Paddling Routes on Oahu: Maunalua Bay

BASIC INFORMATION

• Name: Maunalua Bay
• Where: Hawaii Kai, Hawaii
• Distance: 2.5 miles
• Time: 2 hours
• Difficulty: Easy
• More Information: Paddling Hawaii

GOOGLE EARTH MAP OF THE ROUTE

DIRECTIONS

The put in spot for kayaks is at Maunalua Bay 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

According to the book, “Place Names of Hawaii” 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

A great place for beginners to first try out their kayak is over at Maunalua Bay in Hawaii Kai.  The bay is protected from large waves and much of it is actually very shallow for those not comfortable going into deep water yet.  In fact it sometimes it is so shallow that the path through the reef that boats take will be needed to get to deeper water.  This path is marked with signs that points in the direction towards Koko Head:

Here is a wider angle picture of the view that shows Koko Crater rising over Hawaii Kai as well:

The signs eventually begin to turn towards the open ocean to the south.  To the north the water flows underneath a highway bridge into Kuapa Pond.  Kuapa Pond is the body of water that Hawaii Kai is built around and where most of the boats come from.  Only people who live in Hawaii Kai can paddle or bring their boats into the pond.  Historically native Hawaiians believed that the pond was built by the Menehunes who used it to catch fish.  In the 1960’s Henry Kaiser began the development of the area into the Honolulu suburb that exists there today.  Here is a picture from the summit of Koko Crater that shows Kuapa Pond, Maunalua Bay, and Hawaii Kai:

Since I was not allowed to paddle into Kuapa Pond I began to paddle out towards the open ocean instead.  However, as I was paddling out I made sure to keep looking behind me to monitor the weather.  I eventually I saw that a large rain storm was beginning to cross over the Ko’olau Range:

That was my cue to go ahead and turn around and paddle back towards Hawaii Kai.  Before heading back to Hawaii Kai I did a big loop around Maunalua Bay and actually found a few waves to ride on my way back in:

As I was paddling back I could see Diamond Head Crater way out in the distance towards Honolulu:

Here is a closer look at Diamond Head:

My timing getting back to Maunalua Bay Beach Park was perfect because it started to rain heavily as I was deflating my Advanced Elements Inflatable Kayak.  I quickly packed up my kayak and gear and put it into my truck to get out of the rain. I then proceeded to go and get some lunch at one of my favorite restaurants Zippy’s in Hawaii Kai.  At Zippy’s I tried out the kalbi sausage sandwich which was really good:

Conclusion

In total my kayak trip was 2.5 miles long and took me just under 2 hours to complete.  Most of Maunalua Bay is very calm, but there are some areas where small waves form for those wanting to practice riding or paddling through waves.  I big disappointment about the bay is that I have never seen any turtles or other sea life there.  Also Maunalua Bay has a lot of boats so make sure you are aware of them and give them plenty of space.  Overall though Maunalua Bay is a great place for beginners to learn how to use their kayak as well as experienced paddlers to easily put in and get some great exercise in a beautiful location.