The following day, I headed out to Naalehu to find Papakolea beach, which is made from semi-precious green olivine crystals and is one of only four green sand beaches in the world. The beach is located at the southernmost tip of Big island.
Once arriving at the parking area, you can hike your way towards the beach over rough terrain, but it did look pretty tricky in places - even though the initial path looked quite good. It was also a fair hike and in hot conditions with no shade or anywhere to stop for refreshments along the way, it wasn’t something any of us fancied doing. So, it ended up with the four of us negotiating a price to be taken by an open top jeep. This was an amazing experience, if not a little bumpy, and at a couple of points we were met by another vehicle coming the other way – this was off-roading at its best! The weather was perfect and the views incredible. We experienced a real contrast between green fields and coastline with beautiful cliffs beyond.
It took a while to reach the bay, and once you do get there you are met by a steep slope that needs to be carefully engineered to get onto the beach. There were one or two other people on the beach, but it was a pretty, unspoilt and sheltered, and perfect for a quick dip or paddle in the lapping waves of the Pacific Ocean - but be warned that the waves are quite powerful and not suitable for inexperienced swimmers.
