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Ka'u and Ka Lae
Map of Ka'u and Ka Lae
The most desolate region of the island, Kau is nonetheless home to some spectacular sights. Mark Twain wrote some of his finest prose here, where macadamia-nut farms, green-sand beaches, and tiny villages offer largely undiscovered beauty. The 50-mi drive from Kailua-Kona to windswept South Point, where the first Polynesians came ashore as early as AD 750, winds away from the ocean through a surreal moonscape of lava-covered forests. Past South Point, glimpses of the ocean return and hidden Green Sand Beach tempts hikers to stop awhile before the highway narrows and returns to the coast, passing verdant cattle pastures and sheer cliffs on the way to the black-sand beach of Punaluu, the nesting place of the Hawaiian sea turtle.
At a Glance
SIGHTS
RESTAURANTS
HOTELS
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1.
Ka Lae (South Point)
This windswept point is where Polynesians first came ashore.
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2.
Manuka State Wayside
At this park, lava flows encircle ancient trees.
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3.
Papakolea Beach (Green Sand Beach)
Emerald sands make this beach unmissable.
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4.
Punaluu Beach Park (Black Sand Beach)
Sea turtles nest on this gorgeous beach.
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5.
Volcanoes National Park
The island's top attraction, bar none.
EXPLORE OTHER LOCATIONS
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