The Westbrook Times: The Black Sand Beach Tour

October 21, 2015

The Black Sand Beach Tour

I have discovered that one thing that I really love about the Big Island is that it likes to defy all of the stereotypically things about Hawaii. After all it is one of the few places that allow you to frolic in the sand and the snow in one day. The idea that Hawaii is full of these beautiful palm-tree lined glistening white sand beaches on every shore is another fantasy. The Big Island is the youngest island in the chain and is still growing in size. The island was created from lava, which is black. Over time, the water whacks against the rocks breaking them down into smaller and smaller pieces creating sand. With no established reefs to break the waves from shore, the beaches on the windward side of the island are rocky and almost all have black sand instead of white.

On the outskirts of Hilo there is a line of beach parks that fill to capacity of a Sunday afternoon. Locals and their families set up camp along the shores with EZ-ups, coolers, and food for the grills. Another great thing about the Hawaiian culture is that they are all about family. If you are called Auntie or Uncle is a term of respect.

This off-shift I also took the opportunity to explore another area of the island called Puna with a co-worker. Puna has a reputation of being very hippy and very off the grid. I once heard someone say that a lot of PQ staff from the past have gone into Puna and didn’t come out. We both made it back to Hilo but there was a part of me that felt if the world was flat, I traveled to the edge the far edge. Hard to explain the feeling really but seeing a road sign that pointed you to the End of the Road was persuasive factor.