United States
Two Step & Place of Refuge
Spend the day at the beach: snorkeling at Two Step and discovering Pu'uhonua o Honaunau. Don't forget to grab a Kona Beer.
Snorkeling at Two Step
Two Step: impressive coral reefs and lava rock pathways make up this popular snorkel spot. Directly off the beach are shallow coral areas where you can watch fish. Abundant here are: Yellow Tangs (Lau' Ipala), white Convict Tangs (Manini), Uhus, Uluas, Kikakapus, Laulaus and rainbowfish. Truly wonderful. Want to enter the water with your snorkling gear? Do it from the barrier of black volcanic rock running parallel to Honaunau Beach Road, opposite a small attended parking lot. First, locate the two natural steps carved into the rocks, which gave the spot its nickname 'Two Step'. If you can’t see them, ask the other snorkelers present (you will rarely be alone) to point them out to you. Here, once you have your equipment and you are sitting on the steps, you can get into the water without great difficulty. Make a note of the place, since this is also where you will get out of the water, while keeping an eye out for the sea urchins that sometimes take up their abode on the rock face.
Visit Pu’uhonua O Hōnaunau
isit Pu’uhonua O Hōnaunau, also called “The Refuge”. If a Hawaiian broke a kapu (one of the ancient laws), this is a place where they could seek immunity by fleeing here. You can see impressive walls made out of lava rock and fitted together without mortar, as well as reconstructions of what the ancient Hawaiian houses, called hale, looked like. You can do a self-guided tour using a map at the entrance of the park.
