Located in Kauai County, Hawaii, Gillins Beach is a beach. The nearest town is Po‘ipū, about 3.9 km (2.4 mi) away (Gillins Beach lies ENE of town).
Māhāʻulepū Beach is a beach on the southeast coast of the Hawaiian island of Kauai. It is two miles (3.2 km) long and goes from Punahoa point to Paʻoʻo point. The beach is separated into three different parts: Gillin's Beach, Kawailoa Bay, and Hāʻula Beach. Gillin's Beach, the center section, is known for petroglyphs that are carved into the rocks, though they are rarely exposed. Fossils of extinct birds have been found in sand dunes along the shoreline, including the Kauaʻi Stilt-owl (Grallistrix auceps), a flightless rail, and three species of goose. Close to the beach is the paleontologically important Makauwahi Cave.From the Wikipedia article “Māhāʻulepū Beach”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Gillins Beach the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 64° (ENE) at the June solstice and 115° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 296° (WNW) in June to 245° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 88° in summer but only 45° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:42 AM | 90° E | 6:49 PM | 270° W | 68° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:56 AM | 64° ENE | 7:24 PM | 296° WNW | 88° | 13h 28m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:27 AM | 89° E | 6:35 PM | 271° W | 68° | 12h 08m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:13 AM | 115° ESE | 6:00 PM | 245° WSW | 45° | 10h 48m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Beaches facing east suit sunrise and west-facing beaches suit sunset; wet sand mirrors the sky color during golden hour.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:56 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:52 AM | 5:44 PM | 6:16 PM | 6:40 PM | 10h 57m |
| February | 6:47 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:40 AM | 6:05 PM | 6:36 PM | 6:59 PM | 11h 26m |
| March | 6:25 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:17 AM | 6:18 PM | 6:48 PM | 7:10 PM | 12h 01m |
| April | 5:56 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:48 AM | 6:28 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:21 PM | 12h 39m |
| May | 5:35 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:31 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:34 PM | 13h 11m |
| June | 5:30 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:27 AM | 6:51 PM | 7:23 PM | 7:48 PM | 13h 28m |
| July | 5:39 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:36 AM | 6:53 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:49 PM | 13h 21m |
| August | 5:53 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:47 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:33 PM | 12h 53m |
| September | 6:03 AM | 6:25 AM | 6:55 AM | 6:13 PM | 6:42 PM | 7:04 PM | 12h 17m |
| October | 6:12 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:04 AM | 5:44 PM | 6:14 PM | 6:36 PM | 11h 39m |
| November | 6:27 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:22 AM | 5:24 PM | 5:56 PM | 6:20 PM | 11h 06m |
| December | 6:45 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:43 AM | 5:25 PM | 5:58 PM | 6:22 PM | 10h 48m |
Local time (Pacific/Honolulu), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From Gillins Beach, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 7.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 39° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| February | 4:31 AM – 5:51 AM | 1.3 | 25° | SE → SE |
| March | 2:42 AM – 5:32 AM | 2.8 | 36° | SE → SSE |
| April | 12:35 AM – 4:55 AM | 4.3 | 39° | SE → S |
| May | 10:33 PM – 4:33 AM | 6.0 | 39° | SE → SSW |
| June | 8:49 PM – 4:29 AM | 7.7 | 39° | SE → SW |
| July | 8:49 PM – 2:59 AM | 6.2 | 39° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:29 PM – 12:59 AM | 4.5 | 39° | S → SW |
| September | 7:57 PM – 10:57 PM | 3.0 | 36° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:28 PM – 8:58 PM | 1.5 | 26° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -17° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.98 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 39% average cloud cover) and March as the cloudiest (54%). September is the warmest month and February the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 79 | 79 | 78 | 80 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 85 | 85 | 83 | 82 | 81 |
| Low °F | 69 | 67 | 67 | 69 | 71 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 76 | 75 | 72 | 69 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.4 | 3.0 | 4.2 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 2.4 | 2.9 | 3.6 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this beach
- Fog and marine layers can make minimalist images; don't give up on grey days.
- Time visits around low tide to reveal tide pools, sea stacks and reflective sand — check the tide widget below.
- Slow shutter speeds (0.5–2 s) turn receding waves into streaks that lead toward the horizon.
- Watch for sneaker waves; never turn your back on the ocean on exposed coasts.
- Salt spray coats lenses quickly; wipe often and rinse gear afterward.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Winter storms bring dramatic surf on Pacific coasts; summer and autumn sunsets are popular on Atlantic and Gulf beaches.
Suggested gear: Tripod, ND filters, Rain cover, Lens cloths. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Tides
The nearest NOAA tide prediction station is NAWILIWILI, 9.3 km (5.8 mi) away. Low tide often reveals tide pools, wet-sand reflections and sea stacks.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Gillins Beach, closest first.
Beach
Volcano
Beach
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Waterfall
National Wildlife Refuge
Botanical Garden
LighthouseFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Gillins Beach?
What time is golden hour at Gillins Beach?
Where does the sun rise and set at Gillins Beach?
Can you see the Milky Way from Gillins Beach?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Gillins Beach?
How far is Gillins Beach from Po‘ipū?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, USGS GNIS / GeoNames, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.