Hawaii Beaches: Untouched Oahu Gem -- Kawela Bay
Where: Oahu || Grouped in: Oahu Nature, Oahu Romance || Tagged:
I almost hate telling people about this spot. It's so perfect, and its right on Oahu. Kawela Bay is one of the last semi-secret beaches on this most populous of Hawaiian Islands. "Magnum P.I." and "Lost" have both filed scenes there, and with good reason. On a weekday, you may share the beach with two or three other people. It's a long, sandy crescent shaded by ironwood trees with calm waters protected by an outer reef that is an underground surfing destination. The western end of the beach has the best swimming and snorkeling here in the summer months, when waves are calm, is usually pretty good.
I've generally walked in to Kawela Bay accessing the trailhead at the Turtle Bay Resort. The resort has lots of free parking for beach users and the trail is well maintained -- the concierge will give you a map. You'll pass another idyllic but much rougher beach on the way in. Kawela is probably one of my top picks for romantic beaches in the whole of Hawaii -- not just Oahu. Don't miss it if you are cruising the North Shore or driving around the island in search of an idyllic picni destination.
Related Posts: Turtle Bay Resort
Map to Turtle Bay Resort, Kawela Bay Flickr Pics
Image via FunJet
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Comments
Kalua Pakohana said:
Hawaii has lost so much of her beauty because of commercialism. I was raised in Kawela Bay and if you really felt like it was a very private place than why did you write about it? I think we locals need to preserve our “secrets” since we don’t have that many thanks to tourism and so called progress.
—03/29/07
Alex said:
I disagree with your sentiments about preserving our secrets.When we travel to other parts of the world, we expect others to share their secrets with us as long as we are not doing any harm. I expect the same here. I am not in favor of hotels on Kawela Bay at all or further development. However, I think its wonderful that we can share some of the more beautiful places with our friends. Last time I checked, Kawela was still quite uncrowded. Thanks for writing in!
—03/29/07
Bobby said:
Kawela Bay is an absolutely beautiful place. I have been fortunate enough to stay at a home within the Kawela confines on several occasions. One of the most spectacular stretches of beach in the state. It is not an easy place to get to so I am not to worried about it being taken over. The weekedns we were there we saw maybe 8 people max in the bay. Hopefully we can prolong or stop this planned development.
—11/15/07
Christine Simeone Kirchner said:
I have a few WWII photographs of my father, Corporal Eugene L. Simeone, swimming in Kawela Bay, Oahu. In one, he is holding up a wheel that he found in the bay. He wrote on the back of the pictures, so I know that he was there. He was only 18 or 19 years old in the U.S. Army Cannon Company B 307th Infantry 77th Division. It must be 1943 or 1944. His company departed for the Asiatic Pacific Theater Campaign in the Phillippines March 24th, arriving March 31, 1944. I am researching his entire service in WWII, so was pleased to find the Kawela Bay he is standing in. His photos are in Black & White, but are just as beautiful as your color picture… Thanks!
—04/10/09
Kimo Pohaku said:
I discovered Kawela Bay by accident in 1995. For three years I never told anyone about it and enjoyed it almost by myself and my Lab, Zack. Zack would bide his time by tearing the husks off fallen coconuts while I would read, sleep, and have a few cold ones. I really miss that special place.
—07/03/09
James Duncan said:
Lived at Kawela Bay with my family from Apr 1957- Jul 1958. The West end had houses on at that time. Lived in the last house E.
before the canal.At that time the fields across the Hwy was all sugar cane.Frog gigged in pools where Turtle Hilton golf crs is now. Went back while on R&R from VN in 68.Houses were still there. Back in 1986 for 40th Anniversity. Houses were gone and the land was posted. Walked out anyway and it was a jungle. Back in 96 for 50th anniv. Walked down from Turtle Bay Hilton as the land was still posted. Carried our children in 2006 for 70th Anniv they loved it. We love Wawela Bay AS IS.
—07/19/09