Wooden totems still protect the area that once served as a Hawaiian sanctuary for repentant lawbreakers and war refuges at Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Historic Park.
Sea Turtles by the Seashore
It turns out we’re not the only ones who enjoy Hawaii’s glorious beaches. These green sea turtles pulled up some sand to soak in the sun at Punalu’u Beach.
A Lighter Shade of Sand
If you’ve been following along on our trip around the Big Island of Hawaii you may have gotten the impression that all of its exotic beaches are exotically hued. We’ve written a lot about black sand beaches and even an incredibly rare green sand beach. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t regular old white sand beaches here as well.
In fact, Hapuna Beach (shown above) regularly appears on various international “Top Ten” lists. With wonderful sand and beautiful water there’s little wonder why it is one of the island’s most popular. That it’s convenient parking makes it far more accessible than those other beaches we’ve discussed doesn’t hurt either.
The Upside of (Travel) Planning
It is the most alluring advice that never seems to work for us. We’re a bit skeptical it works for anyone in any real sense. But we recently discovered an entirely new way in which the seemingly world-wise travel advice to eschew planning in favor of “just going with the flow” fails us.

























