Kayak Routes on Oahu: Maunalua Bay to Niu Peninsula

Basic Information

• Name: Maunalua Bay to Niu Peninsula
• Where: Hawaii Kai, Hawaii
• Distance: 3.5 miles
• Time: 2.5 hours
• Difficulty: Easy
• More Information: Paddling Hawaii

Overview

This kayak route follows the coastline from Maunalua Bay in Hawaii Kai to just passed the Niu Peninsula in eastern Honolulu.  The water along this coastline is usually calm and has beautiful views of Koko Crater, Koko Head, the Ko’olau Range, and Diamond Head Crater.

Directions

The put in spot for kayaks is at Maunalua Beach Park in Hawaii Kai.  From Honolulu this location is easy to find.  Just take Kalinianaole Highway east from Honolulu until it enters Hawaii Kai.  The beach park is located off of the highway on the right side at the intersection with Hawaii Kai Drive.

Parking

Maunalua Bay Beach Park has one of the largest parking lots of any park on Oahu.  Parking will not be an issue at this beach park.  The best spot to park to put in a kayak though is near where the outrigger canoes are stored adjacent to the entrance to the park.

Hawaiian Meaning

The word Maunalua translates from Hawaiian to English as “two mountains”.  This is likely in reference to Koko Crater and Koko Head that are the two major terrain features bordering the bay.

Narrative

I am always looking for new areas around Oahu to take my two young kids paddling.  Since they are both young (4 and 8 years old), I only take them out on calm water.  Whenever I drive passed Maunalua Bay in Hawaii Kai I have noticed how calm the waters always are.  Here is an aerial view of the bay:

Because of these calm waters I decided to take my kids there for our next kayak trip.  We arrived at Maunalua Beach Park at about 9:30 in the morning and parked near where the outrigger canoes are stored.  From there I carried all of our gear over to the put in area next to a canal and adjacent to the canoes:

There is not really beach at this location but rather small rocks and mud.  It was here that I inflated my Advanced Elements Advanced Frame Inflatable Kayak and prepared it for our trip:

The plan was to paddle to the west along the coastline towards the Niu Peninsula and then make a judgment call of whether to turn around or not.  When my kids and I pushed off from the beach park the weather was really nice with partly cloudy skies:

The views to the east of the always impressive Koko Crater were quite nice:

There is a great trail to the summit of Koko Crater that really is something everyone should do at least once if living on or visiting Oahu:

Best Hikes On Oahu: The Koko Crater Stairs

Just to the south of Koko Crater I could see its counterpart crater, Koko Head:

Koko Head is where the extremely popular beach and snorkeling site Hanauma Bay is located at.  After taking in the views we began to paddle to the west.  We quickly came upon a shallow area where we bottomed out on the rocks below a few times:

I had to be very careful navigating through the rocks because I did not want to get a hole in my kayak.  Soon I neared the Paiko Lagoon:

According to the big, blue sign on the beach the Paiko Lagoon is a wildlife sanctuary that people are not supposed to enter:

Piako Lagoon became a protected wildlife area back in 1981 when the land was purchased by the State of Hawaii.  The lagoon provides habitat to the endangered Hawaiian Stilt bird as well as migratory water birds.  According to the book Place Names of Hawaii the name of the lagoon is not a Hawaiian word and instead named after a part Portuguese man who once lived in the area named Pico.  From the entrance to the lagoon we paddled around its small peninsula:

As we rounded the corner we could see Diamond Head Crater out in the distance:

As we paddled towards the west we were aided by a strong wind to our backs.  The wind was nice to have at our backs but I hoped that it would stop blowing by the time we turned around or it was going to be a difficult paddle back to Hawaii Kai:

As we paddled away from Hawaii Kai we noticed how the multi-million dollar homes along the Kalinianaole Highway have a beautiful beach in front of them that can’t be seen from the highway:

We also had views of the Ko’olau Range, but the summits of the mountains were mostly clouded in:

As we paddled along we could see the Niu Peninsula up ahead that was backdropped by the large Hawaii Loa Ridge:

As we paddled by the Niu Peninsula the water had become noticeably more shallow:

After we passed the Niu Peninsula we continued to paddle towards the Wailupe Peninsula.  However the water was becoming choppier and the wind was getting worse.  So we decided to turn around and head back to Hawaii Kai.  Here was our final view of the ubiquitous Diamond Head Crater with the Wailupe Peninsula visible on the bottom right before turning around:

As we headed back to Hawaii Kai the wind was horrible.  I decided to bring the kayak in closer to shore to see if that would help with the wind.  Here is a view of some of the beautiful homes we passed by on the paddle back to Hawaii Kai:

Paddling closer to shore did not help and then a large rain storm hit us and the wind was pushing us farther out to sea:

At this point I was paddling hard to make sure we did not get pushed out to sea.  At times it felt like I was paddling in place and not moving.  It was an exhausting paddle at this point and my arms we were very tired.  Fortunately the storm passed which caused the wind to drop a little bit.  It was still windy, but we were making progress back to Maunalua Bay:

The weather had in fact improved enough that I could see the summit ridge of the Ko’olau Range.  Below is a picture of the beautiful Kuliou’ou Valley:

There is a great trail in the valley that leads to the summit ridge that I recommend people check out:

Best Hikes On Oahu: Kuli’ou’ou Ridge Trail

Due to the strong current I was not able to paddle directly back to my put in location.  I had to take a round about way to get back to the Maunalua Bay Beach Park to avoid current.  Along the way I had a nice view of Koko Head ahead of us:

A large, white apartment building was my marker for where the put in location was at.  Once we had escaped the current, we began to paddle towards the apartment building:

We once again had to avoid rocks in the shallow water but we made it back to the our put in location adjacent to the outrigger clubhouse.  The stream that flows by the clubhouse was the source of the strong current likely from all the rain water pushing out of the creek from the storm:

Conclusion

In total my kids and I had paddled for 3.5 miles in about 2.5 hours.  I had to paddle hard to complete this kayak trip because of the wind and the strong current.  My arms were sore for days after this paddle.  However, we did not see any fish or turtles which was a bit disappointing.  Having to deal with the periodic shallow waters around Hawaii Kai was also annoying.  Despite the rain and wind we still had a good time out on the water.

Disclaimer:  On-Walkabout is a website about outdoor activities that is not affiliated with any state or national government.  The articles on this website are for informational purposes only and to inspire others to get outside.  The activity descriptions are given to showcase the beauty and fun of experiencing the outdoors.  The writer of On-Walkabout is not responsible for any accidents, injuries, rescues, legal issues, or loss of life by anyone attempting the activities listed on this website.  Outdoor activities can be dangerous which is why it is the responsibility of the reader to use common sense and understand their own abilities before attempting an outdoor activity inspired by this website.  Most importantly parents need to understand the ability of their children before attempting an outdoor activity.  Just because my young children completed an activity mentioned on this site does not mean your children can as well.  Be safe and I hope this website inspires others to go and enjoy the outdoors as much as I do.  

YOU CAN FIND MORE GREAT HIKES AT THE OAHU REGIONAL TRAIL FINDER:

Note: Further information about kayaking in Hawaii can be found in the below book: