Richardson’s Black Sand Beach

nationalparkswitht

3 hours ago

Welcome back to National Parks and other public lands with T!

Aloha➢

My family and I took a cruise around the Hawaiian islands in 2019. We embarked in Honolulu on the island of Oahu. Prior to embarkation, we spent a few days on land and explored Oahu. Using Hilton’s Hawaiian Village as our base, we enjoyed visiting many interesting sites before boarding the Pride of America. We spent a week on board cruising the Hawaiian Islands. Our first port of call was Kahului Harbor on Maui.

After Maui, we sailed to the big island of Hawaiʻi. On the big island we had two ports; the first was Hilo. At the port, we met our guide from Roberts Hawaii. He took us to Volcanoes National Park where we visited the Volcano House, the steam vents, Kilauea Iki and Chain of Craters. We stopped at Big Island Candies on the way back to port for some goodies. Back at the port, we hopped into a taxi to go to Rainbow Falls and Richardson’s Black Sand Beach.

Black Sand Beach➢

After visiting Rainbow Falls, we headed south of Hilo, Hawaii to Richardson’s Beach to see one of the Big Island’s famed black sand beaches.

The black sand is the result of the volcanic activity on the island. Lava flowing into the ocean cools rapidly and can fragment. The volcanic rock on the shorelines are also eroded by the waves.

George Richardson was Chief Detective on the island in the 1920s. He helped the Malo family, who owned this land, get to the hospital when they were stricken with typhoid fever. In gratitude they gave him a parcel of their property so that he could build a house.

Today, that house is Richardson’s Ocean Center and the beach is a public park with lifeguards on duty. It contains a marine conservation area with tide pools, spring-fed ponds and excellent snorkeling opportunities.

We enjoyed swimming here. Should you visit this or any other black sand beach, be warned that the sand is extremely hot because it absorbs the sun’s rays just like asphalt does. Bring water shoes and your feet will thank you.