We camped at Makalewena Beach with our two children and two other kids last night. All the kids hiked in down the extremely rocky road while my husband taught me how to drive our 4WD truck. I made it half way and gave back the wheel with relief! The road is jarring up to that point and then it just gets nasty. Imagine driving down a river bed with boulders. We have seen a few people in Jeeps and trucks parking and deciding to either turn around or walk from there.
We hope that the Department of Land and Natural Resources keeps it this way. Yep. Because while there were hundreds of people this past President’s Day weekend at Kua Bay to the north, there may have been 30 people at Makalewena. Actually, Kamehemeha Schools owns the land at Maks and they have protected this natural gem even with all the pressures of development that have occurred up and down the coast in the past ten years.
There are four “vignettes” of Maks. A large sandy bay with some pine trees, two little rocky bays, and then the large white sand beach that looks like something out of Tahiti or…Hawaii! 
I took a sweeping video of the space so you can see it (hold on for YouTube link)
I am showing this to you, knowing that many of you will never have the gumption to get down here. It’s a 25 minute walk down from the highway and then another 20 minute walk along the coast to get to the beach. Or you can try and get down the road to Kahakai State Park and walk 25 minutes from there across the lava field to get to the Southern part of the beach. It’s a big deal for a big reward.
Our favorite part is that you can camp there for free..but you need a REALLY good 4WD to get in and there are no facilities. We bought a port-a-potty at Sports Authority to make it easier for our family, but even then, our daughter refuses to stay for more than a night! The cool things that we saw included a herd of about 50 goats, who greeted us in the morning as they wandered through the campground and whales breaching in the distance.
The treat though is swimming in nature’s bath tub. 78 degree crystal clear water, powder white sand, and enough room to put your towel down anywhere with space to move. Ahhh, heaven.
Hey Julie,
This is a little slice of heaven, huh?
Hope to visit you soon!
Tom&Tina
Slice of heaven, surrounded by Nirvana and with some time spent in Paradise, as well!
Hey Julie,
This is a little slice of heaven, huh?
Hope to visit you soon!
Tom&Tina
Slice of heaven, surrounded by Nirvana and with some time spent in Paradise, as well!
Do you have helicopter service? Love the look but It’s been a while since I could logically make the trip. Been there in spirit. Love the pictures but hope you will scout out a lovely beach that works for old folks too.. Aloha! Mom
Do you have helicopter service? Love the look but It’s been a while since I could logically make the trip. Been there in spirit. Love the pictures but hope you will scout out a lovely beach that works for old folks too.. Aloha! Mom
Hi Julie. I work with Andria so that’s how I got your blog. Nicely done. I can’t figure out how to do it. I’ve been to this beach a couple of times and, like you, like that it is NOT easy to reach.
Hi Julie. I work with Andria so that’s how I got your blog. Nicely done. I can’t figure out how to do it. I’ve been to this beach a couple of times and, like you, like that it is NOT easy to reach.