Hanamaulu Beach Park

Located in the town of Lihue, Hanamaulu Beach Park - also called Hanamāʻulu Beach Park, Hanamaulu Beach, and Hanama’ulu Beach - is a six-and-a-half-acre park that has a long and narrow beach with brown-colored sand and many nearby trees and bushes. This park is also known as Hanamaulu Beach. This beach is situated along the shores of a bay named Hanamaulu Bay. A stream named the Hanamaulu Stream (also called the Hanama’ulu Stream) flows near the southern end of the beach - once this beach passes near Hanamaulu Beach’s southern end, it flows into the Pacific Ocean. Hanamaulu Beach Park and the area around it was featured in the 1963 John Wayne movie Donovan’s Reef.

Although Hanamaulu Beach Park does not have lifeguards, it has many other amenities including a nearby grassy area, showers, restrooms, barbecue areas, a playground, and a pavilion. It is important to note that the restrooms here can get dirty. 

Hanamaulu Beach Park offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, wildlife watching, picnicking, camping, swimming, kayaking, canoeing, surf-skiing, jet-skiing, water-skiing, boating, paddleboarding, scuba diving, and snorkeling. The water near Hanamaulu Beach Park offers manageable waves and this makes it ideal for beginner swimmers. In addition to the Hanamaulu Bay, kids also like to wade in the Hanamaulu Stream near the beach. In addition snorkelers and scuba divers - depending on the time of the year, you can see many kinds of animals near Hanamaulu Beach Park including sea turtles, rare Hawaiian monk seals, and migrating whales between November and March. It is important to note that Hawaiian monk seals and sea turtles are protected under a law named the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and harming them can result in a fine of up to $50,000 and possible imprisonment. In addition, snorkelers and divers can also see schools of migratory fish within Hanamaulu Bay - one of the many species of migratory fish that you can see here is akule (which is also called the big-eye scad). If you are planning to swim or snorkel near Hanamaulu Beach Park, we recommend being careful because the water here is known to have unpredictable rip currents and dangerous waves. In addition, the Hanamaulu stream deposits a large amount of dirt and silt in the nearshore water here while flowing into the Hanamaulu Bay - this results in the underwater visibility here becoming low and sharks also love to hunt in this murky water. 

We also recommend avoiding swimming in the water here after sunset and before sunrise because the water conditions become particularly unsafe during this time. You can see many airplanes in the sky while visiting Hanamaulu Beach Park because many aircraft land at and depart from the nearby Lihue Airport. If you like beachcombing, you can comb the beach at Hanamaulu Beach Park for a variety of interesting shells and stones. Hanamaulu Beach Park is especially popular with fishermen during the time when migratory fish visit Hanamaulu Bay - if you are planning to fish near Hanamaulu Beach Park, please ensure compliance with the local fishing regulations that can be found at the website of the Division of Aquatic Resources (which is a part of the State of Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources). If you like camping, Hanamaulu Beach Park has a campground that offers a fantastic oceanfront camping experience - you can visit the official website of the County of Kaua’i for more information regarding the campground charges and camping rules. It is important to note that camping in Hanamaulu Beach Park is currently restricted to the general public

Getting to Hanamaulu Beach Park is easy - from Hawaii Route 51, you need to turn to the right towards the oceanfront side of Hehi Road. The park is located near the eastern end of Hehi Road, and there is also a large free parking lot here - we recommend being careful while parking at the parking lot near Hanamaulu Beach Park and avoiding leaving any valuables in your parked car because burglaries have been known to occur here. It is important to note that there may occasionally be a lot of trash in Hanamaulu Beach Park. In addition, we also recommend being careful because many stray dogs and cats are also known to be found in Hanamaulu Beach Park. We also recommend avoiding visiting this beach alone because there are many homeless people who are illegally encamped around the beach, and visiting Hanamaulu Beach Park may cause potential safety issues.

There are many attractions near Hanamaulu Beach Park. Ahukini State Recreational Pier is a cement pier with a wooden walkway that is a popular location for fishing - you can catch many kinds of fish here and you can also catch crabs here through nets. The pier also offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of the eastern Kauai shoreline - this pier was previously the eastern terminal for a railway line that was operated by the Ahukini Terminal and Railway Company (which was operational between 1920 and 1959) and it was used to transport sugar to merchant ships. Kauai Museum (also called the Kaua’i Museum) is set in a building - named the Albert Spencer Wilcox Building - which was built in the 1920s and is a part of the United States National Register of Historic Places - this museum has interesting exhibits that offer a unique insight into the vibrant history of the island of Kauai and the nearby island of Niihau and it also offers amazing exhibits on the geology and the geography of the Hawaiian islands, along with splendid artwork and sculptures. The museum also hosts interesting events including art festivals and special temporary exhibitions highlighting local artwork and history. If you are looking for another attraction near Hanamaulu Beach Park, Grove Farm Homestead & Sugar Plantation Museum is a historic sugar plantation that was built in 1864. This plantation hosts guided tours that offer a unique insight into Kauai’s history and the growth of its sugar industry. The still-functioning plantation also offers a unique insight into how the people engaged in sugar cultivation and processing worked and lived - in addition, the plantation also has beautiful gardens, orchards, and lawns.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Hanamaulu Beach Park. Cafe Portofino is an Italian upscale restaurant that has an elegant decor and a warm and rosy ambiance - this restaurant specializes in delicious North Italian dishes and serves outstanding osso bucco, pastas, pizzas, bistecca di vitellone, and gelato. The restaurant has also been praised by the ZAGAT guide and it has also been awarded by Distinguished Restaurants of North America (which is also called DiRōNA). Rob’s Good Time Grill is a restaurant and bar which offers excellent sandwiches, burgers, seafood, chicken wings, wraps, nachos, salads, fries, and chicken, seafood, and pork platters. In addition, it also offers live music performances. If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near Hanamaulu Beach Park, Smiley’s Local Grinds serves excellent burgers, seafood, Hawaiian and Asian-style dishes, salads, and fries.

If you are looking for a hotel near Hanamaulu Beach Park, there are many great nearby options. The 4-Star Marriott's Kauai Lagoons - Kalanipuʻu offers many amenities including a pool, a whirlpool, barbecue facilities, walking trails, and a fitness center and it also offers access to a spa named the Alexander Spa (the hotel shares the spa with another nearby hotel named Marriott's Kaua’i Beach Club). Another great upscale hotel is the 4-Star Kauai Beach Resort Spa offers many amenities including four pools (including two with waterfalls), a complimentary airport/local area shuttle, hot tubs, pool volleyball facilities, a waterslide, multiple restaurants, a lounge, a salon, a spa, a fitness center, and nightly entertainment. A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Banyan Harbor Resort which offers many amenities including a saltwater pool, barbecue areas, basketball courts, tennis courts, picnic areas, shuffleboard, pickleball courts, movie rentals, and board game loaner facility. If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near Hanamaulu Beach Park, the 2-Star Tip Top Motel, Cafe, & Bakery has Art Deco-style architectural influences and it also offers a cafe.