Māhāulepū Beach is a
beach
A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shel ...
on the southeast coast of the Hawaiian island of
Kauai
Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the 21st largest island ...
. It is long and goes from
Punahoa point to Paoo point.
The beach is separated into three different parts: Gillin's Beach, Kawailoa Bay, and Hāula Beach. Gillin's Beach, the center section, is known for
petroglyph
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 ...
s that are carved into the rocks, though they are rarely exposed.
Fossils of extinct birds have been found in sand dunes along the shoreline, including the
Kauai Stilt-owl (''Grallistrix auceps''), a flightless rail, and three species of goose. Close to the beach is the
paleontologically important
Makauwahi Cave
The Makauwahi Cave is the largest limestone cave found in Hawaii. It lies on the south coast of the island of Kauai, in the Māhāulepū Valley close to Māhāulepū Beach, and is important for its paleoecological and archaeological values. It ...
.
References
External links
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Additional Mahaulepu Beach InformationInfo on Poipu Beaches
Beaches of Kauai
Archaeological sites in Hawaii
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