Black Sand Beach (Hana)

The Black Sand Beach at Waianapanapa State Park is located in Hana, a small town at the northeastern tip of Maui. The road to Hana is 54 miles long (starting in Kahului) and is extremely curvy. Driving the road is best done as an all-day trip, with a planned overnight stay in Hana, although a day trip is possible, especially if you get going early in the morning.

The black sand that forms the beach comes from volcanic rock, gradually pulverized over thousands of years by the incessant wave action at the shore. Much of the sand is actually very tiny pebbles, although higher up on the shore the pebbles give way to actual sand.

This beach is not very large and often has high surf, especially in winter. There are signs (permanently posted) warning of everything from man-o-war to being swept out to sea, and there are liferings positioned around the surrounding cliffs. Be very careful if you decide to venture into the water here.

Hours of Operation

Waianapanapa is a state park and but seems to have no official hours of operation. The parking lot has a gate which may be closed at times. The camping area is open to permitted campers 24 hours a day.

Weather Forecast

(As of 329 PM HST Wednesday July 11 2007)
Tonight: Mostly cloudy with scattered showers. Lows around 75 at the shore to around 54 at 5000 feet. East winds around 10 mph and gusty. Chance of rain 50 percent.
Thursday: Mostly sunny with scattered showers. Highs around 85 at the shore to around 71 at 5000 feet. East winds 10 to 15 mph. Gusts up to 30 mph in the morning. Chance of rain 40 percent.
Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy with scattered showers. Lows around 75 at the shore to around 54 at 5000 feet. East winds around 10 mph and gusty. Chance of rain 50 percent.
Friday: Partly sunny with scattered showers. Highs 66 to 86. East winds 10 to 15 mph with higher gusts. Chance of rain 50 percent.
Friday Night: Mostly cloudy with scattered showers. Lows 51 to 75. Northeast winds around 10 mph and gusty. Chance of rain 50 percent.
Saturday: Partly sunny with scattered showers. Highs 66 to 87. Northeast winds around 10 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.
Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy with scattered showers. Lows 51 to 75. East winds around 10 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.
Sunday: Partly sunny with scattered showers. Highs 66 to 85. East winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.
Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy with scattered showers. Lows 51 to 75. East winds around 10 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.
Monday: Partly sunny with scattered showers. Highs 66 to 85. East winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.
Monday Night: Mostly cloudy with scattered showers. Lows 51 to 75. East winds around 10 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.
Tuesday: Partly sunny with scattered showers. Highs 66 to 85. East winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.
Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy with scattered showers. Lows 51 to 75. East winds around 10 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.
 
Sunrise: 5:50am Sunset: 7:08pm. Visit Maui Weather Today for a daily discussion of the current weather patterns affecting Maui. For the surf conditions, visit the Maui Surf Report.

See our Webcams page for up to the minute conditions all around Maui!

Getting There

After driving nearly to Hana you will see a sign on the right side of the road indicating Waianapanapa State Park to the left. This sign is a little bit premature, but continue on down the road for a hundred feet or so and you'll see another smaller sign, and Honokalani Road on the left (on some maps, including the Google Map below, this road is called Waianapanapa Road). The park (and beach) are all the way at the end of that road.

Map

You may also view a more detailed full-screen version of this map on Google Maps.

Facilities

In the camping area, Waianapanapa State Park has:
- A cement-block bathhouse with toilets and sinks (as of December 2005, the lights inside the bathhouse weren't working, though)
- Outdoor fresh water showers
- Water spigot spigot for filling bottles and washing
- Picnic tables with barbeque pits
- A grassy field for camping (camping permits required), with its own parking lot
- One payphone near main parking lot

There are also many rental cabins available for $45/night. Reservations are required from the same office that handles camping permits. The cabin rentals are often booked months in advance, so reserve yours early.

Scenery

A lava tube cave on the right side of the beach leads a short distance to the water. You need to duck way down to get into the cave, but then it opens up beyond that point. It's not for the claustrophobic. Don't go in here when the waves are very high, you could drown!

A path from here to the town of Hana runs over lava fields for three miles along the coast. Wear good footwear and bring water if you decide to follow this path, which is sometimes very difficult to discern from the surrounding terrain.

There is a blowhole at the park that shoots water high into the air when the waves pound into the cavern that connects it to the shoreline below. Use caution when viewing the blowhole, you could be injured or killed if a strong spout of water shoots up at an inopportune time.

What's Nearby

There is very little immediately nearby. The town of Hana, which has two small stores (Hasagawa's and the Hana Ranch Store) and one gas station, is about three miles east on the Hana Highway. Along the road down into the state park there are numerous honor-system fruit stands selling bananas, mangoes, avacados, and other local produce.

There are also overnight accomodations available at a house along the road down to the park.

Copyright 2006 by Maui Beach Guide.

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