Hawaii Travel Guide

[shygirl724]

For any trip to the Hawaiian Islands, we always pack a copy of the book "Adventuring in Hawaii". Author is Richard McMahon. This is a Sierra Club travel guide. The book gives information about the area and culture you will be visiting. Informationisbroken down into sections related to how you will be sightseeing (i.e. by car, hiking, snorkeling, fishing, biking, etc.). It is not a review of the typical tourist venues, as you can pick up brochures for thoseat the airport or your hotel. Instead, it directs you to gems you might miss. The directions can be unusual, which only adds to the fun. For example, in the Maui Adventuring by Car section, Hana and vicinity:

............"But the best beach of all is Kaihalulu, better known as Red Sand Beach, a secluded, dramatic setting accessible via a narrow trail. Leaving Hana Bay, turn left at the first crossroad, pass the school, and park at the end of the road just before the hotel cottages. On your left as you face the sea is an open grassy field. Walk diagonally across this field, toward the water, until you reach the corner of the hotel fence. A trail leads steeply downhill from this point, then turns left and follows the shoreline. The short trail is narrow and precipitous but it soon reaches a marvelous cove where red cinders have washed from the hillside to form a unique beach............."

Even though we have taken numerous trips to the Islands, we always find something new in the book to visit. There are similar books published for other areas of the United States and beyond. Since I have only used the Hawaii one, I cannot speak to the contents and authors of the others.

[thepiranha]

Shygirl, funny that the excerpt that you chose from "Adventuring in Hawaii" is about Kaihalulu Beach. I lived in Hana for three and a half years and never knew it by that name. We always called it Red Sands Beach. I didn't realize that the beach is a clothing optional beach until I went there for the first time. Few locals use the beach because they're offended by the nudity and some of them harbor resentment towards the haoules who swim naked. Right after moving to Hana, I asked a local how to get to the beach and she launched into a tirade about "bare-assed haoules" using the local beach. I had no intention of swimming naked and had no idea what she was talking about until I got to the beach.



The excerpt is correct about the trail to the beach. It's a very short trail and takes only a few minutes, but it's quite steep and loose cinder makes it slippery. There were several rescues while I was living there, one of which involved a man who broke both of his ankles on the trail. For most people, however, the trail isn't too bad.



Thanks for the tip on the book. Aloha!