Aug 9, 2025: Waialea Beach (Beach 69), Pololu Trail, King Kamehameha I’s stomping grounds

August 9 (Day 1 -  Waialea Beach (Beach 69), Pololu Trail, King Kamehameha I’s stomping grounds): Woke up pretty early. Had bagels & fruit for breakfast. Packed our lunch & headed north @ 8:00. We went to Waialea Beach (Beach 69). The water was a bit rough, but not bad. Not too crowded when we arrived. We swam around for ~1.5 hours. Pretty poor visibility, but saw some fish! Got really sandy trying to get out. Luckily there was a shower there to rinse off in! On the way to the beach, we had to stop at Walmart because I somehow forgot my brush with the hair bands. We were also pretty tired from Friday’s trip. So, after snorkeling we headed north to the end of the road. There we planned to do the Pololu Trail. This was King Kamehameha I’s stomping grounds. We hiked down to the beach. The first 1,000 ft. was a bit slippery. Crowded, but a very nice hike. The trail continued along the beach beside an ancient burial ground. It was covered by a tsunami in the 40s. Very peaceful place. Sat on the beach & waded in the ocean for a bit. The hike back up was not bad, only took 20 minutes. Back to our place to clean up & rest.

Costco Burrito Bowl for dinner

Rod’s Thoughts: Honestly, not being a fan of snorkeling in Hawaii, I found the hike on Pololu Trail to be rather fascinating in that the only thing you heard was the surf and the wind. And the landscape was probably very much like what it was when King Kamehameha hung out there. Closed my eyes for a long time, just listening to the sounds that the ancient Hawaiians listened to.