We were back at Hamoa Beach outside Hana recently when an old piece of Hawaii lore came back to us. Ernest Hemingway loved this beach, or so we’d remembered hearing.
When we got home, we tried to find what Hemingway had actually said about Hamoa. We couldn’t.
Then we found something worse. Beat of Hawaii had repeated the story ourselves, first in 2014 and again in 2022. Twelve years after that first reference, we’re no longer convinced Hemingway ever saw Hamoa Beach.
Hemingway came to Hawaii, but Maui is another question.
Hemingway arrived in Honolulu with Martha Gellhorn on February 5, 1941. They spent about a week in Waikiki before continuing toward China.
We haven’t found evidence that he went to Maui during that visit, much less Hana or Hamoa. Maybe something will eventually surface, but we haven’t found anything that supports calling Hamoa one of his favorite beaches.
The writer who clearly belongs here is James Michener.
Michener really did write about Hamoa.
Published accounts going back decades quote Michener describing Hamoa’s half-moon shape, lava boulders, pandanus trees, and black-and-silver sand. One passage calls it “a beach so perfectly formed,” and later says, “I have never seen better surf.”
We still haven’t found the original Michener publication containing that passage, and the praise gets bigger depending on who repeats it. Hamoa becomes, in one account, the most beautiful beach in the South Pacific, in another, the most beautiful in the Pacific, and eventually one of the finest beaches anywhere.
The detailed description is much more useful. Standing there recently, we could recognize exactly what he was talking about.
The ocean was rough when we visited, so we weren’t tempted to swim. We’d already been thinking more carefully about conditions around Hana after looking at the unguarded beaches along the Road to Hana, and Hamoa that day was mostly about looking, taking photos, and finally getting back there.
Then Mark Twain entered the story.
Twain definitely came to Hawaii. He spent five weeks on Maui in 1866 and wrote enthusiastically about the island, including Haleakala and the sugar plantations he visited.
What we haven’t found is Hamoa.
Modern travel writing sometimes connects Twain with the beach, just as it connects Hemingway with it. Twain could have gone there, but we haven’t found anything in his surviving Hawaii writing that says he did.
That sounded familiar because Twain has another long-running association with Hawaii, much closer to our home.
Twain never visited Kauai.
Mark Twain is still widely credited with calling Waimea Canyon the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific.” We wrote about that Waimea Canyon story ourselves several years ago.
The problem is that Twain never came to Kauai.
Who first used “Grand Canyon of the Pacific” is less certain than the familiar story makes it sound. What isn’t uncertain is that Twain couldn’t have coined it while looking out over Waimea Canyon, because he never saw the place.
That was what made our Hamoa search interesting. Hemingway came to Hawaii, but we can’t put him on Maui. Twain spent weeks on Maui, but we can’t put him at Hamoa. Michener left a description detailed enough that we can.
We went looking for something Hemingway supposedly said about a beach we’d just visited and ended up correcting something we’d repeated ourselves for years. Hamoa didn’t lose anything in the process.
Visiting Hamoa Beach.
Usually, Hana has been a day trip for us, so our time at Hamoa has been limited. Parking is an issue, and in the middle of the day it’s impossible to find a space to pull over. Most people never make it to the beach and instead take photos at the popular overlook. On this trip, we stayed two nights in Hana and visited Hamoa early in the morning, with ample parking, and later in the day. The beach is about 3 miles south of Hana. Once there, it’s an easy walk down to the beach. There are no lifeguards on duty, but the crescent-shaped beach has ample sand, and water enthusiasts can enjoy the surf.
Photo Credits: © Beat of Hawaii at Hamoa Beach on Maui.
By Rob and Jeff, Beat of Hawaii.
Some of the most meaningful parts of Hawaii are the ones visitors walk right past without knowing they are there. We’ve spent nearly 20 years finding them firsthand for BOH as full-time Hawaii residents reporting on travel, culture, and island life, and telling you what they mean for your trip. Join us →
Get Breaking Hawaii Travel News
