12 Miles Down the Ala Kahakai

Do you see the face in the rock? Walking through the jagged sections of the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail, you catch yourself doing double- takes as you pass the strange rock formations.

If you want to really know a place, then you should immerse yourself in that place. Driving the Queen Ka`ahumanu Highway from the Waikoloa Resort to Kawahiahe on the Island of Hawai`i, people are often amazed at the starkness of the landscape. For many, the landscape appears lifeless and barren. For those who decide to step out of their car, however, and walk a section of the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail, they will find the landscape dynamic, spectacular and full of surprises!

This week I decided to walk a 10 mile section of the Ala Kahakai from Anaehoomalu Bay to Hapuna Beach. Before heading towards Hapuna, I decided to walk south 2 miles. The soft sand of the tourists-filled beach gave way to a a more secluded beach, which then gave way to a rugged black-lava coast. Following what seemed to be an ageless trail across the rugged landscape, filled with spires, jags and crags, I was confronted with the first big surprise of my all-day adventure. There, only 80-100 feet from shore, were two humpback whales (a mother and a calf)! Never had I seen humpbacks that close (I was about 3 times closer than the legal limit for boats!). To see a calf breach at that distance (without having to share my view with anybody else) was simply amazing!

A female humpback whale (left) and a calf (right), about 100ft off of the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail.

Heading back north, dodging the sleepy green sea turtles on the beach, ancient shelters and petroglyphs gave way to some of the largest resorts in the Hawaiian Islands. Surprisingly, with all of the modern opulence it is still easy to see the ancient fishponds and the ancient footpaths that the Hawaiians have used for generations. Skirting along the green golf courses of the Waikoloa Resort, suddenly I found myself on sheer cliffs overlooking brilliant turquoise waters where more humpback whales were breaching and otherwise showing off to each other. While I saw construction workers busy building muli-million dollar homes, I was enjoying “Million Dollar Views” of my own (and all I had to pay was the price of sore feet at the end of the day!).

Despite the apparent barren landscape of the Kohala Coast, you can find a surprising array of flowers growing in the dry climate.

Even without signs or markers, it is easy to see the ancient footpath along the rugged cliffs.

Past the ancient fishponds at the Mauna Lani and past the Puako Petroglyph Field (considered one of the best in all Hawai`i), I found myself in the small community of Puako. All of a sudden, I realized that the landscape had changed considerably from where I had started. The beginning of my journey was near the blackish, fairly recent Mauna Loa lava flow of 1859. Now, the ground had turned a rusty orange, reddish brown as I entered the ancient flows of Mauna Kea. After passing the beautiful Waialea Bay, my journey came to an end (at least for that day!) at Hapuna Beach State Park. Here I was once again surprised by humpback whales just 300-400 feet from the throngs of swimmers at this popular beach.

The great thing about the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail is that its always different…you never know what you will find!

A humpback whale calf breaching off of Hapuna Beach.