past Waimea Bay on the North Shore.

 Pupukea Beach Park, is a Marine Life Conservation Area. At the south end is Three Tables, a protected beach with three sections of flat coral reefs. At the north end is a lagoon called Shark's Cove which is perfect for snorkeling, beach combing and tide pooling.

 Pupukea Beach Park provides a great alternative to Waimea Bay on the weekends when parking and crowds are an issue there. When we drove past Waimea Bay there wasn't any parking available in their lot. Here parking was readily available and there was minimal people at the beach.

At the entrance is a canopy of trees to take breaks from the intense Hawaiian sun during the summer. The scenery is beautiful as you can see from the photos below.

There were quite few areas for shade and picnics at Pupukea. Across the street there were was a shrimp truck and local plate lunch diner where the family can grab a bite to eat in case you forget the picnic basket. There is also a grocery store right across the street with a full deli to try some fresh poke.

Pupukea Beach Park is known for great snorkeling , diving, and swimming because it is sheltered by the rocks seen in the photo above. I asked a few local snorkelers if they saw anything interesting and they reported seeing " tons of fish on a beautiful reef." They also mentioned this is one of best places to snorkel on the North Shore. Best of all its free to park and play!

    The laid back atmosphere of the North Shore provides a great alternative to Hanauma Bay as well. Keep in mind the North Shore gets rough in the winter time, therefore I recommend heeding to the warning signs and only snorkeling here during the summer. There are plenty of tidal pools for babies and toddlers.

 If I had known the Pupukea Beach Park was so calm , I would have brought her swimsuit and float. We will be back next weekend to go swimming at this beautiful beach. I recommend that your family make this beach a stop while you are on the North Shore. If you have a rental car with a GPS, the address for Pupukea Beach Park is 59-727 Kamehameha Highway Haleiwa 96712.