Hawaiian Beaches

A rocky coast, art and cultural memory offer different starting points for planning your trip.

Coast, art and connection to the road

Papio Ocean Park is in Hawaiian Beaches on the rocky east coast of the island of Hawaiʻi. At the center of the park is Moonwalker, a painted metal sculpture. The rocky coast provides the landscape, while Moonwalker adds a distinctive artistic touch. The entrance to Government Beach Road is just behind the park. Hikers, cyclists and drivers travel along the road. These groups represent different ways of getting around; the entrance behind the park makes the spatial connection between the road and the park tangible. When planning your trip, you can think of the park in terms of its coast and art, and the road in terms of its entrance and use.

Waiakahiʻula: Place Name and History

Hawaiʻi County changed the name of Kahakai Park to Waiakahiʻula Beach Park to honor the area’s original place name and rich cultural history. Waiakahiʻula means “the place where the water flows red.” The remains of the old Hawaiian village of Waiakahiʻula are preserved in the park: a well-preserved canoe shed, the foundations of a house and various agricultural features. These are different kinds of traces of the village, including structural and agricultural elements. The name and the remains complement each other without telling the same story: the name conveys a linguistic connection to the place, while the relics point to material traces of the former village. The coastal area of Waiakahiʻula became the final resting place of many iwi kūpuna. This cultural significance of the coast is another part of the area’s history. For older references, it helps to distinguish between the names over time: Kahakai Park is the former name of the same facility, while Waiakahiʻula Beach Park is its current name. Hawaiʻi County explained the renaming in a notice dated July 3, 2024; Waiakahiʻula is also the name of the old village whose remains are preserved in the park.

Location and Hotel Search

Moonwalker is a single work of art at the center of Papio Ocean Park; the history of Waiakahiʻula, by contrast, encompasses an original place name, village relics and the cultural significance of the coastal area. This makes it possible to distinguish an artistic connection in a coastal park from a historical perspective. Papio Ocean Park is in Hawaiian Beaches, while Waiakahiʻula Beach Park is in Puna. If you want to stay in Hawaiian Beaches, search for hotels under that destination name. Connect the history of Waiakahiʻula to its own location if it matters to your trip planning. This lets you first choose your desired accommodation destination and then decide which coastal, artistic or cultural themes you want to shape your stay.

Discover more destinations: Hawaiian Paradise Park, Holualoa, Kalaoa, Kawaihae, Fern Forest, Naalehu, Kukuihaele, Mountain View

For the overall travel guide: Hawaii.