Kaunaoa Bay

Kaunaʻoa Bay has one of the few white sand beaches of the

The word kaunaʻoa may refer to a few different things, any of which may have been why native Hawaiians named this beach so: the first definition refers to a thin, orange vine with yellow flowers (Cuscuta sandwichiana), which is found throughout most of Hawaiʻi (this is the official lei vine of Lānaʻi). However, the second definition refers to a mollusk (Vermetidae), and a third definition refers to a tough seaweed (Galaxaura rugosa).^[1]

The bay is accessed via Mauna Kea Beach Drive, just west of state Route 19,

History

The land above the bay is part of the

The open-air design allowed natural ventilation from the trade winds, although rooms had air conditioning available. The hotel finally opened in July 1965, one of the most expensive at the time. Hotels with similar designs would be built along the Kohala coast over the next decades.^[5] Ranch owner Richard Smart negotiated a long-term lease of the land.^[6] The hotel was named Mauna Kea Beach Hotel for the mountain Mauna Kea which is visible above the bay when not obscured by clouds.^[7]

Before development

The bay was only a few miles from the 2006 Kiholo Bay earthquake which damaged the hotel.^[9] The hotel reopened in early 2009.^[7]

References