Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area is a beach in Hawaii County, Hawaii. It sits roughly 6.8 km (4.2 mi) NNW of Waikoloa.
Hāpuna Beach State Recreation Area is a large park and sandy beach on the Big Island of Hawaii. The Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel is also located adjacent to the beach. Hāpuna (literally, "spring" or "pool" in Hawaiian) is popular with residents and visitors. This is one of a few other white sand beaches on the west coast of the Big Island. The few others include Kua Bay, Manini'owali Beach, Kaunaʻoa Bay, known as Mauna Kea Beach, and Samuel M. Spencer Beach Park. It was named the Best Beach in America by Florida International University professor Stephen Leatherman, known as "Dr Beach", in 1993 and 2021. The 61.8-acre (25.0 ha) park is located at coordinates 19°59.4789′N 155°49.3809′W, west of Hawaii Belt Road (Route 19, called Queen Kaʻahumanu Highway) on Hapuna Beach Road. It is about 2.3 miles (3.7 km) south of Kawaihae, Hawaii. A part of the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail runs...From the Wikipedia article “Hāpuna Beach State Recreation Area”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 65° (ENE) at the June solstice and 115° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 295° (WNW) in June to 245° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 87° in summer but only 47° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:28 AM | 90° E | 6:35 PM | 270° W | 70° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:46 AM | 65° ENE | 7:06 PM | 295° WNW | 87° | 13h 20m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:13 AM | 89° E | 6:21 PM | 271° W | 70° | 12h 08m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:55 AM | 115° ESE | 5:50 PM | 245° WSW | 47° | 10h 55m |
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 | 6:38 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:33 AM | 5:33 PM | 6:05 PM | 6:29 PM | 11h 03m |
| February | 6:31 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:23 AM | 5:53 PM | 6:23 PM | 6:46 PM | 11h 30m |
| March | 6:10 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:02 AM | 6:04 PM | 6:34 PM | 6:56 PM | 12h 01m |
| April | 5:43 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:35 AM | 6:12 PM | 6:42 PM | 7:04 PM | 12h 36m |
| May | 5:24 AM | 5:48 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:22 PM | 6:53 PM | 7:17 PM | 13h 05m |
| June | 5:20 AM | 5:45 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:29 PM | 13h 20m |
| July | 5:29 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:24 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:31 PM | 13h 14m |
| August | 5:41 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:34 AM | 6:23 PM | 6:53 PM | 7:16 PM | 12h 49m |
| September | 5:49 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:41 AM | 5:58 PM | 6:27 PM | 6:49 PM | 12h 16m |
| October | 5:56 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:48 AM | 5:31 PM | 6:01 PM | 6:23 PM | 11h 42m |
| November | 6:10 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:04 AM | 5:13 PM | 5:45 PM | 6:08 PM | 11h 11m |
| December | 6:28 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:24 AM | 5:15 PM | 5:47 PM | 6:11 PM | 10h 56m |
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 Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 7.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 41° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| February | 4:07 AM – 5:37 AM | 1.5 | 27° | SE → SE |
| March | 2:16 AM – 5:16 AM | 3.0 | 38° | SE → SSE |
| April | 12:17 AM – 4:47 AM | 4.5 | 41° | SE → S |
| May | 10:13 PM – 4:23 AM | 6.2 | 41° | SE → SSW |
| June | 8:28 PM – 4:18 AM | 7.8 | 41° | SE → SW |
| July | 8:29 PM – 2:49 AM | 6.3 | 41° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:10 PM – 12:50 AM | 4.7 | 41° | S → SW |
| September | 7:41 PM – 10:51 PM | 3.2 | 38° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:14 PM – 8:44 PM | 1.5 | 27° | 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.48 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show January as the clearest month (about 50% average cloud cover) and March as the cloudiest (62%). August 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 | 77 | 78 | 76 | 79 | 81 | 80 | 83 | 82 | 79 | 78 | 76 |
| Low °F | 50 | 46 | 48 | 52 | 53 | 55 | 56 | 56 | 56 | 56 | 53 | 50 |
| Precip. (in) | 5.6 | 6.6 | 8.6 | 7.7 | 5.4 | 4.2 | 4.7 | 5.4 | 4.8 | 5.3 | 6.7 | 6.6 |
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.
- 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 Kawaihae, 5.1 km (3.2 mi) away. Low tide often reveals tide pools, wet-sand reflections and sea stacks.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area, closest first.
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LighthouseWaterfallFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area?
What time is golden hour at Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area?
Where does the sun rise and set at Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area?
Can you see the Milky Way from Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area?
How far is Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area from Waikoloa?
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.