Laupāhoehoe Beach Park — Attraction in Hawaii

As almost any place pertaining to nature here in Hawai’i , it is gorgeous. It offers stunning views of the coast and is well worth a look.

Unfortunately I have to agree with a couple of the other reviewers here, it can be sketchy so be careful.

TL;DR We were physically assaulted by a crazy person. Things could have gone very wrong.

My friends and I went there early to enjoy the sunrise and take some pictures. We quietly enjoyed the views for about an hour, minding our own business. As I was packing up my camera gear, a man emerged from the tree line behind us speaking to himself, going back and forth, rambling and approaching us. As he got closer he started aggressively shouting at us, first in what sounded like Tagalog then in English asking where we were from and what we were doing here. Before we even had a chance to react, he took a swing at my head with the large stick he was holding. I managed to block it with my arm. Somewhat stunned and realizing there was no reasoning possible with this person we answered we were just here for the sunrise and leaving while continuing to pack our stuff. The man kept repeating “ok ok, but you lie, you die” but moved back towards the trees. Before we realized much, he had circled back and tried to take another swing at me. This time, aggravated, I reached for my tripod ready to swing back if he tried anything again: of course this was just food for the troll, as he proceeded to gather fist sized rocks and threatening to kill us. We diffused the situation by hastily grabbing the remainder of our belongings and quickly walking towards our car.

I may be a little shaken and have marks on my arm which will likely be blue tomorrow but all in all we are all right. However things could have quickly escalated to the point where someone got hurt really badly.

We think the man was mentally ill, having some sort of paranoid schizophrenic episode but who knows: honestly it could have been drugs also. Either way we decided not to get the police involved.

In a place where rich tourists colonize the land and build golf courses, I feel sorry for the little man, this however is no excuse for violence.

Just be cautious.

Including a few snaps...

There is hardly a prettier and more complete public park anywhere on the Big Island than Laupahoehoe Beach Park. It's located down a steep cliffside road about 22 miles north of Hilo. The park has a picnic pavilion, separate picnic tables, and places to cook out, plus a campground with a few covered campsites. There are open air showers and public restrooms in two locations in the park. On April 1, 1945, at the time of an Alaska earthquake, Laupahoehoe was the scene of a giant tidal wave (tsunami), which traveled all the way from Alaska and destroyed the one-room school, killing the school teacher and about 20 of school's students. There is a gravestone marking the spot along with photos and a description of the disaster located at one side of the park. The scenery here is absolutely gorgeous - with great pine trees on the shoreline that is a rocky beach. There are several early morning fishermen who show up to try to snare the day's catch. It can get windy here at certain times, so be sure to secure your tent to the ground using some good-sized rocks and tent pegs. You'll need a permit to put up a tent for camping (available for purchase online from the Hawaii County Recreation...

Absolutely Amazing - BUT ONLY VISIT ON WEEKDAYS! The beauty here is stunning but it is spoiled by disrespectful locals on the weekends (and when camping overnight) My wife and I visit often but not on the weekends anymore. The level of disrespectful behavior is shameful given the historical significance here. People park ANYWHERE and EVERYWHERE... Parking on, or blocking trails and even parking on the beach rocks! Loud music, loud dirt bikes and ATVs, ridiculous modified exhaust systems for trucks and total lack of respect for others! ...this place truly deserves a 5 star rating. Sadly, the behavior of these locals seems to be accepted so your 5 star experience might be prevented if you visit on the weekend. I wish that wasn't the case but I want to help inform...