After seeing the beach at Hanalei Bay, you'll be anxious to check out what's north of Hanalei - and you won't be disappointed. As you approach this spectacular northside beach, you may very well find hippies (appropriately dressed in retro clothing) camped out here amongst the grass and fruit trees, which rim a gorgeous beach with roaring waves. They may not like you being here, but they don't bite!

Haena Beach is somewhat off the beaten path. You won't find any restaurants, shops, convenience stores, or tourist traps here. If you want those, you'll have to head back to Hanalei.

As we approached Haena Beach, we saw the cluster of perhaps eight to ten tents just a few feet west of the beach area. The thing that first struck me was the fact that, while these camping tents were here, no one was on the beach or in the water.

My husband and father in law couldn't wait to jump into the ocean here to use their newly rented boogie boards, which were rented in nearby Hanalei. Like two little excited boys, my husband and father in law went running for the ocean - only to be stopped by the Haena Beach park ranger and told they could not enter the water. As it turns out, the ocean here in winter is generally far too rough to swim or surf in. That explains why no one was in the water.

There seemed to be a lot of tourists stopping here briefly to check out the cave across the street. However, a lot of tourists seemed to be avoiding the beach area all together. I think the presence of the hippies here (who were obviously camped out here for an extended period of time) scared some of the tourists. They didn't scare me! However, they did seem somewhat possessive of this beach - regardless of the fact that it is the property of the state. It was plain to see that they didn't want us there. Nevertheless, we walked the beach here, checked out the beautiful scenery, and spent a short while sunning on these golden sands watching the large, royal blue waves crash in front of us.

We were pleasantly surprised to see fruit and nut trees growing here, such as lychee (a native fruit tree and a local favorite) and almond trees.

There are no water sports rentals directly on this beach. Rent your aquatic gear, such as surfboards, kayaks, etc., in Hanalei (on the way to this beach). If you want to do anything in the water on this side of the island, you need to avoid coming here during the winter months.

Ha'ena Beach Park/ Tunnels Beach Reef
Highway 560 just before Mile Marker 9
Across the street from the Dry Cave

You can imagine how sore we were after our 11-mile hike. Day 4 called for just pure lounging at the beach.

Ha'ena Beach Park is a popular spot for campers. We were welcomed by tents and park benches as soon as we reached mile marker 9 on highway 560. It was a perfect day when we went, striking sun and a mild breeze without the raging waves. We set our blankets far from the water under the trees separating the private residences from the beach. By high noon, we could not even step on the sand as it was hot, hot, hot!

I've been to a lot of beaches but only in Kauai have I ever laid down on sand and looked up to see a mountain. It was at Ha'ena where I finally realized what people mean when they call Hawaii paradise.

The Tunnels Beach Reef is around the bend and it is where the snorkelers go with their gear to check out the underwater life. After a few sightings of small fish, we went back to our blankets and played Scrabble to pass the time. It was beautiful and all, but it was definitely not Belize where the animals outnumbered the people in the water.

This is a great place to relax and unwind. The waves are broken up by the reef and swimming is great for all ages. Bring a picnic lunch and enjoy the day. Restrooms are available as well as shower facilities. Good parking.