This Little-Known Area Must Be Hawaii's Most Underrated Spot For A Vibrant Beach Vacation

Would you believe that there is still a region in Hawaii that is as wild and undeveloped as any unspoiled jungle island in Fiji? On the Big Island's southern shore, where you'll find the steep flanks of Mauna Loa, the largest active volcano on earth, lies a little-visited area known as Kau. Most tourists never explore beyond the region's Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, but low-key Kau possesses the state's largest stretch of undeveloped coastline, and is growing increasingly famous among connoisseurs as a farming region for coffee and macadamia nuts.

Kau is the kind of place where locals rule the surf beach, few tourists ever venture, and residents are more likely to work in agriculture than the tourist industry. The rewards for discovering Kau are rich and many: It is a paradise of colorful green and black sand beaches, hikes through native forest and lava desert, and opportunities to experience offbeat aspects of Hawaiian culture.

Punalu'u Black Sand Beach is a dramatic sight, with foamy turquoise waves crashing onto a black beach threaded through with electric green tropical vegetation. The black sand is formed by rough basalt, so you'll want water shoes to prance along this pretty shoreline. If the day is calm, snorkeling and swimming are possibilities, although you'll need to watch out for rip-currents when the sea gets more lively.

There's an even more unique and colorful beach at Kau that you can only reach by hiking a 2.8-mile coastal trail: Papakolea Green Sand Beach, which is every bit as wondrous to behold as it sounds. Formed by a disintegrating cinder cone, the soft sand's vivid color comes from olivine, the same mineral in the gemstone peridot. While colorful sand beaches are rare in general, you can count the number of green sand beaches in the world on one hand – without even using your thumb. But even if all beaches in the world were green, this would be an exceptionally lovely one, a private cove ringed by beautiful, sheltering bluffs.

Another great place to seek out local color of a different kind is Kawa'a Beach, where the full-time residents surf. They have a reputation for being rightly prideful and protective of this serene spot. Be cool when you visit and not a kook (that's surf-speak for clueless outsider), and you might get to hear some of their wave-riding stories.

Don't rush off after a visit to Volcanoes National Park, the best-known attraction in Kau and truly one of the most exciting things to do on Hawaii's Big Island. Instead, hike the Kau Desert Trail for stunning volcanic scenery and solitude. Then switch gears to take a scenic drive through Wood Valley, Kau's up-and-coming coffee-growing region, where you can tour the award-winning Ka'u Coffee Mill in a jaw-droppingly futuristic transparent building.

What would a visit to an off-the-beaten-path beach be without a stay at a cool hidden gem lodging? Continuing on Wood Valley Road a few miles beyond the village of Pahala, you'll arrive at the Wood Valley Temple & Guest House (pictured), a lush and serene Buddhist retreat where peacocks roam and temple bells tinkle musically — its Tibetan name, Nechung Dorje Drayang Ling, translates to "Small Immutable Island of Melodious Sound." "It's impossible to describe the feeling of being in this temple — its quiet, unpretentious spirituality is a balm to the soul," wrote one Tripadvisor visitor. Spend the night in one of the guest suites and join the monks for morning prayers before indulging in a cup of that superb Kau coffee on your way to the beach.