Ka Lae / South Point
and Pu’unalu Black Beach
Summer Vacation 2018 - Hawaii
(created Sun. July 29, 2018; updated Sun. Aug. 19, 2018)
Ka Lae, the southernmost point in the USA
Punalu‘u Black Sand Beach and sea turtles
4,090 miles from home, with a view leading to Antarctica
Grant is a friend at the office who recommended that we read the Hawaii Revealed books to help plan our trip. They were a big help.
The Hawaii Revealed book about the Big Island recommended visiting South Point and the black sand beach that is on the southeastern side of the Big Island. The book also recommended the green sand beach, which is green from gems sometimes created in the lava, and we wanted to visit the green sand beach, but we just didn’t have enough time, so we’ll see it next time.
Hawaii is located in the tropics (between 23 degree north and 23 degrees south), and is the southernmost state in the USA.
The southern tip of the Big Island is the southernmost point of the southernmost state in America, located at 18.9 degrees north.
The views from South Point / Ka Lae are amazing.
The Island has a road that follows the coast for the most part. On the southern side, that road is a bit island, and you need to drive a 12 mile road to reach the Pacific Ocean.
That 12-mile drive is pretty, through farms with cows and horses, ...
... and you can also see one of the the ground stations that help track our astronauts ...
... and you can also see the country’s southernmost bee farm / apiary.
When you arrive at South Point, the road just ends and you park in the dirt at the end of the asphalt, still a short walk from the ocean, and well above the water. You can see tire paths that wind off through the tall grasses, extending closer to the water.
A short walk from the car you will see other people, many of whom are fishing.
Hawaii Revealed shares that the waters there are very plentiful with fish; the challenge is the current... it can be so strong that it takes your boat south... and the only thing south is Antarctica. So the Hawaiians built places to lower and raise the boats up and down the cliffs, and they used ropes to help pull the fishing boats back in.
We met a fisherman who used 100-pound fishing line and whose lines were so far offshore they would disappear if not for the trash bags he filled with air and tied to the lines... the movement of the bags would tell him when he has a catch.
People do jump into the water here... it’s a “pretty tall high dive.” We stayed dry and watched them jump into the calm waters.
Then we walked about a quarter- to a half-mile to the left/east and things were drastically different... the 30-foot cliffs turned to gradual walking down to the black lava rocks, which were continuously pounded by the surf.
Beautiful!
Abby and I kicked the soccer ball for a bit before heading toward the water.
Matt and Ann Marie discovered where they lower and raise boats, and you can see the calm waters.
Family “shadow photo” / “shadow selfie”
More views of the calm waters, “to the west.”
The not-so-calm crashing surf... beautiful to see and hear, and to feel via the spray... “to the east.”
Abby standing on the sign warning ships to keep away; there is no lighthouse there.
(same photo, in black and white)
As we left we saw the horses near the road and got close, but we didn’t pet them. These are very beautiful horses, and the light in the sky and clouds really make these photos pop.
The sand on the black sand beach ranges in size, smaller right at the water’s edge. We walked in reef shoes and also barefoot, as some of the sand is a little rougher than usual.
We saw these five sea turtles on the beach... they were the only ones we saw on the trip - we didn’t see any sea turtles when we snorkeled.
And we kicked the soccer here at the black beach, too.
Links to the rest of this travel journal:
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17)Oahu - Dole Plantation Maze and Polynesian Cultural Center
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26)SLUH in HI
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28)Postcards
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29)Reviews
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30)Hawaii 2000
