Oneuli Beach

Magical. Remote. The best part was actually the beautiful lush forest to the right of the beach as you look at the ocean.

The drive down is pretty hard if you’re not renting a jeep. We had a little fun off roading! The sand isn’t super black it’s a mixture of red, brown and black. Water does look phenomenal against the darker sand tho! We saw tiny crabs on the beach too the burry in tiny holes!!! Will stop here again next time for more photos

A great, secluded little black sand beach off the beaten path that isn’t as far as Hana from Lahaina. The black sand contrasts so beautifully against the white pieces of coral and shells that wash up on the shore. It’s not as soft as white sand, but so beautiful and we really enjoyed the fact that we were practically the only ones there. Just lovely and worth the drive from the west side of the island.

I’m giving this beach 3 stars not because it isn’t beautiful but I visited the black sand beach along Hana road as well as the red sand beach first and this doesn’t compare to the beauty of those. Perhaps if I had visited this beach first it wouldn’t have been a let down. If you don’t have the time to see the black sand beach along Hana then this is a good alternative. The sand here is actually a mixture of black, red, and white. Not many people here so if you are looking for a more secluded beach this is good, however it’s not the best for sunbathing/​swimming. The water here looked rough and being a strong swimmer I would not have felt comfortable going out very far. There are a lot of sand crabs here. Over by the red rocks on the south end of the beach (where the sign says danger falling rocks) I saw a lot of crabs sunning on the rocks. Also makes for some pretty pictures over there. I went in the early morning and if I could go back I would go in afternoon to get better pictures due to location of sunlight.

One of the checklist items for visiting Hawaii: see a black sand beach. We missed out on the opportunity when we were on the big island, so we had to make it a point to see one on Maui. We were able to find a couple through google searches, but the «best» one was way out by Hana at Waianapanapa State Park. If you’re familiar with the Road to Hana, it’s not something you do on a whim. But then we found Oneuli Beach, less than 4 miles from the Grand Wailea where we were staying.
This beach is perfect. It’s not very big, but it’s sufficiently out of the way and sufficiently hard to find, so that in my two visits here, I only ever saw a total of about 6 people. My first visit was in the early evening, and I saw two other cars in the parking area when I arrived. One was on its way out, and the other left 15 minutes after that. My second visit was in the morning, at which point it was me and one other guy (who seemed to be out looking for shells or something).
The sand isn’t completely black here, certainly not as black as the beach at Waianapanapa State Park. It’s a mix of black and red sand, which seems to be heavier on the black sand towards the south end of the beach and heavier on the red sand towards the north end. The south end has a large rock formation jutting out into the water.
If you want the best pictures of the beach, early afternoon may be the best time to go. In the evening (my first visit) the sun was still out in force bringing out the impossibly perfect blue of the water, but it was low enough in the sky to get in the way of taking pictures of the rock formations. In the morning, the sun is not high enough for the water to reach its full beauty. If only I had another day, I would have gone back in the afternoon.

Also referred to as «red sand beach» on the free driving maps available at tourist kiosks. Stil a cool little beach, but the access road has deteriorated considerably. It’s now so rutted, that it is barely passable with a regular car. Better to come by Jeep, or on foot.

Here is a comprehensive article with Google maps:

Thanks to Michael K., my unofficial Maui Tour Guide, I got to visit Oneuli Beach several times during my stay in Maui. Following his directions, I found it easily, and took the very bumpy road (sorry rental car company) to the small parking area. We were sure the beach would be secluded, especially after our motion sickness inducing drive in (I managed to hit every bump/​rut/​hole possible) but when we arrived, we saw several flags in the water from scuba divers nearby, and a few people sunning themselves on the beach. I was initially confused, because Michael described this as a red sand beach, and the sign said it was a black sand beach, and with my sunglasses on, it didn’t look like either. Taking them off, I ran my hands through the sand, and saw that it is made up of black, red and white sand. It’s really, really beautiful. The cliffs off to the South are bright red and gorgeous. After our short visit, we told my relatives and friends about this spot, and ended up taking several groups here to enjoy. Thanks Michael!
Just follow Michael K’s easy directions to find this beautiful spot. Well worth a trip to South Maui or a nice stop before/​after Big Beach. I uploaded a picture of the sign so you know what to look for!