Onomea Bay Beach

Located on the Hamakua Coast on the east side of the town of Hilo on the Big Island, Onomea Bay Beach has a small rocky shoreline with a very little amount of black sand. The beach is secluded and located on the shores of Onomea Bay and has a beautiful backdrop of the Hawaiian Tropical Bioreserve & Garden. In the early 1800s, Onomea Bay, which was formerly known as Kahali'i in Hawaii, had transformed from a fishing community to a shipping point for the local sugar mill. The trail was nicknamed “Donkey Trail” because it was the trail for donkeys packing cargo that led to the bay from the hills above where the mill was located. Later, the area was largely abandoned and became overgrown until it became privately owned in 1978, and in 1984 it opened to the public as a botanical garden. There are two short hiking trails leading to Onomea Bay Beach, namely the Onomea Trail and the Donkey Trail. Onomea Trail is an eight-tenths-of-a-mile-long hiking trail along Alakahi Stream, whereas Donkey Trail follows the Hanawï Stream, which empties into the ocean here, where visitors can also see a small waterfall named Onomea Waterfall, which offers an Instagram-worthy view of this tropical area. It is important to note that the trail will be very muddy and slippery, especially during and after rain, so we advise caution.  

Onomea Bay Beach does not have lifeguards or any other amenities, so plan your trip accordingly. Onomea Bay Beach welcomes dogs on a leash, and the beach is open from sunrise until sunset. 

Onomea Bay Beach offers a couple of fun activities including sunbathing and hiking. Hikers can explore two nearby hiking trails including the Donkey Trail and the Onomea Trail. Onomea Bay Beach is an excellent beach for relaxing and watching waves. If you are planning to go into the water near the beach, it is not a good place for swimming or snorkeling due to unpredictable rip currents and murky water.

Getting to Onomea Bay Beach is difficult - the beach has free and small street parking located at 27-547 Mamalahoa Highway. After parking, you will need to hike around 15 minutes on either of the two trails, namely Donkey Trail or Onomea Trail, to access the beach. As an alternate route, park your vehicle at the paid parking lot of the Hawaiian Tropical Bioreserve & Garden located at 27-717 Mamalahoa Highway. After parking, follow the trail that crosses through the botanical garden, which leads to the beach.

There are many attractions near Onomea Bay Beach.  Liliuokalani Gardens is a 30-acre park named after Hawaii's last reigning monarch, Queen Liliuokalani. It was built in 1917 as a tribute to Hawaii's first Japanese immigrants who toiled in the island of Hawaii's sugar cane fields. This park features Edo-styled gardens, arched bridges over koi ponds, rock gardens, pagodas, Japanese stone lanterns, and a Japanese teahouse. In addition, it offers Instagram-worthy views of Hilo Bay and Mokuola (Coconut Island). Hawaiian Tropical Bioreserve & Garden is located on Onomea Bay and features streams, waterfalls, and a boardwalk along the ocean. It is home to over 2,000 species of tropical native Hawaiian plants and several endangered rainforest species from around the globe, including palms (nearly 200 species), heliconias (more than 80 species), and bromeliads (more than 80 species). In addition, there are some mango, banana, and coconut palm trees that are over a century old. If you are looking for another attraction near Onomea Bay Beach, Hawaii Plantation Museum is a small museum that offers an interesting insight into the history of Hawaii’s sugar plantation industry (during the 18th century) through photographs, artifacts, and related memorabilia. In addition, it has a gallery with a trove of tools and equipment used on the sugar plantations.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Onomea Bay Beach.  Coconut Grill is an upscale American restaurant that serves amazing omelets, sandwiches, waffles, coco moco, French toast, pancakes, salads, steaks, burgers, shrimp, and flatbreads. Pineapples Island French Cuisine serves incredible sandwiches, burgers, sandwiches, soup, salads, pastas, rib-eye steak, nachos, and dessert. In addition, it serves gluten-free and vegan dishes.  Amigos Taqueria LLC is a Mexican restaurant that serves soups, chile rellenos, enchiladas, fajitas, quesadillas, burritos, tamales, and tacos.  If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near Onomea Bay Beach, the modestly priced Puka Puka Kitchen is a Hawaiian restaurant that serves falafel, katsu, pita bread, shrimp, pork, and poultry dishes.

If you are looking for a hotel near Onomea Bay Beach, there are many great nearby options. If you are looking for an upscale oceanfront hotel, the 4-Star Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo - a DoubleTree by Hilton offers many amenities including a golf course, an outdoor pool with a sundeck, a restaurant, and a fitness center. A more affordable hotel is the 3.5-Star Castle Hilo Hawaiian Hotel which offers many amenities including an outdoor pool with freshwater pool with sundeck, a salon, a fitness center, and a restaurant. Another moderately priced option is the 3-Star Hilo Reeds Bay Hotel which offers a few amenities including an outdoor pool and a swimming pool. If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near Onomea Bay Beach, the modestly priced 2-Star Wild Ginger Hotel offers a few amenities including a complimentary Hawaiian-style continental breakfast.