There are some absolutely gorgeous beaches here, and they are all open to the public. However, some of the very good ones have very expensive parking charges. So the search is on for ones that are free!
We tried to go to Mauna Kea beach, but we were too late to get one of the 40 parking passes. It was 9:08 am. Apparently we have to get up ridiculously early to score one of those parking spots. They are free – and apparently in huge demand!
Our plan B was to go to Anaeho’omalu Bay (A’ Bay) which was 8 miles farther down the coast. It also has a big free parking lot, and only had maybe a dozen cars there when we arrived. Awesome! There was a nice walkway over to the beach area, and plenty of shade still available at the end where we arrived. The sand is considered white, but at the shady end it was more filled with bits of black lava sand than light sand. We set up our chairs and walked all the way down the curved beach and back, and then went past where all the lava rock jutted into the ocean.
We saw sea turtles playing in the waves! They were about the size of my butt – so pretty big, lol!
Again, lots of little birds around, and more than happy to fly onto my hand to get little bits of peanuts. So very cool.
I was able to test out the snorkeling, but the visibility wasn’t great, and I didn’t want to get pushed too close to the rocks. We heard the ladies sitting behind us discussing that another guy snorkelling had accidentally touched the rocks and there was a black sea urchin there, and he got stung. Not good – it’s the most poisonous of all the sea urchins in Hawaii. (apparently putting the injured part in vinegar is supposed to help with the pain.)
