Polihale.
That one word says it all about this state beach park on the Westside.
An endless ocean before you, towering mountains behind you.
Spectacular sunsets, amazing sunrises.
Dolphins dancing and whales rising.
Infinite stars in the clear night sky, and brilliant moonlight.
The cliffs of the Napali Coast seem so close you could reach them.
Niihau and Lehua sit just beyond.
A beach of hot, gold sand that stretches on and on and it seems you could walk forever.
It is a different world — a place unlike any other.
As a friend said, Polihale is like stepping back in time.
It is here you will take a deep breath, look around, and shake your head in disbelief at the beauty.
And you will ask yourself why you didn’t visit here long, long ago.
Yes, it’s difficult to get there, down a potholed, bumpy, rutted dirt road for five miles. Every now and then there is talk that the road should be paved. But that would be a terrible mistake and it must never happen. It would create a freeway of rental cars, which as it is now, are generally prohibited by their companies from being driven there, so rough is this stretch that some vehicles that venture there are never seen again.
One must be willing to endure at least some trouble to reach such a magical place. It must never be easy.
Whatever it takes, one must experience Polihale at least once in a lifetime.
Then, you always have it in your heart and mind. You can take it with you, always.
But know this: You won’t be the same. You will never forget what you saw, what you felt, what you heard.
It will stir what’s inside.
Polihale will beckon you to return.
If you are one of the lucky ones, you will.
