3 low key beaches on the North Shore

Escape the crowded beaches of the North Shore and slip off to one of these low key beaches nearby.  Temple Beach, Bikini Beach, and  Kokololio Beach (also known as Kakella Beach) are good spots to know about for anyone staying in a vacation rental in the Laie, Kahuku, or Hauʻula area

Temple Beach

This is the southern most point of Temple Beach looking north. On the left, there is a stream that occasionally empties into the ocean during the rainy season.

This low key beach is located in Laie and is the go-to beach for BYU-Hawaii Students who take their studies to the beach. There is no official parking for the beach and I would not recommend parking along the highway. Park at Foodland and walk to the meditation garden next to the bus stop across from Hale Laa Blvd.

Beach access path

The easiest way to find the entrance is to look for the Laie Hawaii Temple Meditation area that overlooks the ocean and has a good view of the Laie Temple.

The meditation area overlooking the ocean

The sandy pathway leading to the ocean borders the meditation area to the north.

Be aware there isn’t much of a beach when the tide is high like it was when we took this photo.

The southern part of the beach pictured here has a larger and flatter sandy area than the rest of the beach. There is even a large flat rock you can relax on top of.

Kakella Beach or Kokololio Beach

Kokololio Beach Park is south of Pounders Beach, a popular bodysurfing spot.

The beach is located in Hauʻula. The best place to swim is where you see people swimming in the photo above. It is more sandy there than the rest of the beach. Reef is everywhere once you go out past where the waves lap the shore on the most of the beach. There is plenty of parking and there are bathrooms, beach showers, and even some sinks with running water scattered throughout the park.

Food

Papa Ole’s is close by and their garlic chicken is a popular dish. It looks like fried chicken and has a sweet garlic flavor. Rainbowzz shave ice is a couple doors down. Someone who tasted it while I was there said, “This is what Hawaiian Shave Ice is suppose to taste like!” They make their own lilikoi, mango, and orange shave ice flavoring with real fruit. It tastes like you’re sinking your teeth into an ice cold mango rather than the generic syrup flavoring.

Bikini Beach

This low key secluded beach is located in Laie. It is framed by the cliffs of the Laie Point to the north. My favorite space to relax is the sandy nook at the base of the Laie Point cliffs.  You can see the point jutting out into the ocean in the photo below. The sandiest place to swim is just north of the entrance closest to the bus stop near the intersection of Naniloa Loop. The beach has multiple access paths.

Beach access paths

The southern most entrance is straight across from the Marriott Hotel. You can easily spot the grassy palm tree bordered walkway from the highway.

This grassy path to the beach is across from the Marriott Hotel.

The entrance near the bus stop is the best entrance if you need to park your car. You can park on Naniloa Loop next to the empty field and cross the street at the cross walk next to the bus stop.

This is a path to Bikini Beach that is right next to the bus stop on Kamehameha Hwy a few yards north of Naniloa Loop

If you walk north along the highway a few hundred yards, you will find a creepy chain linked fenced alley through trees.  My husband and I walked down this alley at night over halloween weekend and it was scary enough to forgo haunted houses this year. Also, I don’t recommend this route since the highway is narrow and there isn’t a shoulder on the east side of the highway. It’s an unnecessary risk.

This is by far the creepiest entrance to the beach. That light at the end of the tunnel is the highway.

The northernmost access point is the stairs that lead to the beach from the top of the point. It can be difficult to find street parking on the point. The access is a alleyway between houses. It is about 5 houses east of the corner of Anemoku st.

The grassy area

The grassy area near the stairs leading up to the Laie Point is private property. Hawaii Reserves Incorporated said they allow beach access but the grassy area is not intended for public use. You can walk on the grass to get to the beach but don’t plan on having a party down there on their property.

Be aware

Chunks of dead coral scatter the ocean floor of most of these beaches. Step gingerly and avoid stepping where the coral is still alive. We want to keep our ocean and beaches healthy!

A large chunk of coral the ocean pushed ashore.

Also be aware there are no public restrooms at Temple beach or Bikini Beach. The closest public restroom is located in the Laie Shopping center.