- Kauai Boy's Rating
This is where Harrison Ford crashed his biplane in the movie "Six Days, Seven Nights" – against the cliff on the south edge of the bay. In fact, a couple of surfer friends of mine were paid $100 just to stay OUT of the area while they were filming this. The beach fronts a private estate owned by Mandalay – a Hollywood film studio.
Before the recent controversy and lawsuits over beach access, this was one of my favorite camping beach – you see, camping anywhere is "technically" not allowed without a state-issued permit, but the limited accessibility of the bay made it impractical to enforce. However, now that the estate’s owner is miffed by the irrational activists trying to force the issue, officers are allowed through his property to enforce this law. Don’t get me wrong – this is still an exceptional beach: quiet, secluded, and great for fishing. We just can’t overnight it here anymore.
WHERE IT IS: Just north of Anahola, the beach fronts a large 100+ acre estate with no access from the north and difficult access along a cliff to the south. However, state law prevents anyone from deliberately blocking access to a beach, so this "private" beach is accessible to the public through a short but steep trail on the south side of the bay, followed by a trek over sometimes slippery lava boulders.
HOW TO GET THERE: Driving north from Kapa’a on Kuhio Highway and pass Anahola town. About 2 miles after Anahola Post Office, take a right on Papa’a Road, drive straight toward the ocean (the road tries to steer you to the right, but keep going onto the dirt road). Stop before the dirt road turns south along the cliff. Papa’a Bay is on your left and the unmarked trail starts on the bluff.
WHEN TO GO THERE: The east side of the island is the most unpredictable one as it doesn’t experience the drastic seasonal wave changes that the north and south shores have. However, in general, there are more "flat" days in the summer – not necessarily a good thing, if you’re looking for surf.
WHAT TO DO THERE: Now that we can’t camp here, we’re limited to fishing and diving off the reef during the day. When the waves are up, surfing is pretty good, though you have to paddle outside the bay – quite a bit offshore. There’s actually a popular surf spot (Flags Beach), with much easier access, just south of the bay.
Related Poipu Beach Deals