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Three clothing optional beaches in Hawaii #21881
08/13/2013 04:25 PM
08/13/2013 04:25 PM
Joined: Aug 2007
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mayaflya Offline OP
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We just returned from an almost two week stay in Hawaii, and checked out three of the clothing optional beaches on the islands.

We first did a short visit to Hana's Red Sand Beach on Maui. The access trail is probably the most challenging aspect. It is not long, but it is eroded and footing is treacherous. The beach itself is small, but beautiful, with a sheltered swimming cove and amazing rock formations. There were a handful of other people coming and going, most staying for 15 to 20 minutes, then moving on. There was some nudity, but the majority of visitors stayed clothed. It is a unique beach, and worth a visit if you are pretty sure-footed.

We later visited Little Beach on the other side of Maui. It was the largest and busiest beach of the three, and the most nude. There were boogie boarders working the surf, but almost 90% of the people parked on the sand were fully nude. The access to Little Beach is over a lava headland from Makena Beach (clothed) but it is a short climb and pretty easy. It is a climb, so don't plan on dragging a lot of coolers and paraphernalia. The sand and surf made for easy relatively safe swimming. A very comfortable place to be nude.

Our last stay was on the Big Island of Hawaii, in a cottage steps from Kehena Beach. Kehena Beach is small black sand beach that is very much a busy local hangout. From where we stayed, we could see the parking area, and there were always some and often many cars parked there. The access is again a steep climb, easier than Red Sand Beach, but a bit more challenging than Little Beach.

It is the locals that "make" Kehena Beach. There is a very free-spirited and social scene there....Sundays are a big beach party with drum circles, etc. There are kids and dogs, young men and women, gays, wide eyed tourists, seniors and everything in between all on a relatively small beach. Nudity is not the majority use, but it is completely accepted as part of the Kehena scene. It would be rare to be the only nude on the beach, but if you were, it would not feel uncomfortable because of the tolerant vibe.

The surf here is dangerous for swimming, with a nasty shore break and some rocks in the water. The locals know how to manage the conditions, and you'll always see people swimming, but your mileage may vary. Mine did. After three or four days of swimming without incident, I got banged up on some rocks trying to get out one of the days that the surf was up. All in all, though I loved this beach for the people and beauty, and the opportunity to be nude in a "community" that accepted nudity as they accepted any other difference.

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Re: Three clothing optional beaches in Hawaii [Re: mayaflya] #21882
08/13/2013 07:36 PM
08/13/2013 07:36 PM

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Nice reporting, thank you.
Wasn't there a nude beach in/around Kona at one time?

Re: Three clothing optional beaches in Hawaii #21883
08/13/2013 08:36 PM
08/13/2013 08:36 PM
Joined: Nov 2002
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South East US, Carolinas coast
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Have been to kehena maybe 6 years ago, beach was sorta divided by marriage situation/families/ couples/ singles/ mostly men at far end.
Nice beach, very rough and sharp big dangerous surf. steep but distinct path down from the highway. black sand. would go back. maybe 50 60 people there, beach 500 ft long or a little more.90% nude people.

Last edited by sailn; 08/13/2013 08:54 PM.
Re: Three clothing optional beaches in Hawaii [Re: mayaflya] #21884
08/14/2013 08:21 AM
08/14/2013 08:21 AM
Joined: Aug 2000
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Central Florida!
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Thanks for the report! We don't get reports on Hawaii beaches very often.


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Re: Three clothing optional beaches in Hawaii #21885
08/14/2013 09:03 AM
08/14/2013 09:03 AM

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Anonymous said:
Wasn't there a nude beach in/around Kona at one time?


You're probably referring to Honokohau beach which used to be a nude/gay beach but now has public facilities and the rangers enforce the no public nudity laws. There are still a couple of remote beaches in the Kona area where nudity is practiced but they typically involve hikes over lava fields and/or the need for a 4 wheel drive vehicle to access them.

Re: Three clothing optional beaches in Hawaii #21886
08/14/2013 11:08 AM
08/14/2013 11:08 AM

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Quote
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Anonymous said:
Wasn't there a nude beach in/around Kona at one time?


You're probably referring to Honokohau beach which used to be a nude/gay beach but now has public facilities and the rangers enforce the no public nudity laws. There are still a couple of remote beaches in the Kona area where nudity is practiced but they typically involve hikes over lava fields and/or the need for a 4 wheel drive vehicle to access them.
Correct, that is the beach I was referring to. My wife and I had wanted to visit back in 2006 when we stayed at Kona Village but weren't sure of it's nude status then. Speaking of Kona Village, any knowledge as to the re-open date?

Re: Three clothing optional beaches in Hawaii [Re: mayaflya] #21887
08/14/2013 05:26 PM
08/14/2013 05:26 PM
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mayaflya said:We later visited Little Beach on the other side of Maui. It was the largest and busiest beach of the three, and the most nude. There were boogie boarders working the surf, but almost 90% of the people parked on the sand were fully nude. The access to Little Beach is over a lava headland from Makena Beach (clothed) but it is a short climb and pretty easy. It is a climb, so don't plan on dragging a lot of coolers and paraphernalia. The sand and surf made for easy relatively safe swimming. A very comfortable place to be nude.


Mayaflya, I'm willing to bet that you did NOT go to Little Beach on a Sunday afternoon. Am I correct?

Re: Three clothing optional beaches in Hawaii [Re: UncleAl32] #21888
08/15/2013 11:33 AM
08/15/2013 11:33 AM
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mayaflya Offline OP
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No, it was a Thursday afternoon. We only had one Sunday afternoon to spend, and we spent it on Kehena Beach! Can you say a bit more about the Sunday scene on Little Beach? <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

Re: Three clothing optional beaches in Hawaii #21889
08/15/2013 02:44 PM
08/15/2013 02:44 PM

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[/quote] Speaking of Kona Village, any knowledge as to the re-open date? [/quote]
Michael Dell says they're going to reopen it but he won't say when. There's a facebook page where people have been reporting progress that they've seen or heard.
https://www.facebook.com/SaveKonaVillage

Re: Three clothing optional beaches in Hawaii [Re: mayaflya] #21890
08/15/2013 04:49 PM
08/15/2013 04:49 PM
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mayaflya said:
No, it was a Thursday afternoon. We only had one Sunday afternoon to spend, and we spent it on Kehena Beach! Can you say a bit more about the Sunday scene on Little Beach? <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />


First, your account jibes with just about every report I've ever read in nudist publications and websites: about 50-100 people there, about 90% nude or topless. But I doubt any of them went on a Sunday afternoon. My wife and I visited Little Beach one Sunday in June of 2012, which was the first and so far the only time we've been there.

On Sunday afternoons at Little Beach near Wailea, Maui at about 3 pm a "drum circle" begins. No, I'm not speaking of Gene Krupa soundalikes. This consists of aging hippies banging their outstretched palms on various and sundry native drums and other percussion instruments. About 11 am or so, a throng of young textiles climbs over the hill from Big Beach, swimming, sunbathing and generally hanging out, bikinis and boardshorts everywhere, in anticipation of the show to come later in the day. In short, you will find a crowd of 500 or so, 90% of whom are not nude. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/cry.gif" alt="" />

We saw some young men swimming nude in the surf, joined by a grand total of one young nude woman. But they were far outnumbered by the bikinis-and-boardshorts crowd. Here and there we found small groups of nudists lying on their towels, seemingly oblivious to the textile crowd.

We put our stuff down in a small cluster of 4-5 couples and maybe 10 single men, in and around the surf, at the end of the beach not far from the hill that separates Little and Big Beaches. My wife, like me, had looked forward to our visit, but after seeing the lay of the land told me she would be keeping her suit on. As just about all the other guys in the group were nude, I went nude also. Like my wife, the other ladies kept their suits on, however.

In fairness, I can report that the young textiles were very "cool" about the naked people. It didn't turn into a "carnival" like the World Naked Bike Ride, where people gawk at the nudists and want their pictures taken with naked people. That didn't happen.

I have seen You Tube videos of the Sunday drum circle, and what I see there jibes pretty much with our experience.

I realize that for some people, being free to go nude is such a positive feeling that being almost the only nude person in a throng of clothed people is no big deal, and more power to them.

But for the rest of us, be advised that Little Beach on Sundays is NOT your typical nude beach experience.

Re: Three clothing optional beaches in Hawaii #21891
08/15/2013 06:42 PM
08/15/2013 06:42 PM

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Speaking of Kona Village, any knowledge as to the re-open date? [/quote]
Michael Dell says they're going to reopen it but he won't say when. There's a facebook page where people have been reporting progress that they've seen or heard.
https://www.facebook.com/SaveKonaVillage [/quote]Thanks, the place was very unique had quite a few really loyal return guests from what seemed like New England and California. Based on the facebook page it appears they aren't going to give up advocating a re-opening.

Re: Three clothing optional beaches in Hawaii [Re: UncleAl32] #21892
08/16/2013 07:16 PM
08/16/2013 07:16 PM

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Uncle Al,

You are spot on about Little Beach and Sundays. Wife and I owned a home on Maui and spent many a day at LB. Monday thru Thursday are probably the best days to enjoy LB au naturel. Best in the morning where I would say 90% are nude- enjoying the serenity and to die for views from LB. Late in the afternoon more people start coming. In the afternoons I would say it is about 50% nude. Lots of locals (whom normally dont go nude) and curious textile tourists from big beach next door.

Sunday evening is a total different story on LB. We try and get out of there by 3pm. Locals, aging hippies,pot dealers from Hana and places north all head to the LB for the drum circle. I would say that less then 10% nudity during this time and it is sort of a zoo in my opinion.
I guess it is worth seeing once in your life (I heard Steven Tyler was there one Sunday recently-leading the drums circle.) We personally would not feel comfortable au naturel on Sundays. Each to his or her own however.

Re: Three clothing optional beaches in Hawaii #21893
08/16/2013 10:39 PM
08/16/2013 10:39 PM
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mayaflya Offline OP
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Kehena Beach was similar on Sunday afternoon, but on a much smaller scale. We stayed six nights within 100 yards of the beach and got to experience it in it's many moods. Nudity was almost never over 50%, but it was fully accepted and seemed to be practiced as much by locals as visitors. The local nudes seemed fully comfortable mixing with their textile friends, and maybe that set the tone.

Re: Three clothing optional beaches in Hawaii #21894
09/04/2013 03:19 PM
09/04/2013 03:19 PM

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Does "Beach 67" still function as clothing optional?

Re: Three clothing optional beaches in Hawaii #21895
09/05/2013 01:02 PM
09/05/2013 01:02 PM

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Does "Beach 67" still function as clothing optional?


Even tiny "67 Beach" (named for a nearby numbered telephone pole) is patrolled occasionally by personnel of the Dept. of Land & Natural Resources (DNLR), especially if they get wind of a gathering. Here is a (redacted) commentary by a friend who lives on the Big Island:

"As with any 'nude beach' in a state where the elected nannies have deemed nudity undesirable, the ability to enjoy such freedom can be disturbed at any moment by the morality police. There is an interesting phenomenon that happens with this type of enforcement: when a nude beach is allowed in an acceptable location, a representative cross-section of society will peacefully co-exist on the sands. However, if subjected to patrols by the state’s Basij – in our case, the DLNR – families, couples and individuals not willing to subject themselves to public scrutiny or to contest the infringement on liberty will simply stay away, leaving a societal fringe who typically seek such secluded places to engage in their own vices.

"A couple years ago, [wife] and I hosted then-AANR Executive Director Erich Schüttauf and his wife Georgie to a picnic originally planned on 67 Beach. When we arrived from Kona, we were greeted by a couple of DLNR officers responding to a complaint of a dog on the beach. A local, who’d been present all morning, said no dog was ever there; it was only a ruse to hassle the nudists. Needless to say, the lunch au natural was a no-go but we did enjoy the meal at the top of the bluff with a beautiful view of Waialea Bay.

"In answer to your query, 67 Beach continues to be a gathering place for nude sunbathing and swimming, subject to occasional patrol. It is listed on many homosexual websites as well which has made it a sort of destination, in turn adding to the attention of DLNR. Our caveat is to keep alert to the surroundings."

So, in attempt to keep certain classes of people off the public beaches, the DNLR also hassles nudists. The same attempt was made at Honokohau Beach, near Kona, using its new status as a 'cultural center', and it succeeded. The same attempt occurred at Little Beach on Maui, and it failed - due to organized opposition and the tourist draw of the world-reknown beach. As usual, economics rules in regard to tolerance of nudity.

~Reggie~

Re: Three clothing optional beaches in Hawaii #21896
09/06/2013 06:46 AM
09/06/2013 06:46 AM

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Where exactly on the Big Island is "Beach 67"?

Re: Three clothing optional beaches in Hawaii #21897
09/09/2013 03:54 PM
09/09/2013 03:54 PM

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Where exactly on the Big Island is "Beach 67"?


Here is one set of directions: Beach 67 - TravBuddy
There are others. Just Google them. The area is sparsely residential, but the dirt road is quite rutted, and if it has rained, it can be a mud trap. The beach itself is small and not what I would call a "must see".

~Reggie~

Re: Three clothing optional beaches in Hawaii #21898
09/09/2013 07:48 PM
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Thanks. I believe we visited there once a number of years ago. Wish there was a place like Hapuna Beach on the Big Island.

Re: Three clothing optional beaches in Hawaii #21899
09/10/2013 03:05 PM
09/10/2013 03:05 PM

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[. . . .] Wish there was a place like Hapuna Beach on the Big Island.

Yup. Hapuna is one of the islands' best and most beautiful beaches, taking into account parking and bathroom facilities as well as physical beauty, sandy shoreline, and benign surf. On your next visit, check out Makalawena Beach. Looking at a map, you can see that you can approach it from the north or the south - the south approach is from a gravel parking lot, and it involves walking north to a small bay in front of an abandoned beach house that was owned by the Magoon family until the property was donated to the State as a beach park. The beach is sparsely used, and topless sunbathing and swimming is tolerated unless a park ranger strolls by. But north of the beach house, past fresh water springs, over the rock wall, there is a foot trail across a lava field and through a keawe tree thicket to the south end of Makalawena Beach. The south end is de facto nude, the central area is occasionally nude (topless tolerated), and the north end is topless tolerated. If you have a 4WD, you can take the deeply rutted road from the north as far as the brackish springs at the shoreline, but as a hike, it takes about 45 minutes from the highway. Check it out on Google and images.google.com and on maps.Google.com Satellite View.

~Reggie~


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