Alahanui Park - Hot Spring
Categories: Active Life Swimming Pools Active Life Beaches Swimming Pools, Beaches [Edit]
Pahoa, HI 96778
3 reviews for Alahanui Park - Hot Spring
3 reviews in English
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Review from Ronin E.
12/31/2009 4 photos
I completely disagree with the previous three star review. Sorry, but no way. This was AMAZING!!!
Yes, it's a natural spring so, like other natural ponds, rivers, oceans, lakes, etc., it will be cloudy. However, when I went, it was perfectly clear, about 40 feet of snorkeling visibility. It was like warm bath water. Only in Hawaii is the air colder outside of the water :)
There are nice handrails to help you get into the hot spring. They give you a ledge to sit on if you want to snooze or relax. Overall it's pretty flat on the bottom to walk around on but I'd recommend some goggles or snorkel so you don't stub your toe on a random boulder. Keep in mind, although they made it look nice, it's still a natural spring.
Kinda cool but if you look closely, someone moved a number of boulders to spell 'ALOHA' on the floor of the spring. It's a cool little thing that I'm sure most people miss.
Also, there are porta-potties but no real bathrooms so some dressed to swim. I made the mistake of bringing my suit then doing the tippy-toe dance in the porta-potty trying not to touch the grossness with my bare feet.
This is a five star place, trust me. It's worth the little drive for sure. Nothing better to just relax and enjoy Hawaii for what it is, this a great place to just kick back and forget about what's next on the 'to see' list. -
Review from John S.
Volcano, HI
3/21/2012
Safe protected volcanically thermally heated pond, good place for the very young, the infirm, or the very old to get in the water. Refreshed by an ocean inlet. Lifeguard even.
If the ocean is rough it won't be very warm, because the seawater will break more into the pond.
Signs warn you that the water is natural, not sanitized, filtered or chlorinated in any way... It's a nice warm temperature to grow bacteria.... Did i mention there are a lot of little kids, the elderly, and the infirm in the water?.. .So don't swim if you have any open cuts and don't swallow the water. Just my advice.
No changing room, but there IS one oddly placed fresh water shower back in the lawn area. You have to search for it.
The park area itself was friendly and funky with an art group painting in one pavilion and another guy selling fresh cut coconuts with a drinking straw for $2.50 from his car trunk, in between playing his flute. The fresh coconut water was delicious.
In-park parking was crowded and spots were at a premium... Parking outside the fence looked seriously more vulnerable to theft... We waited for an official space to open up. Enjoyed our visit. -
Review from Veronica P.
Chino Hills, CA
8/2/2007 2 photos
Take Highway 130 south from Pahoa. When it dead ends at Highway 137, turn right. The Park is located on the left, just past Mile Marker #10.
Getting here was sort of surreal. On the day I went it was raining fairly hard. The road to get here is located maybe 30-40 yards away from the ocean. The beach is very flat and there is no retaining wall between the beach and the road. With it raining and high tide coming, the sea water was coming onto the road and it felt like you were driving underwater.
This is a fairly good sized park, with picnic tables, BBQ's and public restrooms. Inside the park lies one of the natural hot springs located on the island. There is a lifeguard on duty.
The natural hot spring is about a half acre large and is shallow enough in most spots to stand in. The hot spring is built inside of a wall. The water is warmed by volcanic activity below the surface. There is a small walled inlet that allows water from the ocean to cool it down. You may also see fish swimming alongside you within the hot spring. It would probably be ill advised to go swimming in the ocean outside of the hot spring as it is very rocky and turbulent.
The reason why I only gave it 3 stars is that on the day I went, the hot spring was very dirty, but then again, it was raining pretty hard and windy.
(Pics included)
