Lava Shelves and Blow-holes

After securing the appropriate foot gear the day before (see post below), we headed out early Sunday morning to Halona Beach Cove. After parking at the small overlook, we climbed down about 150 feet along the rocks to the small beach below. The site is known for the famous love scene between Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr in the movie, "From Here to Eternity". We resisted the urge to re-enact the scene because of the hoards or tourists watching us from the overlook.

The waves at this location are huge and powerful, but the main sight to see is the blow-hole that is carved into the pahoehoe lava shelf on the northern side of the bay (click HERE to read more about the different types of lava). The lava shelf rims the cliffs above the surf line. When waves pound into the shelf, they spray high into the air. The blow-hole is a funnel-shaped hole that focuses the force of the wave into a tunnel and up into the air through a hole in the shelf. You can feel the power of the ocean when this close to the huge surf.

After spoiling some tourist's pictures for a while, we walked around the cove's other lava shelves and out near the open ocean before heading back to the car. We drove along Sandy beach (which is really quite rocky) over to Makapu'u Point. The park has a one and a half mile walk up an abandoned road that rises about 550 feet above the crashing waves of the Pacific with great views of the lighthouse. In Winter, this is a popular place for whale watching.

This is spectacular enough, but for a little extra effort, we descended rocky lava flows to the ocean below (knowing we'd have to re-ascend) to see the "Dragon's Nostrils" - a series of six or seven blow-holes that are truly astounding! If you clicked on the map link above, you can see the lighthouse at the top of the picture and the blow-hole shelf at the bottom.

We got right on top of the blow-holes and peered inside. As the air and water surged, it sounded like a jet engine and sprayed water 50 feet into the air!. A series of tidal pools were inviting, but the occasional mega wave would leap onto the shelf and dump water into the pools that would wash you out to sea - or at least onto the sharp A'a lava below - neither were compelling enough to risk.





After climbing the 10,000 feet - er, 500 feet - back to the trail we went back to the car to rest. It was just after noon. To celebrate, we picked up a Quarter Pounder at the McDonald's in Waimanalo! During the heat of the day, we dropped off the film from our little waterproof camera and I worked on this BLOG. All told, we probably hiked 5 or 6 miles, but don't forget that we went up and down along steep rocky trails and climbed jagged, sharp rocks! What an amazing creation we are able to witness first hand! I am positively blessed!