Punalu’u Black Sand Beach Park

Located south of the Volcanoes National Park is Punalu’u Black Sand Beach Park. Anyone traveling to Hawaii inevitably asks if you were able to see black sand beaches. The sand, which gets its black color from the volcanic rock, is mysterious and is quite a contrast to the sharp and ragged rocks surrounding the beach.

Punalu’u Black Sand Beach Park is known for the story of Kauila and the Sea Turtles of Punalu’u.

“The mystical turtle, Kauila, makes her home in the Ka’u district at Punalu’u Bay according to Hawaiian mythology. Kauila was empowered with the ability to turn herself from a turtle into human form and would play with the children along the shoreline and keep watch over them. The people of Ka’u loved Kauila as the guardian of their children and also for her spring that gave them pure drinking water.

The presence of Kauila can still be felt today by the sea turtles that inhabit this special place. The Hawaiian honu (green sea turtle) can be regularly seen in the bay feeding on the limu growing in the shallows. In addition the honu’ea (hawkbill turtle) sometimes enters the bay at night to crawl ashore and deposit eggs in the black sand. Both species of sea turtles are fully protected under U.S. Endangered Species Act and wild life laws of the State of Hawaii.”

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Source: InACents