Hawaiian Sands: Black Sand Beach, Salt and Pepper Beach…

I had only heard about black sand beaches, now I got to see one. Quite a visual treat it was. I’d say that the black sand is another must-see on Big Island (apart from the volcanoes and lava tube). In my previous post on our Big Island Volcano tour, I promised to be back with some pictures of black sand and then some. Without further ado, here they are:

The sand here is black, due to the volcanic activity on the island.

The sand was fine where the tides came in; farther away it was coarse, like tiny little stones.

On day 4 of our Hawaiian holiday, we visited Anaeho’malu Bay on the west coast of Hawaii’s Big Island. The beach here is also famous for its sand, this one for being black and white.

From Anaeho’malu Bay – Big Island’s salt-and-pepper beach.

The coarser black-and-white sand, away from the water.

And below are pictures of some beautiful white sand, these from the private lagoon at Hilton Waikoloa Village. I was told by a local that the white sand owes its being to the corals you find close to the west coast. The fish supposedly feed on the coral and break it into tiny white particles that are then washed ashore.

Hawaii’s colourful sands do not end here. Big Island also has some green sand towards its south-west coast. We didn’t get to go there, but I would have loved to see it. If there is a next time, I will bring back pictures, that’s for sure.