A Bird’s Eye View of Waipio Valley

What to do on the last full day in Hawaii?

Check out Waipi’o Valley or the Valley of the Kings, of course.

Waipio Valley means curved water in Hawaiian. One of Hawaii’s most stunning and sacred spots, it’s also the largest of seven enormous amphitheatre valleys in Hawaii. Waipio Valley measures one mile wide at the water and extends nearly six miles inland, with two-facing cliffs reaching almost 2,000 feet.

Staying in Honoka’a was super convenient, since the town is the gateway to Waipio Valley. When we got to the Lookout, we were able to peep the black sand beach below and Hawaii’s highest single-drop waterfall, the Hi’ilawe cascade.

Fun fact: Kevin Costner filmed the end of Water World in Waipio Valley.

Waipio Valley used to be home to ancient Hawaiian rulers, as well as, once being known for its abundant taro production. Westerners first appeared in the valley in the early 1800s. Intermarriage with Chinese, Portuguese, Japanese and Filipino over the years resulted in a multi-ethnic population and introduction of rice farming.

Today, it is sparsely populated. A few residents continue to work the taro fields, while wild horses roam free. Historical and cultural sites are found throughout the valley. Waipio Valley is not a public park; it’s privately-owned land. Reaching the valley is difficult. Like with Mauna Kea, one needs a 4WD to drive up and down the steep road. Even if you get down to the valley, public access is limited to the beach and the end of county road only.

Another option is joining a tour and going down by van, with the option to explore the verdant, lush valley by horseback. Since we had other plans, we did not go down to the valley this time. We just admired it from our birds eye view.

Instead, we headed back to the Kohala coast to check out Hapuna Beach, one of the most beautiful and popular beaches in America. The warm water is clear and has an amazing turquoise blue sheen. It should be a lot more crowded, but I think the current volcanic activity had a ton of tourists cancel their trip to Hawaii, which is too bad. For them. But since we didn’t, we got to enjoy the view and the white sand beach, in relative peace.

I’m not a beach person, but for Hapuna Beach, I can grow to be one.