Kaunaoa Beach has powdery white sands and lots of palm trees. The shoreline of Kaunaoa Beach is about 0.25 mile. If you want to enjoy the scenery of a traditional Hawaiian beach, you can come to this beach. A rock reef shelters Kaunaoa Beach from dangerous waves but it is not as safe as Spencer’s Beach. The rock reef also offers protection against the high waves. Older children can carry out recreational activities at the beach. Occasionally, sharks will roam the water at Kaunaoa Beach. You should obey the postings and stay away from the beach if you see signs about shark sightings. The beach is well maintained and clean. The beach has strong sea current during the winter.
Kaunaoa Beach has 2 large coral reefs. The coral reefs extend up to 800 m in length. The shore is gently sloping towards the deeper ocean so it is suitable for sunbathing. If you are an adventurous person, you can snorkel at south side of the beach where there are many rocks. You can explore all kinds of fishes at the Kaunaoa Beach including butterfly fish, parrotfish and etc.
Kaunaoa Beach is a public beach but it is situated inside the Mauna Kea Resort. Since the beach is inside a resort, you will have to park at the parking lot in the resort to access it. The resort only has limited parking spaces so you should come early. You will need to get a pass from the security guard at Mauna Kea Resort if you want to have access to the beach. Visitors can stay at the beach for as long as they want. At night, the lights will be turned on so that you can see the water clearly. The floodlights often attract the manta rays. There is a lookout point at Kaunaoa Beach called Manta Ray Point. You can watch many manta rays swimming around the ocean if you stand at the Manta Ray Point.
Kaunaoa Beach is located near to the Mauna Kea Resort. Various types of facilities are provided to tourists including restrooms, showers, volleyball court, and etc. If you want to reach Kaunaoa Beach, you should take Highway 19. After that, you can turn left into the road at Mile Marker #68. You should keep on driving on the road until you reach the resort. No lifeguard is on duty at Kaunaoa Beach so you must be careful when carrying out recreational activities.
