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Take a walk on the different sands of the Big
Island. The journey to the Green Sand Beach, Puu Mahana, is as exhilarating as the destination.
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| Is there really such a thing as a Green Sand Beach? Yes, there is such a beach and you can only find it on the Big Island of Hawaii by traveling down the twelve-mile unevenly paved, single-lane road, which voids any rental car contract. Down this windy road you will spot 37 white windmills that stand a hundred feet tall, a few houses and cows before reaching Ka Lae, the southern most tip of the United States. South Point is a peninsula sacred to the Hawaiians filled with a sense of mana or power. | ||||
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| Back in July 2002 on an overcast day I made
the hike. If you do have a few hours for this hike make sure you carry
everything of importance with you. This is a known high break in area
and could be one of the reason why it may be forbidden to rental cars.
These are some of the things I would suggest for someone to take along
if they wanted to feel the sand between their toes; a good pair of shoes
to walk in, sunscreen, sun glasses, a good hat that will stay on in the
wind, plenty of water, sandwiches from a sub shop, a camera, bathing
suit, and a towel. Also remember, there are no bathrooms along the
trail.
Before you head out on your way, you may want to check in at the small building that serves as a welcome center/store and look at the map for the most direct path. If you take the correct path it should be a 2 1/2 mile hike. We didn't think it would make that much of a difference if we took the trail along the ocean. Fifty five minutes later we were wondering are we anywhere near? We learned the hard way, it takes about twice as long when following the ocean. The ocean trail got a little tricky in a few places along the coast where we had to climb, jump or back out and try another path. The small land bridge was nice to see, but was not worth the extra time and trouble. It was disappointing to see trash washed up on the rocky shores. Along the path the wind is constant and strong and can tire you out if you are not prepared so every step does count. |
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About a mile before you get to the beach you will be high above the bay and you will be able to see the top of the landmark. You will see "green sand a long the trail where it looks as someone has decided not to take the weight of the sand back with them. When you do make it there, be warned against trying to come down the north side which has lots of loose sand. On the south side there is a break in the lava rock where you can descend to a trail that hugs the cliff. You'll see a trash can that helps give you the hint of where to go down. In some spots you will need to climb some. As you look down, you can't help but to notice the cobalt blue sea reaching to a startling contrast of the dark green sand. Then you will know why it was worth your time. |
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The small turquoise bay is the inner volcanic cone
which is roughly 28,000 years old. Puu Mahana is a tuff ring type of volcano
which was formed by the interaction of magma and shallow groundwater.
The Green Sand Beach was formed during erosion as ocean waves crashed against the coast.
The waves wore away the lighter grains of sand made of volcanic ash, leaving the denser olivine crystals behind to form the
beach at the cone which made this small bay along the coast. The average grain size of this sand is about 2mm, qualifying this as very course sand.
The cone is and has subsided 220 feet, twice its present height since it formed.
If you look closely you will see the beach is actually a mixture of green and black sands from the olivine and lava of the ancient volcanic cone.
Another interesting fact about Puu Mahana is it is associated with the Southwest Rift Zone of Mauna Loa, the world's largest and most massive active volcano on the southwestern part of the island.
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| When we returned, we followed other hikers and got back in half the time. |  |
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Did you know the color of the sand on Big Island beaches differs ?
Crushed shells and corals make up the white sand beaches on the north end of the island.
Punaluu, Black Sand Beach
The southeast part of the island of Hawaii is the most volcanically active part of the island. A few black sand beaches have evolved such as Punaluu from the lava sand granules. Punaluu is a favorite beach for spotting the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle. Even though this is a good swimming beach, the current just outside the bay it can be dangerous.