The Black Sand Beach

There is a Black Sand Beach on Maui. We stopped for a visit while on the Road to Hana Tour. Waianapanapa State Park is located just outside of Hana. I think this is one of the most spectacular stops on the Hana Highway. The beach is nestled in a private cove. The tour bus dropped us off in the parking lot and we followed a wooden walkway. Eventually you come to the stone stairs down to the black sand beach. I never got down there as I was captivated by the views from the lookout.

Not just the Black Sand Beach

Waianapanapa State Park is not just the black sand beach. It includes Hawaiian Cemeteries, Sea Stacks, Blow Holes and even a Lava Tube. There are various legends associated with the park. One such legend is as follows:

A Hawaiian legend states that long ago in Hana a Hawaiian princess named Popoalaea was forced to marry an older chief named Kakea. The chief was very jealous and suspicious of his young bride and beat her often. One day she fled with her faithful serving maid and they hid inside a lava tube cave near Hana’s black sand beach.

To enter the cave required a dive into the fresh water pools called Waianapanapa (the meaning of the word is “glistening fresh water”).The king and his men grew furious looking for them. Finally one day while searching for her he spotted the two women’s reflections in the waters of the cave as they sat on the ledge.

They were killed on the spot and every spring thereafter during the dark nights of Ku when this murder took place the waters seem to glow red, signifying the blood of the princess.

Cliff Jumping from the Sea Stacks

As I sat quietly enjoying the sun, the sea bird colony on the large sea stack became quite agitated. Moments later a head appeared. Then the rest of the body followed. A young man must have swum out to the Sea Stack and was now climbing the huge rock. Eventually he made it to the very top. I watched him set himself then cannonball out over the water. What a long drop! He is either crazy or far more brave than I!

Crispy Spam is a breakfast Meat

I admit I like Spam. When I let that out to my friends and co workers I get disgusted looks and groans. (The same one I use for Liver and Onions.) Massachusetts folks can be such food snobs! In Hawaii my love of Spam is welcomed. I’m surrounded by other Spam lovers. MacDonald’s even has a “Delicious Breakfast”. It’s rice, scrambled eggs and Spam! I doubt you’ll see that on a menu in Massachusetts anytime soon. They also have a Spam Wrap you can find in the deli section of your food market. It’s a Spam & Rice roll. Looks like sushi. I skipped the Spam on my breakfast plate. I settled for a boring old Big Breakfast. I’m heading out to drive around the Island and I wasn’t sure if I’d find anyplace for lunch or how long it would take so I wanted to fill up before I left.

Heading North along the Kona Coast

After a satisfying breakfast at MacDonald’s I headed north on the main road along the Kona Coast. All along this road it looks like they are preparing to do construction. The ground appears to be all churned up. There is a lot of construction but don’t be fooled by appearances. Almost all of the churned up appearing land is natural. These fields are all covered in Aa (pronounced ah ah) lava. Aa lava is thick and it breaks into chunks as it moved down slope form the volcano. When it cools and hardens it looks like churned up dirt. Much of this is from an eruption in 1984. There’s a lava tube on the right side of the road as you travel north.

Donkey Crossing

Along the way you’ll see Donkey Crossing signs. Donkey Crossings? What’s that about. I had to check it out. Apparently the Big Island had a feral donkey problem. I didn’t remember that but it was bad enough that they installed signs hoping drivers would slow down. The donkeys liked to come out on the roads at night because the pavement was warmer than the fields. It retained the heat from the daytime. Along came an unsuspecting motorist and splat. A Donkey pancake and a busted car. When the signs didn’t help they rounded up the donkeys and shipped them to auction on the mainland. But the signs remain.