Koko Head

At a Glance

Koko Head is a massive 642-foot-high ancient tuff cone in the headland that defines the southeastern side of O`ahu. The neighboring 1,208-foot-high Koko Crater overshadows Koko Head.

Sightseeing

There are many spectacular natural attractions around Koko Head and you could easily spend an afternoon exploring these amazing sites.

Halona Blow Hole

Halona Blow Hole lies off of Kalaniana`ole Highway. Named after the Hawaiian word for "peering place," this geyser is a natural and unpredictable wonder. When breaking surf inside the Kaiwi Channel is forced through an L-shaped lava tube, it produces a tremendous pressure that periodically creates a spectacular explosion of water. Do not get near the blowhole itself – there are barriers set up to prevent this but some people are persistent. The barriers were reinforced after a young man went beyond the barriers and looked down into the blowhole, which immediately blew up and threw the young man into the air and then down the chute. They found his body in the ocean.

Koko Crater Botanical Garden

Koko Crater Botanical Garden, tel. 808-522-7060 (for guided to-urs), www.honolulu.gov/parks/hbg/kcbg.htm. This 60-acre botanical garden is set within Koko Crater and is home to thousands of flowering plants, many of which prosper in the crater's desert-like surroundings. The garden is located past Sandy Beach Park. At the traffic light on Kalaniana`ole Highway, take a left on Kealahou Street and follow that street until you get to Kokonani Street. Turn left and that will take you to the entrance of the garden. Admission is free. Allow yourself an hour and a half to walk through the two-mile loop around the garden. Wear comfortable shoes as you view a variety of dry land plant collections from Hawaii and around the world.

Beaches

Sandy Beach Park

Sandy Beach Park, 8800 Kalaniana`ole Highway. When the waves are calm, this is a dreamy swim spot. When the waves are big, this is a very dangerous park! When the surf's up, the beach has a treacherous shorebreak and strong rip currents. If swimming doesn't look good, combing the beach for shells is always fun. Experienced shorebreak bodysurfers make this sport look fun and easy, but remember – they are experienced. Sandy Beach is as famous for its beautiful sandy shoreline as it is for the number of broken necks, backs and other injuries that frequently occur here. Talk to a lifeguard if you have any questions. The beach park has picnic areas, phones, showers and restrooms.

Makapu`u Beach Park

Makapu`u Beach Park, 41-095 Kalaniana`ole, translates in Hawaiian to "Bulging Eyes." The beach is below Makapu`u Point, considered to be Hawaii's easternmost tip. From the beach, you can see Manana (Rabbit) Island, which is a popular scuba destination since the water is shallow. This picturesque beach can be a little iffy for swimming but is popular for bodysurfing. It's just a great place to hang out – there are picnic areas, barbecue grills, restrooms, showers, phones and lifeguards.

Adventures in Water

***Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve

Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, tel. 808-396-4229, is about 10 miles east of Waikiki, just off Kalaniana`ole Highway. There are many road signs that will point you in the right direction.

This half-mile crescent of sand facing the reef-filled wat-ers of a volcanic cin-der cone is one the most popular sno-rk-eling bea-ches in all of Hawaii. Thanks to recent efforts to save the reef, the reserve is beginning to look alive. The parking lot fills up early in the morning so try to get there by midday. The admission fee is $5 and the park also has a visitor center as well as some compulsory rules on how to approach the reef. No alcoholic beverages or pets are allowed at Hanauma Bay.

Summer hours: Open daily from 6 am until 7 pm except on Tuesdays. The preserve is closed all day on Tuesdays. On the second and fourth Saturdays of each month, it is open until 10 pm.

Winter hours: Open daily from 6 am until 6 pm except on Tuesdays. The preserve is closed all day on Tuesdays. On the second Saturday of each month, Hanauma Bay remains open until 10 pm.

Koko Crater, Hanauma Bay and Hawaii Kai

Koko Head is the headland that defines the eastern side of Maunalua Bay along the southeastern side of the Island of Oʻahu in Hawaiʻi. On its western slope is the community of Portlock, a part of Hawaiʻi Kai. Koko Head (at 642 ft or 196 m) is an ancient tuff cone that is somewhat dwarfed by its neighboring tuff cone, Koko Crater, with its peak, Kohelepelepe (or Puʻu Mai), rising to 1208 ft or 368 m. Koko Head itself has three significant depressions or old vents, the largest of which forms the well-known Hanauma Bay.

This eastern end of Oʻahu is quite scenic and most of the area is part of Koko Head Regional Park, administered by the City & County of Honolulu. The following features and natural areas are found between Koko Head and the eastern end of the island at Makapuʻu:

Koko Crater from the base of the old railway trail

• Koko Crater is a massive tuff crater that visually dominates the area. Within the crater are horse stables and the Koko Crater Botanical Garden specializing in cacti and succulents.
• Hanauma Bay is an old volcanic crater or tuff cone breached by the ocean.
• Lānaʻi Lookout is a scenic lookout that features a very distant view of the Island of Lānaʻi to the southeast of Oʻahu. Molokaʻi, directly across the Kaiwi Channel, is closer and nearly always visible during the day; Lānaʻi is visible only under good atmospheric conditions, although if visible from anywhere on Oʻahu, it will be visible from this pull-out/parking area. The cremated ashes of President Barack Obama's mother, Stanley Ann Dunham (1995) and maternal grandmother, Madelyn Lee Payne Dunham (2008) were interred here.^[1]
• Hālona Blowhole is a blowhole in the rocky shore. A large pull-out/parking area is present. The adjacent Hālona Cove is best-known as the site of the love scene between Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr in the movie From Here to Eternity.
• Sandy Beach is a popular beach for surfing and a park popular for kite flying because trade winds (offshore here) are strong and steady most days. Sea conditions off the beach tend to be rough most of the time and the bottom drops away relatively quickly, so this in not a beach for relaxed swimming, but very popular for more extreme water sports and watchers.

Coordinates: 21°17′02″N 157°41′10″W / 21.2840°N 157.6860°W / 21.2840; -157.6860 (Koko Head)

Photo gallery

Koko Crater as seen from a boat, with Koko Crater and Makapu'u point	The coastline, looking northwest, from Lanaʻi Lookout	Sandy Beach from the Hālona Blowhole lookout. The far distant ridge is Makapuʻu Head, the eastern end of Oʻahu]]	Koko Stairs hike up the side of Koko Crater
Koko Crater South Rim with Hawaiʻi Kai in background	The coastline, looking southeast, from Lanaʻi Lookout	Aerial view of Lanaʻi Lookout, below Koko Crater	View of Koko Crater (far left) over the Koʻolau Range.

References

1. ^ Obama Bids Farewell to Grandmother - New York Post - December 24, 2008

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