Amid recent development, public access to the secluded beaches of Kilauea and Moloa’a has become a heated issue on the North Shore. While most of the beaches in this area remain open to the public, some access roads present pretty
Amid recent development, public access to the secluded beaches of Kilauea and Moloa’a has become a heated issue on the North Shore.
While most of the beaches in this area remain open to the public, some access roads present pretty rough terrain.
Although all beaches below the vegetation line are open to the public, one must pass through private property in order to get to many of the beaches in Kilauea and Moloa’a.
“Beach access wasn’t a problem in the plantation days,” said Gary Pacheco, a board member and former president of the Kilauea Neighborhood Association.
“There was a mutual understanding with the Robinson family; they allowed full access to hunt, fish, and collect mokihana, and we respected their property and cattle.”
When the Kilauea Sugar Plantation closed down and the property was sold off to private owners, several public access roads were not maintained due to liability risks and costs of upkeep.
The beach at Moloa’a Bay is a cove with a quarter-mile of sand where the Moloa’a Stream meets the ocean. This beach is ideal for fishing, diving, and beachcombing when conditions are good.
A county road off of Ko’olau Road leads down to the bay, but parking is limited and ‘Keep Out’ and ‘No Trespassing’ signs are highly visible.
Also accessible from Ko’olau Road is Larsen’s Beach, named after former manager of Kilauea Plantation, L. David Larsen.
Larsen’s Beach is long and narrow with a shallow and rocky shore that accumulates beach debris such as bottles, glass balls, and shells.
The county purchased a public right-of-way that was opened in 1979 under an agreement that the access road would not extend entirely down to the beach.
The former owner, concerned about overpopulation of the beach, agreed to sell the property only under these terms, so the county road ends at the top of a hill and a footpath leads down to the beach.
Pila’a Beach, located just off Kuhio Highway past Ko’olau Road, has two sections of sand separated by a low, rocky point that was once used as a fish-spotting site for Hawaiian fishermen.
The entire ahupua’a of Pila’a, a land division that runs from mountains to ocean, is owned by the Mary N. Lucas Trust and currently managed by Honolulu businessman James Pfleuger, a grandson of Mary Lucas.
Pila’a has recently been affected by land erosion which has caused damage to private homes as well as to the reef and beach.
There is no dedicated means of public access to Pila’a Beach and currently the only people who can gain direct entry to the beach are those who hold a key to the gate, namely, kuleana landowners that live in the area.
It is, however, possible to reach Pila’a by following the shoreline from the trail that leads to neighboring Waiakalua Iki Beach.
Waiakalua Iki Beach is situated at the base of a small valley and can be reached by a dedicated public easement path along the coastal boundary of the Kilauea Farms subdivision.
This spot is frequented by fishermen and beachcombers, and on the west end of the beach a stream flows from a waterfall at the head of the valley.
A trail from the waterfall leads to the Kapinao heiau, a sacred pre-contact Hawaiian temple and site of archaeological importance.
Waiakalua Nui Beach to the west is very similar in appearance to Waiakalua Iki Beach with a deep pocket of sand situated at the base of a narrow valley.
Both beaches have shallow, rocky nearshore bottoms so swimming is a marginal, high-tide activity.
Kahili Beach, located in Kilauea Bay, is the site of a former inter-island steamer landing and an abandoned rock quarry.
Kahili is also commonly referred to as Rock Quarry, the name of the surf spot located directly across from the mouth of Kilauea Stream, next to the abandoned quarry.
At the rear of the beach, sand dunes extend into an ironwood protected area, popular for camping and family outings.
A county road off of Kahili Road leads down to the beach and is open to the public.
The original access road, located off of Kilauea Road, is still open to the public, but the 1.5 mile dirt road is rutted and rocky, requiring good tires and careful driving.
A few years ago, when the surrounding property was owned by foreign corporation Courtney Holdings Ltd., and managed by Benjamin Bolag, this particular access road was closed to the public.
Under current ownership by Kaua’i Mortgage Investors, the gates and fences have been removed and the road has been paved further.
“There won’t be any more threats of closing off access to Rock Quarry,” said Kilauea Realtor Jim O’Connor.
On the other side of Crater Hill is Kauapea Beach, a long, sandy beach that fronts the western sea cliffs of Kilauea Point.
Until recently, the location of Kauapea was known only to local residents, which is why it is also called Secret Beach.
The isolation of this beach has previously made it popular among nudists, although nudity is illegal on all public beaches in Hawai’i.
The beach itself is not visible from the highway, or any other road, and the public access roads are unmarked.
“There were originally three trails,” said Gary Pacheco of Kilauea. Now there is only one, and the Kilauea Neighborhood Association is working to gain another easement of access.
The only public right-of-way is an unmarked dirt road located right past Kilauea town, ending at a steep trail that leads down to the section of Kauapea called First Beach.
Another locally used trail, leading down to Third Beach from Kauapea Road, was closed off to the public when the property was privately bought.
Although the owner tried to maintain partial access for local surfers and fishermen, liability issues became a problem and this path is only utilized by those who have the proper permission.
The third trail, known as “The Cable” because of the cable line that served as a handrail for the fishermen who used the path, has not been maintained either.
During periods of high surf, particularly in the winter, First Beach frequently becomes washed away, and although Second and Third Beach remain, Kauapea is inaccessible to the public during these conditions.
Just west of Kilauea and Kauapea is Kalihiwai Beach, a small bay with shaded parking and even a couple of port-a-pottys.
During the winter months, the water is dangerous at Kalihiwai, but the surf is epic.
In the summer, the ocean is calm and the beach is a popular place for BBQ’s and birthday parties.
Local residents in the Kilauea area showed concern about the current conditions of public beaches and named littering as one of the foremost problems.
“When you go camping or barbecuing at the beach, don’t forget to take a trash bag,” reminds Pacheco.
As visitors and residents alike, we all share the beaches and therefore we must share the responsibility to keep them clean.
