Kaunala Beach

Located in the small town of Haleiwa, Kaunala Beach is small and wide beach on the north side of Pu’u O Mahuka Heiau State Historic Site.  Kaunala Beach is a well-known surfing spot as the waves can reach 30 feet high in winter months.  Kaunala Beach is also an incredible destination for photography as it is close to many waterways and has beautiful Instagram-worthy views of the very famous Banzai Pipeline.  

Kaunala Beach offers many amenities including lifeguards, restrooms, showers, and picnic tables. 

There are many fun activities at Kaunala Beach including swimming, surfing, snorkeling, scuba diving, fishing, paddleboarding, bodyboarding, photography, picnicking, and beach walking. Please note that swimming here during the winter can be very dangerous because of huge waves and strong rip currents.  

Getting to Kaunala Beach is very easy – the beach has a free parking lot at 58-302 Kamehameha Highway and provides easy access to the beach.

If you are looking for attractions near Kaunala Beach, you can drive 35 minutes to many nearby options. USS Missouri Battleship Museum features the remains of the Iowa-class battleship Missouri that received a total of 11 battle stars for service in World War II and has been the setting in many movies including Pearl Harbor, Battleship, and Under Siege. Wet’n’Wild Hawaii is an incredible water park that is spread across 29 acres and has more than 25 rides and attractions including Big Kahuna, Cutter’s Island, Hawaiian Waters, Shaka, Surfsliders, Tornado, Volcano Express, and Waimea Whirl. If you like to golf, Ko Olina Golf Club is an 18-hole golf course that was designed by Ted Robinson and has multi-tiered greens, water features, and a clubhouse. Another great attraction near Kaunala Beach is the Ala Moana Center, the largest open-air shopping center in the world featuring shops, restaurants, twice-weekly hula shows, and a ride-simulating movie theater.

If you get hungry, you can drive 10 minutes to many restaurants near Kaunala Beach. Kehau’s Kitchen is a nice Hawaiian restaurant that offers taro, poi, breadfruit, limu, taro tops, and sweet potato. If you like Japanese food, Gyotaku Japanese Restaurant serves sushi, unagi, soba, udon, and onigiri at very affordable prices. Another good restaurant near Kaunala Beach is Button Up Café, a breakfast restaurant featuring pancakes, omelets, sandwiches, tacos, burgers, and homemade pies.

If you are looking for a hotel near Kaunala Beach, there are many hotels within a 20-minute drive. The luxurious 5-star hotel Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina offers many amenities including a private beach, pool, bar with live music, spa, fitness center, kids’ club, tennis courts, as well as Asian, Italian, and seafood restaurants. Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa is a 4-Star hotel with a pool, adults-only pool bar, spa, movie nights, and pool parties with Disney characters. If you are looking for affordable hotels near Kaunala Beach, the 3-Star Hampton Inn & Suites Oahu/Kapolei features a pool, gym, and snack bar – and Pagoda Hotel is a 2-Star hotel that has a nice Japanese-Hawaiian fusion floating restaurant.