Kalapaki Beach

Located in eastern part of Kauai, Kalapaki Beach - also called Kalapaki Beach Park - is an immensely popular quarter-mile long arc-shaped beach with light brown sand, nearby rock jetties, and nearby trees and grass.  The beach is situated along the shores of a bay named the Kalapaki Bay and near the entrance of a harbor named the Nawiliwili Harbor.  There is also a hotel near this beach named Marriott’s Kaua’i Beach Club.  Two streams named the Nawiliwili Stream and the Hule'ia Stream flow through the area near the beach - once these streams pass the area near the beach, they flow into the Pacific Ocean.  As an interesting fact, Queen Liliʻuokalani - who was the last monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii - attended a grand luau ceremony that was held around the beach in 1891.  In addition, legendary surfer Duke Kahanaonku also visited this beach - Kahanamoku had also offered a swimming demonstration in the nearby Nawiliwili.

Although Kalapaki Beach does not have lifeguards, it has a few other amenities including concession stands, showers, a volleyball court, watersports equipment rental facilities, restrooms, showers, and a nearby picnic table - this picnic table is located near a mall named the Anchor Cove Shopping Center. 

Kalapaki Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, fishing, picnicking, swimming, volleyball, snorkeling, windsurfing, paddleboarding, surfing, hydrofoil surfing, bodysurfing, kayaking, canoeing, boating, wakeboarding, and parasailing.  The water near Kalapaki Beach offers manageable waves, which makes it ideal for beginner swimmers - in addition, the water here also has a gradual depth and a sandy bottom and this makes water activities easier here.  The water near the beach’s eastern part is particularly preferred by less-experienced swimmers.  In addition, beginner bodyboarders, bodysurfers, paddleboarders, kayakers, and canoers also frequently visit this beach - the water near the western part of Kalapaki Beach is particularly visited by surfers and bodyboarders of all levels of expertise.  If you are a beginner surfer, canoer, or stand up paddleboarder, Kauai Beach Boys is a nearby private organization which offers surfing, stand up paddleboarding, and outrigger canoeing lessons.

Kalapaki Beach has also recently become a popular location for hydrofoil surfing.  Depending on the time of the year, you can see many kinds of animals near Kalapaki Beach including sea turtles, migrating whales between December and May, a few varieties of fish, and rare Hawaiian monk seals.  If you are planning to swim, surf, kayak, canoe, or snorkel near Kalapaki Beach, we recommend being careful because the water here has unpredictable rip currents.  In addition, swimmers and snorkelers should also note that underwater visibility here can occasionally be low because the streams flowing nearby can deposit a large amount of sediment into the water here.  In addition, we recommend avoiding swimming in this water during sunset, sunrise, or at night because sharks are known to hunt here during this time.  The water here also occasionally has high levels of bacterial contamination.  It is important to note that sea turtles and Hawaiian monk seals 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.  

Snorkelers visit the eastern part of Kalapaki Beach because they have a comparatively higher probability of watching fish here - in addition, snorkelers also visit this beach for exploring interesting underwater rock formations and you can also find interesting seashells on the seafloor while snorkeling here.  If you like taking pictures with amazing views, Kalapaki Beach offers Instagram-worthy views of the eastern Kauai shoreline, the nearby Hoary Head Mountains, and the Nawiliwili Bay.  In addition, you can also see many ships sailing in and out of the nearby Nawiliwili Harbor.  If you are planning to fish near Kalapaki Beach, please ensure compliance with the local fishing regulations which can be found on 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 shopping, the area near Kalapaki Beach has many interesting shopping stores.  In addition, the nearby Anchor Cove Shopping Center also has interesting shops

Getting to Kalapaki Beach is easy - the beach is adjacent to Anchor Cove Shopping Center and this center is situated at 3416 Rice Street.  Rice Street is a part of Hawaii Route 51.  There is a free parking lot near the beach.  We recommend visiting Kalapaki Beach early because this beach can get crowded quickly and the parking lot here can get filled up quickly. 

As another access option, from Rice Street, you need to turn towards an unnamed road - this road is located near a restaurant/bar named Nawiliwili Tavern.  You then need to drive on this road until you pass the Marriott’s Kaua’i Beach Club.  You then need to further drive half a mile until you will come across signs marking public shoreline access.  You need to follow these signs, which will lead you to a free parking lot - this parking lot is located near a cottage named the Pali Kai Cottage.  Once you park here, you then need to walk past the Pali Kai Cottage until you come across a staircase that leads to an elevator (which is sometimes called the Kauai Lagoon Elevator).  This elevator will lead you to Kalapaki Beach.

There are many attractions near Kalapaki Beach. Ninini Point Lighthouse is an 86-feet tall exquisite lighthouse that was built in the early 20th century using wood and concrete and which was fully automated in 1953 (after a lighthouse is fully automated, it does not need to rely on human lighthouse-keepers for regulating its light and this job of instead done through remote control, automated timers, and automated light-and-fog detectors). Nawiliwili Park - also called Nawiliwili Beach Park - is a recreational park that has an unnamed narrow rocky beach.  This park has many other amenities including grassy areas, picnic tables, sports fields, and restrooms - the park offers many fun activities including picnicking, swimming, kayaking, canoeing, paddleboarding, boating, and snorkeling. 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 which 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 Kalapaki Beach, Ocean Course at Hōkūala is a beautifully-landscaped golf course which is one of the longest oceanfront golf courses in Hawaii - this course has been developed by golf architect Jack Nicklaus and it offers a fun and challenging golfing experience.  This course has been praised by many golf publications including Golfweek, Golf World, and Golf Digest and it was also listed as “Hawaii’s Best Golf Course” by World Golf Awards in 2017, 2018, and 2019. In addition, this course also offers an innovative sport named FootGolf, which is a combination of soccer and golf.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Kalapaki Beach. Hualani’s Restaurant is an upscale oceanfront restaurant which has an elegant decor - this restaurant offers amazing locally-inspired seasonal dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner including steaks, seafood, Asian-style dishes, burgers, lamb, salads, pancakes, and eggs.  The restaurant has been awarded OpenTable’s Diners’ Choice award in 2020 and it has also been designated as an “Ocean-Friendly Restaurant”by the SURFRIDER FOUNDATION. Kukui’s On Kalapaki Beach offers fantastic dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner that exhibit international and local culinary influences including oatmeal, eggs, French toasts, steaks, seafood, salads, sandwiches, wontons, and chicken wings.  Duke’s Kauai serves delicious pastas, seafood, steaks, prime ribs, tacos, and poultry dishes. Lilikoi Bar & Grill offers delicious dishes for breakfast and brunch including salads, sandwiches, burgers, pastas, seafood, tacos, poultry dishes, steaks, breakfast dishes, and desserts.  If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near Kalapaki Beach, Nawiliwili Tavern is a restaurant and bar which serves excellent wraps, burgers, sandwiches, chicken wings, steaks, tater tots, chicken nuggets, and a variety of artisanal firebaked pizzas.  The bar also offers pool, darts, video games, and karaoke and it also offers a special night for the LGBTQ community on the first Saturday of each month.  As another modestly priced option, Smitty's Smash Burger serves excellent burgers, hash browns, and fries.