Aloha Reader,

There's an update out of Kaʻū worth knowing if Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach Park has been on your Big Island list.

As of this weekend, Hawaiʻi County's lease on the park ended after two years of negotiations with landowner Black Sand Beach LLC fell apart. County-managed services there, the parking lot, restrooms, and pavilions, are no longer being maintained. The beach itself and the coastline are still public. Hawaiʻi law protects shoreline access, and there's still a road at the north end of the beach that gets you there. But without the county running things, don't expect bathrooms or a managed lot.

What happens next isn't totally clear. The county says the landowner turned down its lease offers and a chance to sell the property outright. The landowner's attorney tells a different story, saying his client offered to extend negotiations and even asked the county to help with storm cleanup in the area, which the county declined. He says he's working on a conservation easement to formally protect public access going forward. Right now both sides disagree on what actually happened, and nobody's saying exactly what Punaluʻu looks like a month from now.

All of this is unfolding while Kaʻū is still recovering from Hurricane Lala. Much of Punaluʻu has been without power and water since the storm, and the community's focus right now is getting basic services back, not this lease fight. If you're planning a Big Island trip this fall, I'd treat Punaluʻu as a maybe for now rather than a must-stop. It's a place that means a lot to a lot of people, and it deserves better timing than showing up to an unstaffed lot in a community that's still digging out.

If seeing sea turtles is the real goal, Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park near Kailua-Kona is a reliable pick. It's free, it's run by the National Park Service, and the ancient fishponds there are one of the most consistent spots on the island to watch green sea turtles bask right along the shore.

I'll keep an eye on this one and let you know if anything changes before your trip.

Aloha,

Marcie