Punaluu Beach

Punahuu Beach on Oahu's east side is a grrreat place to stop with your fur-baby on your way down Kamehameha Highway looking for a respite from the traffic and perhaps a place for a picnic lunch. There's street parking to spare and the beach is very close to the highway, so what you give up in serenity is made up for in convenience, and the traffic flow provides some rhythmic relaxation if you let it. The beach's 3 acres hold a narrow, sandy shore and some pretty scenery: views of the azure blue of the water, shade trees and points of rock that jut into the sea. 

This is another of Oahu's beaches that tempts visitors to swim in the omnipresent sea, but aren't the most favorable for paddling about. Surrounded by a shallow off-shore coral reef, walking out to the surfbreak is uncomfortable at best and hazardous at worst, especially for Spot or Sophie's tender pads. A better idea is to punctuate your low-key beach experience with visits to the water's edge to cool off without jumping right in. Snorkeling isn't recommended here for the same reason, along with intermittent strong currents.

Behind the beach lies a green, shady area that features picnic tables and clean restrooms, but be sure to bring along pawlenty of drinking water for you and your pooch. This beach is furtastic for watching the sun rise, or tossing a line into the water in hopes of catching dinner for you and Fido. A freshwater stream bisects the beach as it runs into Shingle Channel. 

Not to be confused with Punahuu Black Sand Beach on the Big Island, this one doesn't attract tourists looking for history, geologic phenomena or non-stop water sports. Oahu's Punahuu provides calm beauty and a shady spot to rest before you and Puffy head back on the road for the next Hawaiian adventure! Enjoy!