Punalu'u Black Sand Beach is located on the southern end of the island in the Ka'u district of the island of Hawaii aka "The Big Island". Black Sand evolves from the ground lava and these black sand beaches are found around the areas where there are still active volcanoes.
The black sand actually has the term "black volcanic glass". When the lava flows into the ocean (which it is currently doing) then it chills and the glassy rinds shatter and in turn may form beaches with the tiny grains of black sand.
The Punalu'u Black Sand Beach is the easiest to access and is located an hour and a half from Kailua-Kona or an hour from Hilo.
The picture to the right is the "Honu" (the Hawaiian Sea Turtle) was taken on the Punalu'u Black Sand Beach as well. The sea turtle is another of the endangered species in Hawaii and a lot of them live among the Hawaiian Monk Seals along the northern Hawaiian Islands too. Sea Turtles evolved over 180 million years ago and this is way before the Hawaiian Islands formed. With hunting banned the Hawaiian Sea Turtle's population is starting to replenish but the disease fibropapilloma is affecting the sea turtle by blinding them and choking them with tumors.
They now have the "Honu Project" which tags and tracks the turtles in an attempt to understand this disease. Another problem is the discarding of fishing nets and lines just like I mentioned for the Hawaiian Monk Seal in my post Endangered Hawaiian Monk Seals: What about "All Those Years Ago"? They also are having a problem with plastic bags which sea turtles can suffocate from thinking they're scrumtious jelly fish.
Akaka Falls State Park is a 442 foot water fall and it is located 11 miles north of Hilo on the Kolekole Stream. It can be viewed in several places along a loop trail through the park. The local Hawaiian Folklore indicates that a stone located here (called Pohaku a Pele) was struck by a branch (lehua apane tree) and when doing so it is calling to the sky and telling it to darken and let rain fall.
Another trip through one of our islands by Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman, your friendly Mililani, Hawaii & Hawaii Military, Century 21 Liberty Homes, Realtor Associate ® ! Aloha!
Volcano at hawaii national park
All pictures in this article were given to Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman by the owner, Karen (& her husband Keith) Davidson, Century 21 Liberty Homes to be used for Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman's Mililani Hawaii Real Estate Blog 2007©
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Sally, Thank you for writing these post. It really shows how beautiful Hawaii really is. I am planning my next vacation.. I better see if I can cash my air miles in for Hawaii.
Matt: Okay...how about January when everyone else is coming for the CRS sellabration thing?!!! Sure would love to meet you in person!
Sally-Your photo's are incredible. Ohhhh, I just had a great idea....will e-mail you.
Midori:
Just got your email...wonderful idea! Thanks!
Sally, this is so beautiful. Makes me wish I had some air miles to cash in ...
Sarah: Come with Matt....I don't fly anywhere so don't know but.....can Matt share some with you?
Poor Turtles. Your state is absolutely gorgeous, WHoo Hoo!
Sally - You really do live in paradise!
Sally,
Your "Turtle " again :) :)
You just won't let me forget the importance of following directions :) I missed the Black Sand beaches the last 2 times I was there......wait, I think Hana had one? Anyway, thank you, you do wonderful Posts, and even made me agree to go with my daughter in November :)
Mariana: WooHoo! Yeah, poor guys....same with the monk seals.
Paula: Thanks...come see!
Kathy: Yup...just for you....can't wait to meet you...and spank your hand if you get close...haha!
Sally,
Remember you said that when we meet :) :) No, my hand is staying out of all "Turtle" tanks for now on :)
Beautiful. Never saw black sand..does it stain your clothing if you sit in it ? Seem to think you could get a great tan sitting on black!
Kathy: Okay then! :)
Michele: Ha! I walked on this beach about 25 years ago and remember the black sand looking black speckled but don't remember it staining...haha!
That is so cool. I'm going to post a blog shortly, about the condo I sold last night. The sand on that beach is orange =)
Thanks Celeste for this interesting and great post. Wonderful photos, too. Hawaii is very beautiful.
Lisa/Gary: Thanks for stopping by to view.
Great photos and great descriptions of Hawaii.
I saw a PBS show on the Monk Seal a couple of days ago. If I hadn't read your blog I might not have watched it.
Such a different world.
Lenn
hi Sally, thanks for writing about the Honu and the black sand beaches. My Uncle Michel and Aunt Louise visit Hawaii every year and always go to the black sand beaches....my Uncle is fascinated by the sand. He has shown me dozens of pictures of the black sand beaches there and I want to see them for myself some day. Gorgeous!
That's a tragedy about the Honu disappearing....very sad. The other thing that is very bad for sea animals is the practise that humans have of releasing balloons filled with helium into the air...these balloons float out over the oceans and fall into them....then many sea animals, such as the tortoises, ingest them and die. It is similar to the plastic bag scenario of which you mention. I wish more people would be aware of this....
I love reading your conservation and history posts....all of your posts, truth be known !
Jo
Lenn: Wonderful! I watched one as well...which prompted me to write about it.
Jo: I hope my posts are bringing not only Hawaii to their screens but the importance of preservation of all land, wildlife etc.
Sally,I am so glad you posted pictures of black sand. I have always heard it was in Hawaii, but whenever I would see pictures it was always grey or off white so I wasn't sure what was going on or what it meant. I learned something. It really is black.
Missy: Isn't that picture just soooo profound...I'm so happy my friend brought me back pictures. She went last month.
Beautiful, astonishing -- Wow!
I'll have to share this with my son who is avid watcher of Discovery
Aziz: Why thanks kind sir....hope he enjoys!
I wish that flight wasn't so long or we would have been there already.
Neal: I wish you'd come in January when all the conference people are coming. Randy and I will be hoping to get something together for all.
Sally- these are absolutely stunning photos of BLACK SAND on the ISLAND OF HAWAII. Do you have agents you know on the big island that you can refer clients to? I have a friend moving to the BIG ISLAND after she sells her houses here. She may already have an agent there but thought I would ask.
I just love your Hawaii photos and stories. It is such a rich culture and history as well as wonderful. Thank you again for sharing and keep 'em coming! Katerina
Katerina: Sure do! I have referred a couple of times. Let me know! I sure will...so glad every one enjoys them!
Sally, I have never seen a black sand beach either. It is absolutely unique. I hope they can find the answer to the disease of those incredible Sea Turtles you have. The waterfall is beautiful and I loved the volcano erupting, what an amazing site! Thanks for another terrific post.
Carole: Sure is....Wasn't that video pretty neat? They had one of the 1983 one but that was like too devastating.....went over communites etc.
Sally... again, another great job here. I love the picture of the waterfall. And that is one large turtle....
When my parents moved to the Big Island 20 yers ago one of our first trips was to the black sand beach and to the volcanos.. What an experience.. at that time you could get very close to the lava flow as it dropped into the sea. what an experience..
Sally, I don't think that I had ever heard of "Black Sand" before. does it feel the same as regular sand when you walk on it?
Jeff: The picture isn't as clear as I would have liked...woohoo for the Honu!
Kaye: Did you watch the video? That one is of the lava dropping into the sea
George: Not as fine. More gritty.
Sally, my family and I were there in 2000 and it is more beautiful than your pictures show and your pictures are fabulous! What I remember of the Big Island is the black background around just about everything you see. The beaches, the golf courses and resorts and of course the ocean! What a beautiful place to be in business! My best to you!
Hi David! Thanks for sharing your memories and of course your wonderful comments about Hawaii. It is beautiful and my home.
Sally - great post! I would love to tour your neighborhood! The volcano footage is tremendous! Thanks for sharing your part of the world with me!
Mary: Oh, good....some are watching...that's a mini one too!
Sally,
That black sand is really cool and that waterfall is amazing! The honu is sooo cute....they eat jelly fish...hmm, seems to be tons of them on my beach lately. Thank you for sharing. :)
Suzanne: Share some of your pictures!
Beautiful post as usual Sally...I have a special "thing" for turtles ever since I was a kid! Why???Haven't a clue!
Are you a native Hawaiian?
Joan: That's different...I liked Barbies...hahaha. I'm Japanese/Swedish...we have many cultures and races here...:) I've lived here since 1967 (10 yrs. old)
Sally, I soo sooo soooooo want to walk on those beaches and see the turtles! I've never been to Hawaii but I have always wanted to visit.
Heck, I'd love to live there....how many REALTORS are on the island? ;)
More great stuff for my readers to enjoy. The beaches are beautiful. Does it hurt your feet to walk on it? You mentioned "glass" so I just wondered.
Karen: Oh....roughly 11,000 on our island of Oahu, over 2800 on the island of Hawaii, 3300 on Maui, 1500 on Kauai, 45 on Molokai and 19 on Lanai (went to look it up for ya!)
Elaine: That's just how they describe the breakdown and shattering...it's lava pure and simple and broken down into grainy "sand" ...no doesn't hurt.
Wow, that's a LOT of REALTORs for such a tiny place! Holy Smoke!
Sally, thanks for the posts. My son is attending school at University of Hawaii, Hilo. He's on the golf team, and as much as I'd love to visit it just isn't possible. He doesn't send picture, nor does he have time to sight see. This post makes me feel closer to him.
Karen: We have 7 islands (6 I mentioned above) Niihau the seventh island is private. Our island of Oahu (where Honolulu is) is the most heavily populated. We passed 900,000 in 2005. So, 11,000 real estate agents I guess is not too high...considering many are part timers or went to get full time jobs or are considering going inactive. In our office we have about 30 agents (3 new ones) and I'd say half of them are working full time jobs, don't do hardly but a couple of transactions a year. Go figure.
Susan: Well, cruise around my blog...I have plenty others of Hawaii and the island of Hawaii. I just put up new pictures for the big island on localism.com ...
Wow, beautiful post!
This brings back memories as I went to see Black Sand Beach when I on the Big Island! The entire island is absolutely gorgeous!
Sally wonderful photos, Went to see the lava flow at night, pretty awesome. I'd love to be where the video was shot to see it. That was remarkable.
I love sea turtles - I have sand from one of the black sand beaches - had to go find it to see if my grandmother marked which beach - it appears to have worn off over all these years.... ummm
Ana: It's nice to see that other's have enjoyed and can share their thoughts as well.
Marlene: That must have been something at night! I thought that dropping into the ocean was pretty cool.
Thesa: You have black sand? That's pretty neat. Too bad the name wore off.
Hi Sally, Love your friends photos! I swam with a sea turtle years ago at Hanama Bay, talk about an incredible memory. I never got to go to the big island tho.
We have the same issues with our sea turtles here, the plastic bags, and nets.. sigh... :(
Lysa: Was the turtle friendly? I would hate to get bit (did you see Kathy's comment? She got bit)
Hey, did Matt need a traveling companion??
Sarah: I really don't think he'd mind a traveling companion!
Sally, this is awesome and I love the picture of the Waterfall! Would you believe, I actually read this last night but didn't comment because I had to get my son out of the dishwasher (he had climbed in there..I don't keep him there. :) and then I put him to bed) But the amazing thing is that when I read this post last night my husband was watching a show on tv and they were in Hawaii and looked like they were filming right at that spot. It was unbelievable!
So sad about the turtles and that black sand is crazy! I had heard about it but never seen it in photos.
Steph: That's funny....I was starting to think that's how people give their kids a bath nowadays..lol! Watch the video...actual footage of lava falling in the ocean and sizzling.
Sally:
WOW! Can you find me a home there!!! First I need to make a lot more money in Real Estate then I will be in touch.
Thanks for the Pictures.
Alan: Well, do so and come on down!
I love that Stephanie's son climbed in the dishwasher! Now THAT is a good excuse!! My son used to disassemble the kitchen table and stick grilled cheese in the VCR! That's probably why they invented DVD's!
Note to self. I need to visit the Big Island. I haven't been there in a long time.
Randy - I am with you on that! I just hate the long flight!
Randy: Me too!
Mary: It's 30 minute flight for Randy and I...:)
You have fun over there...and we are planning an AR gathering as well!