Maha'elupu

This stretch of cliff and beach lies east of the Grand Hyatt in Poipu, on the southern shore of the Ha'upu range. A dirt road leads past the golf course and across a couple of miles of old plantation before arriving at the middle of three pocket beaches. Kamala Point, on the west, consists of low dunes and a sandy beach, and may owe its existence to the presence of the reef and to a lag of basaltic boulders. Pao'a Point to the east, on the other hand, is composed of cliffs of lithified sand dunes, reportedly formed when sea level was lower. An easy and very pretty walk leads to Ha'ula Beach, which is the easternmost of the pocket beaches. Waves from today's southeastern swell were crashing against the cliffs in the distance.