“Excuse me…”, an Asian gentleman walked up to me and asked, “Would you know how far is the green sand beach?”
We were hiking to the Papakōlea beach, which is tucked away in a secluded bay about three miles from the southernmost tip of the United States. About half-a-mile into the hike, we met the Asian family, who were clearly looking distraught. This family of parents and two kids were wearing sandals and did not have any water on them. They had likely mistaken Papakōlea as another touristy Hawaiʻian beach that conveniently resides right next to the parking lot. Upon being informed that the beach was another two to two-and-half miles away, the father’s face visibly sank. They thanked us, consulted in their native language and turned back to the parking lot. They did the smart thing.
Papakōlea is not just another Hawaiʻian beach and as the incident above will tell you, not everyone gets to this remote beauty on a nescient whim. First off, the internet is wrong in describing this hike as ‘easy’. Zero shade combined with blustery and treacherous lava-carved path makes this a challenging hike. Moreover, there aren't any signs, markers or trail-maps to follow. Some locals illegally offer 4X4 rides to ill-prepared tourists for a decent amount of money. While shuttling on those dry sandy trails, these 4X4 vehicles create dust-storms that are quite hazardous for hikers. To avoid this dusty hazard, we hiked closer to the coast. That added to the mileage, but allowed us to marvel at the primal appeal of the ocean pounding those rugged volcanic cliffs… if this rigmarole is not ‘eternity’, then what is?
The geology of Papakōlea is quite fascinating. About 50 thousand years ago, the adjacent ancient cinder cone – Puʻu Mahana – spouted lava, which was rich in magnesium iron silicate – commonly called olivine due to olive-like hue of its crystals. These crystals are heavier than regular sand and tend to accumulate on the little beach as millions of tiny Peridots. Framed by turquoise waters, the verdant beauty of this little tuff ring bay is undeniable. If you trust National Geographic, then this beach is one of the top 21 beaches worldwide. Also, if you trust Wikipedia, only four green sand beaches exist around the globe, and Papakōlea is one of them.
We descended to the green beach by climbing down the steep trail on the crater wall. Despite being remote, the beach was crowded. Most people were sunbathing, a few hiding in shadows, and the rest were swimming in the susurrant waters. Rishabh and I got into our swimwear and took the plunge. The water was cold, but we warmed up to it soon. Rolling and dissolving with the waves, I recalled that I was swimming in the ocean after decades, and remarkably, this was my very first ocean plunge with my son. Sometimes in certain extraordinary places, one can perceive rejuvenescence; on this day, you see, its color was olivish-green.
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