Ho'Okipa Beach Park(Hookipa Beach)

Located near the town of Paia, Ho’okipa Beach Park - also known as H-Poko and Ho’okipa Park - is an approximately eight-and-a-half square mile recreational park that has a beach with light brown sand, some rocky portions, and nearby palm trees. This immensely popular beach is called Ho’okipa Beach. The beach’s name (Ho’okipa) either means "hospitality" or "welcoming comfort" in Hawaiian. As an interesting fact, the park served as the inspiration for the song "Hoʻokipa Park Hula," which was written by a prominent Hawaiian singer named Alice Johnson (who was also called the "nightingale of Maui") in the 1930s. The beach and the area around it was also a popular recreational and party spot for the Fourth Marine Division of the United States Marine Corps, which was camped at another nearby recreational park during World War Two (this park is now named 4th Marine Division Memorial Park in their honor). 

The water near Ho'okipa Beach has a reef. The area behind the beach in Ho'okipa Beach Park also has a seawall. Ho'okipa Beach Park has many amenities including lifeguards (available near the beach’s western and eastern ends between 8 am to 4 pm), showers, pavilions, picnic tables, pay-phones, and restrooms. 

Ho’okipa Beach Park offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, wildlife watching, tide pooling, fishing, picnicking, swimming, surfing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, bodysurfing, skimboarding, bodyboarding, bodysurfing, kayaking, snorkeling, scuba diving, canoeing, jet-skiing, surf-skiing, water-skiing, and boating. The water near Ho’okipa Beach is a world-renowned windsurfing spot and many visiting and local kitesurfers/windsurfers often windsurf/kitesurf on the waves here - the water near Ho’okipa Beach offers its largest, most thrilling, and most consistent surfing and windsurfing/kitesurfing waves during winters. The water near Ho’okipa Beach Park has been an extremely popular surfing spot since at least the 1930s and Ho’okipa Beach Park is also popularly known as the "home of contemporary surfing" - the water near the eastern portion of the beach has a surf spot called "Pavilions" which offers particularly excellent surfing waves, usually during afternoons. The beach in Ho'okipa Beach Park also hosts many renowned water sporting events throughout the year including Hookipa Surf Classic, the Red Bull King of the Air (which is an international kitesurfing competition), and the Aloha Classic. If you are a less-experienced swimmer you can swim in the water here during summers when the water here has manageable waves - the water near the central portion of Ho’okipa Beach Park is known to be shallower and calmer than other portions of the beach. Snorkelers and scuba divers can explore its vibrant biodiversity - depending on the time of the year, you can view many kinds of animals in the water near Ho’okipa Beach Park including dolphins, sea turtles (which are particularly active during evenings), migrating whales, starfish, coral, rare Hawaiian monk seals, and lots of tropical fish.

If you are planning to swim, surf, snorkel, or windsurf in the water near Ho’okipa Beach, we recommend being careful as the water here is known to have extremely hazardous and dangerous rip currents along with deadly waves, especially during winters. The shoreline around the beach is also rocky - this rocky shoreline can inflict serious injuries to visitors. If you are a beginner swimmer, we recommend avoiding engaging in aquatic recreational activities in the water here. Windsurfers should also note that windsurfing is also prohibited in Hawaii by 11 am. In addition, windsurfers are also legally required to give the right of way to surfers, swimmers, divers, kayakers/canoers, and stand-up paddleboarders while in the water as per Hawaiian state law. If you are planning to fish in the water near Ho’okipa Beach Park, we recommend ensuring compliance with the local fishing regulations - these regulations can be found at the website of the Division of Aquatic Resources (which is a part of the State of Hawai’i’s Department of Land and Natural Resources). The area near the eastern end of Ho’okipa Beach also has an observation area called Ho’okipa Lookout (also called Ho’okipa Beach Lookout) - this cliff-top observation area offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of the Pacific Ocean and the northern Maui shoreline.

Getting to Ho’okipa Beach Park is easy - the beach is present along Hawaii Route 36 (which is a part of Hana Highway and The Road to Hana) near its mile marker 9. A free parking lot is also present near the beach. We recommend visiting this beach early as this beach can get crowded quickly.

There are many attractions near Ho’okipa Beach Park. Kanaha Pond State Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary that is spread over 143 acres and was the site of a former Ancient Hawaiian fish pond - this state-managed sanctuary is known as a popular bird-watching spot and you can view many kinds of migrant and resident birds here including Hawaiian stilt, Hawaiian coot, owls, sandpipers, and geese. Alexander & Baldwin Sugar Museum is 17 minutes away by car - this museum offers interesting historical exhibits which offer a unique insight into the life of various people who worked in Maui’s sugar mills. The museum also offers insights into the growth of Maui’s sugar industry and it also has interesting equipment used in processing sugar including a cane hauler, a 1920s outdoor Portuguese oven, and an 1898 Nordberg steam engine. If you are looking for another attraction near Ho’okipa Beach Park, 4th Marine Division Memorial Park is named in honor of the 4th Marine Division of the United States Marine Corps, which saw action in many World War Two battles including Iwo Jima and Saipan and is still operational today - this division camped in this recreational park in the past, which was subsequently renamed after it. This park offers many amenities including baseball/softball fields, picnic areas, a playground, restrooms, soccer fields, and drinking water facilities.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Ho'okipa Beach Park. Mama’s Fish House is an upscale restaurant that serves amazing Polynesian-inspired dishes for lunch and dinner including soups, seafood, and beef dishes – and it is also a favorite of Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach. The restaurant also has a Polynesian inspired decor. Paia Fish Market is known for its excellent seafood, which is prepared from locally sourced ingredients. The restaurant also serves amazing pasta, salads, fajitas, tacos, quesadillas, burgers, and poultry dishes. Flatbread Company offers a variety of amazing pizzas and flatbreads which are prepared using organic ingredients and health-conscious cooking styles. The restaurant also offers salads and gluten-free flatbreads. If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near Ho’okipa Beach Park, Mediterranean Grill offers amazing Mediterranean dishes including baklava, gyros, chicken shawarma, and Greek salad.

If you are looking for a hotel near Lower Paia Park, there are many great nearby options. The 5-StarFour Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea is a 40-minute drive away and offers many amenities including three restaurants, three pools, 58 cabanas, a 24-hour fitness center, a spa, and tennis courts. Another upscale hotel is The Inn at Mama’s Fish House which offers many amenities including a restaurant, a private beach area, and guest laundry facilities. A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Paia Inn which offers many amenities including rental facilities for bikes, surfboards, and stand-up paddleboards, complimentary breakfast, and a loaner facility for beach towels, mats, chairs, and boogie boards. The 3-Star Maui Seaside Hotel is another moderately priced hotel that offers many amenities including a restaurant offering Hawaiian cuisine, a pool, and guest laundry facilities. If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near Lower Paia Park, Kuau Inn (also called Ku’au Inn) is set in a Plantation-era house which offers many amenities including a lanai, tropical gardens, and barbecue spots. The hotel is also located conveniently close to some of the major attractions in Paia.