Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Kaʻaʻawa
Here the road really hugs the coast and the
pali
move right on in, with barely enough
space to squeeze a few houses between the base of the cliffs and the road. Across the
road from the beach park is a convenience store, gas station and hole-in-the-wall post of-
fice - pretty much the center of town, such as it is.
Beaches
Swanzy Beach Park
BEACH
MAP
(51-369 Kamehameha Hwy)
Fronted by a shore wall, this narrow neighborhood beach is
used mainly by fishers. You'll see kids splashing around and local families picnicking
and camping here on weekends. Roadside camping is permitted from noon on Friday
through 8am on Monday, but the nine sites can be noisy and aren't recommended; an ad-
vance county permit is required (
Click here
)
.
Sights
Crouching Lion
MOUNTAIN
MAP
The Crouching Lion is a landmark rock formation just north of mile marker 27 on the
Kamehameha Hwy. According to legend, the rock is a demigod from Tahiti who was ce-
mented to the mountain during a jealous struggle between the volcano goddess Pele and
her sister Hiiaka. When he tried to free himself by crouching, he was instead turned to
stone.
To spot the lion, stand at the Crouching Lion Inn restaurant sign with your back to the
ocean and look straight up to the left of the coconut tree at the cliff above.
WHOSE LAND IS IT ANYWAY?
Not everything on the Windward Coast is as peaceful as theloʻi kalo(taro fields)
seen alongside the Kamehameha Hwy. Large tracts of these rural valleys were
taken over by the US military during WWII for training and target practice, which
continued into the 1970s. After decades of pressure from locals, clean-up of ordin-
