This beach and surrounding land didn’t even exist 20 years ago. Mount Kilauea’s lava reached the shoreline at Kalapana, destroying its fishing village, several surfing spots and the original Kaimu Black Sand Beach with its splendid coconut palms. Resurrection efforts have included planting young trees and creating a smaller lounging spot nearby. Currents rage too strongly for swimming, but it’s still fun to wiggle your toes in the silky, squid-ink-dark shoreline and hunt for imprints of tide-pool creatures caught by the cooling lava.
