Waikoloa Beach is an area located on the South Kohala coast on the island of

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

and is located in the

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the count ...

of Puako. It can be confused for

Waikoloa Village Waikōloa Village is a census-designated place (CDP) in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States. The population was 6,362 at the 2010 census, up from 4,806 at the 2000 census. The name Waikoloa is used by the local post office. Geography Waikō ...

, a CDP in the same " ahupuaa" and is also known as "Waikoloa". The area is home to many notable cultural and geologic features of the ancient

Hawaiian culture The culture of the Native Hawaiians encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms practiced by the original residents of the Hawaiian islands, including their knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits. H ...

including aquaculture fishponds, anchialine ponds and

petroglyphs A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ...

Ala Kahakai

Ala Kahakai or "trail by the sea" is the name for the ancient pathway that runs along the coastline in the Waikoloa area that linked important entities in the Hawaiian culture including communities, temples, fishing areas, etc. The Ala Kahakai, estimated to be long, is commonly called "King's Trail". Anaehoomalu Bay Waikola Big island, Hawaii (46276973901)

Anaehoomalu Bay

Anaehoomalu Bay, also known as A-Bay, is a palm fringed beach, shallow water bay located on the South Kohala coast on the island of

. Anaehoomalu is best known for its sunsets, snorkeling and historic royal fishponds. The nearest town is Waikaloa Village, which used to be owned by

Parker Ranch Parker Ranch is a working cattle ranch on the Island of Hawaii in the U.S. state of Hawaii, now run by a charitable trust. History The ranch was founded in 1847 and is one of the oldest ranches in the United States, pre-dating many mainland r ...

. It is the location of the Lavaman Triathlon. Also there is a water sport shop to rent snorkeling equipment & tours, a glass bottom boat, paddle boards, kayaks, and hydro bikes. It is also the home of the Waikoloa canoe club.

Anchialine ponds

The anchialine ponds of Waikoloa are part of Hawaiian culture and were preserved in 1985 as the Waikoloa Anchialine Pond Preservation Area maintained by the

University of Hawaii A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

. The

brackish water Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuari ...

lava pools located just at the coastline are fed by both freshwater springs from rain water and sea water making the ponds a unique

microclimate A microclimate (or micro-climate) is a local set of atmospheric conditions that differ from those in the surrounding areas, often with a slight difference but sometimes with a substantial one. The term may refer to areas as small as a few squ ...

suitable for a various small fishes,

crustacean Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean group can ...

mollusk Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is e ...

s and tiny red shrimp. Aerial view of the Anaeho'omalu Bay Fish Ponds

Kuualii and Kahapapa Fishponds

The Kuualii and Kahapapa Fishponds are located just behind the Waikoloa Beach in Anaehoomalu bay. Historically, it is understood that Anaehoomalu was a center of thriving aquaculture. The two ponds were part of complex of fish farms, carefully tended by ancient Hawaiian people.

Hilton Waikoloa Village

Kohala coast at the Big Island of Hawaii from the air

The Hilton Waikoloa Village is built on and has 1240 rooms and suites with tropical gardens, waterfalls, lagoons and waterways. The resort features the ''Kohala Tennis Garden'' and other gardens, artworks, and statues. It was originally developed in 1988 as the

Hyatt Regency Hyatt Hotels Corporation, commonly known as Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, is an American multinational hospitality company headquartered in the Riverside Plaza area of Chicago that manages and franchises luxury and business hotels, resorts, and vacat ...

Waikoloa with Japanese investment, however was sold to Hilton Hotels & Resorts in 1994. The popular game show ''Wheel of Fortune'' has taped at the resort in 1996, 2008, and 2014. The "Buddha Point" is a popular spot for sunset viewing. It also serves as the setting for the

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...

game show ''

Paradise Run ''Paradise Run'' is an American reality competition television program that aired on Nickelodeon from February 1, 2016 to June 4, 2018. The program is presented by Daniella Monet. Premise At the Hilton Waikoloa Village in Hawaii, three teams ...

''.

Petroglyphs

There are approximately 30,000 historically significant

, or stone carvings, in Waikoloa. They are potentially the closest thing to a written language that Ancient Hawaiians used. Although some petroglyphs are identifiable as human or animal shapes, many are more obtuse and abstract, with their meanings likely lost to history. The majority of the petroglyphs are from the Fifteenth through Eighteenth Centuries; interspersed with these drawings are messages from Nineteenth Century visitors that are written in the modern Hawaiian language.

References

External links

* {{Hawaii County, Hawaii Populated places on Hawaii (island) Beaches of Hawaii (island)