Kiowea Beach Park (Kapuaiwa Coconut Grove)
Kaunakakai, HI
A grove of coconut palms King Kamehameha V is said to have planted in the 1860s still stands between the highway and the water here, and the beach park beside it makes an easy stop just outside Kaunakakai. The shoreline is shallow and a little rocky, better suited to a picnic under the palms than a swim.
The coconut grove itself is a genuine piece of Molokai history worth a stop, but the murky, rocky water means almost nobody actually gets in for a swim.
How we score beachesWatch for falling coconuts if you set up a blanket close to the trees. Park crews don't clear them daily, and a mature palm drops one without much warning.
A roadside lot off Maunaloa Highway sits right at the park, free and almost never full.
A flat grass area leads straight to the shoreline from the lot, an easy walk with no stairs or soft sand to cross.
Maui County's countywide leash law applies here like every county park on the island.
The shallow, reef protected water stays calm most of the year, so there's no real off season for a picnic here, though summer's stiller air makes the shade under the palms more valuable.
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