Baby Makapu'u Beach

If you're looking for things to do with kids, I would recommend Baby Makapu'u Beach.  We spent a morning there last week and plan to go back soon!  

First off, it's a beautiful spot!  The contrast of the black rocks and the white sand, the blue ocean and Manana Island/Rabbit Island offshore, the sunlight sparkling on the water - you know you're in Hawaii!

Several of the tidepools have sandy bottoms, making them perfect kiddie pools.  The rocks are great for exploring (but watch out for the slippery ones) and my kids had fun finding crabs and other small creatures.  There were quite a few little fish and some of them nibbled our toes when we sat really still in one of the pools.  My son thought that was neat!

Although this was my first visit, it was obvious this is a popular place for families with children.  If you want to miss out on the crowds go early or head there later in the day when others have headed home for lunch and/or naptime.

Do it yourself on Oahu

Location:  Off of Kalanianaole Hwy. (Hwy 72) across from Sea Life Park

Directions:  

• If you are coming from Honolulu/Waikiki drive through Hawaii Kai, past Hanauma Bay, Makapu'u Lighthouse and Makapu'u Beach Park.  You'll see the entrance to Sea Life Park on your left.  Continue until you see the exit to Sea Life Park.  The entrance to this beach is almost directly across from the exit to Sea Life Park.  Turn to the right (toward the ocean) and then when you have the choice to go right or left, turn left to get to the part of the beach pictured and described here.

• If you are coming from the windward side drive through Waimanalo, pass the entrance to Bellows Beach Park, pass the U.H. research pier on your left and look for the exit to Sea Life Park on your right.  The entrance to this beach is almost directly across from the exit to Sea Life Park.  Turn left here and then when you have the choice to go right or left, turn left to get to the part of the beach pictured and described here.

Parking:  There is a parking area here.  As always, do not leave valuables in your car.

Facilities:  There are no restrooms or showers at this part of the beach.  However, where the road splits if you turn to the right there is a restroom in that part of the parking area.

Other:  I've heard this is a great place to take kids tide pooling at low tide.  Wear water/reef shoes to protect your feet and be careful not to step on marine life.

Makapu'u Tide Pools Shoreline Hike

We've hiked to the Makapu'u Tide Pools by heading up toward the lighthouse and then down the other side, but a few weeks ago we made an attempt at getting there by the shoreline route.  Yes I said attempt and yes I'm going to blog about a hike we didn't complete because I think hiking is about the journey as much as the destination.

We parked in the lot for the Makapu'u Lighthouse but instead of heading up the paved path we immediately veered off to the right on a trail that heads to the ocean.  There are a couple trails that go toward the shore and they all get you to basically the same spot.  With all the rain we've had this winter and spring that part of the island is extra green now.





When we reached the shore we headed around the corner to the left.  Any trace of a trail quickly disappears here.  There's a bit of bouldering to be done and a tiny bit of rock climbing as well.  At one point I turned around to see my husband had taken off the hiking backpack and it was being handed down a steep section with our daughter in it!  Yes, a few places on the hike are a little tricky but most of it is just walking over rocks.

We enjoyed the view of the ocean and the waves pounding on the rocks as we hiked.  We did our best to stay on the inland side of the tidal shelf in case any extra big waves came crashing in.  It was windy and probably high tide so not the best time to be hiking here but we were careful.

There were a few places where we had to time the waves right to get around certain spots without getting wet.  Those areas made me nervous.  I've known of people who have been swept to their deaths in similar situations, so I kept our son nearby and kept a close eye on the ocean and we kept our daughter in the backpack the whole hike.

All was well until we got to a spot with a big tide pool.  Just before we headed down to the pool a big wave came in and washed clear across the pool.  Had we been hiking down there when that happened it would have been a little sketchy.  That, and the fact that a couple groups of hikers we met said it was worse around the corner convinced us we'd gone far enough for the day.  We declared a snack break and all the kids ate while a few of the adults went on just a little farther.  While we sat there we didn't see any more big waves come in, but we had nothing to prove and decided to be safe.



All in all it was a fun afternoon and we all want to head back and try the hike again, but next time we'll do it at low tide on a day when the ocean is calm so we can safely make it to the blowholes.






Do it yourself on Oahu
Location:  The Makapu'u Tidepools are located on the east side of Oahu between Hanauma Bay and Waimanalo.  The parking lot for this hiking area is between Sandy Beach and Makapu'u Beach.
Parking:  As mentioned in the post, you can park in the lot for the Makapu'u Lighthouse trail.  When the lot fills up, people park along the road leading to the parking lot.  As always, do not leave valuables in your car.
Facilities:  There are no facilities here; no restrooms or drinking fountains.
Safety:  If you choose to take this hike, you do so at your own risk.  I cannot overemphasize the need to use caution when hiking along the ocean, here or anywhere.  I would highly recommend checking the tide and surf reports before making this hike.  Even under the best of conditions, keep an eye on the ocean for rogue waves.  If you feel unsafe, turn around!
Other:  I cannot recommend this hike for all children, but I can tell you about our group.  The two year olds in the group were carried the whole hike, the five year old in the group was carried at a couple of spots but the rest of the kids, ages 6 to 12, hiked the whole thing on their own with just a little help with some of the bouldering.  One of the kids did the whole hike in slippers, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend that.
I would recommend taking cell phones, water and snacks.  Wear sunscreen and, unless you're really good in slippers, wear comfortable reef walking or hiking shoes.
More info:  Related posts on Oahu Mom:  Hiking to Makapu'u Lighthouse and Hiking to Makapu'u Tidepools (the up and over route)

Whale Watching at Halona Blowhole

If you look closely at the picture above you can see the Halona Blowhole spouting.  I took this picture from Sandy Beach after we finished our kite flying adventure.  

Now I'll show you the picture I got from the blowhole lookout when we had stopped there earlier in the day.  

See it spouting?  Me neither.  The ocean was calm and the waves only got the blowhole going occasionally.  After watching it for ages and ages I gave up on the blowhole (which of course spouted right after I walked away) and did some whale watching instead.  

The calm water made it easy to spot whale spouts and we saw spouts in a number of different directions.  Got to see a whale tail, some pectoral slaps and, best of all, multiple breaches.  I am always amazed at whales and their ability to hurl their entire body out of the water and into the air.  I wished we'd taken our binoculars, but the show was good even without them.

So if you want to see whales from land on Oahu, but don't want to hike up to Makapu'u Lighthouse, try the Halona Blowhole lookout.  I'm wondering why I never thought of this before!

Do it yourself on Oahu

Location:  The Halona Blowhole is on Kalanianaole Hwy. between Hanauma Bay and Sandy Beach.
Directions:  There are other pullouts along this stretch of road but the blowhole is the only one with a large parking lot.  There's a sign at the entrance, so you should have no trouble finding it.
Parking:  Although a nice size, the parking lot does fill up.  Just wait a few minutes and you'll get a spot.  Since it's a lookout there's a lot of turnover in the parking lot.
Facilities:  No restrooms or other facilities here.
Other:  The humpback whale season in Hawaii goes from mid-December to April. • Don't try to hike down next to the blowhole and get your picture taken - a handful of people have been killed doing that.  Please use common sense and stay safe.

Kite Flying by Sandy Beach

Doesn't this photo look idyllic?  A boy and a kite and long afternoon shadows at the end of a beautiful day.

Well, I for one appreciate it when bloggers keep it real, so I will tell you the story behind this picture.  

We are the proud owners of two kites.  One has been in the family 10 years and hadn't been flown for at least 8 years.  The other has been in the family 7 years and had never been flown.  It's a wonder they have survived the sorting and purging I like to do on a regular basis.

Anyway, this past weekend the kites finally saw the light of day and got to fly in the great big sky.  We decided to head to the big grassy field adjacent to Sandy Beach and fly kites with the kids.  We packed the kites, the kids, some snacks, water bottles, a blanket and I can't remember what else into the car and headed off.  

The kids were asleep when we got there so we took a detour and after they'd had enough of a nap to be cheerful humans we parked at Sandy Beach and woke them up.  Then we walked over to the big grassy field and flew our kites.  Well, not quite.  

First there was some whining about having to wait for us to get the kites ready to fly and then some crying and arguing about sharing and taking turns.  Then someone needed to go to the bathroom and someone else wanted a snack (which had to be retrieved from the car).  Thankfully we have grandparents visiting and with the kids outnumbered two to one we were able to actually get the kites launched before the sun went down.  Everyone who wanted to fly a kite got a turn, the kite that collided with a tree was rescued and in the end it was a fun time for everyone and will make a good memory.  

So if by chance you've ever compared yourself to Oahu Mom and wished it was as easy to get out and about with your kids as it appears on her blog please know you're in good company.  I'm the author of this blog and I have wished the same.  But I can tell you that in the end it's (almost always) worth it, so push through the challenges and go fly a kite or see some sights with your keiki.

Do it yourself on Oahu

Location:  There is a large grassy area just inland from Sandy Beach and that is where we flew our kites.  In my previous post you can kind of see it at the right site of the picture.  

Directions:  Sandy Beach is located on the Kalanianaole Hwy. between Makapu'u Lighthouse and the Halona Blowhole, just SW of the intersection of Kealahou Street and the highway.  It's right by the road so it's hard to miss.  Some maps label it Sandy Beach and others call it Wawamalu Beach Park.  

Parking:  There is a lot of parking all along the beach park, though I'm sure it fills up sometimes.  There might also be room to park between the grassy field and the road, but I'm not 100% sure about this.

Facilities:  There are outdoor showers and public restrooms here.  The toilets are the plain metal ones with no toilet seats, but the restrooms had TP when we were there.
Other:  This is a very popular kite flying spot with lots of wind.  Don't let the fact that we got our kite stuck in a tree deter you from this spot.  It's a huge field and if we'd walked out into it a little more instead of staying by the edge that wouldn't have happened.  Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that according to the signs, it's a hang glider landing spot so if some come to land, they have the right-of-way.