Kolekole Beach Park

What a pretty little hidden gem of a park! We purchased our lunch items at the wednesday Hilo Farmers market [purple sweet potato tapioca with lychee & banana, shrimp rolls, apple banana, longhan and rambutan] and drove up here to enjoy. Shoulda wore swimsuit for the rope swing we spotted across the river. Give scraps to the wild chickens and shy wild kitties. Avoid high noon as any area construction crews will swarm down here for lunch. Mahalo Hawaiian parks dept!
Ps good luck getting a Unilocal checkin here — no service with at&t.

Gotta love unexpected detours.
Kolekole Beach was just a random stop cause we wanted a break during our drive to Hilo.
We weren’t too impressed as we walked up to the back side of the beach. Until we saw a small secluded waterfall cove across the river. The dealbreaker was probably the tree swing right next to it… the bf was on it at least 20 times (got myself some cool shots). On the right side, you can see a beautiful coastline. There are lots of rocks, fallen branches and coconut shells everywhere. There were people fishing, swimming, surfing and just hanging out.
Just another excellent random find… we ended up staying here for over an hour, highly recommended.

Located on the Hamakua coast near Akaka Falls, this beach is hidden from the main road (although there is a sign on the highway).
Kolekole means to talk story, and this is the kind of beach that people like to come to talk story. If you come on the weekends, it can get busy as locals meet up to hang out and talk story. (Funny side note: okole means butt in Hawaiian)
This beach is located where the end of the river meets the ocean. This area is pretty rocky, so I would suggest staying in the stream and waterfall area. If you are a strong swimmer and are brave enough to swim where the river meets the ocean, be careful; there are a lot of rocks.
One of my favorite memories is climbing the waterfall area and going behind the waterfall. It’s very cool and easy to get to, but if you’re wearing a bikini or shorts that are loose, hold on tight! ;)
While at the beach, if you look up, you can see an old railroad bridge.
There are pavillions and a large grassy area for picnics, as well as some barbeque areas. There are restrooms, as well as an outdoor shower for swimmers.

This is a wonderful stop on the way up to the observatory. Take time to swim to the other side of the river to swing on the rope and drop into the water. The waves coming in from the ocean give the water a strong current. Also, the water is a mix of salt water and fresh water coming off the mountain from the waterfall. The best part of this beach outside of swinging on the rope was climbing up and sitting in the waterfall!