Here’s a beach of a different color! Hawaii’s famous ‘Green Sand Beach’.

Nov 26, 2021 | General Information

Have you ever seen a beach with green sand? Well you have a chance to do so if you are going to bevisiting the Big Island. Actually you are going to have to really want to see it because it is located off the main road and down a very bumpy dirt road which leads to ‘South Point’ which is the very furthest point south on the Big Island as well as being the very furthest point south in Hawaii and for that matter the very furthest point south in the United States.

The Hawaiian name for the area is Papakolea and although the road could be passable for some 4 wheel drive vehicles, vehicle access is not permitted by the DHHL and all access is only avialable via hiking. It is a fairly stringent hike (probably considered moderate) and will take over an hour to get there from the main road.
As to the color of the beach itself, the green comes from the naturally found mineral Olivine. Although it is somewhat rare it is also found throughout other Hawaiian Islands and is occasionally even found in Waikiki’s famous Diamond Head Crater. No other beach in Hawaii is so prevalent with Olivine so as to provide an entire beach full of beach sand however so it is really the only green sand beach in Hawaii. In actuality it is only one of only four green sand beaches found anywhere in the world.