There are places on the Big Island that feel like they exist just outside the normal world.

Kehena Beach is one of them.

Hidden along the Puna coastline, carved out of black sand and jungle, it’s less of an official beach and more of a gathering point for wanderers, off-gridders, and people following a path that’s trickier to explain.

It has a reputation, sure. Clothing-optional. “Naked hippies.” All of that is true.

But if you spend any real time there, you start to realize it’s not really about that. It’s about freedom, presence, and letting the island strip away whatever you thought you needed to be. Seriously.

This video was one of the first I ever shot out there. Short, pretty chaotic, and very much in the spirit of Kehena.

🌴 Want the deeper story behind places like this?

Kehena is just one piece of a much larger experience I had living on the Big Island—hitchhiking across lava fields, meeting unforgettable people, and slowly getting pulled into a completely different way of life.

Read Ten Thousand Hours in Paradise — the full first volume is currently free on all major ebook stores.

What starts as a trip to Hawaii turns into something a lot more permanent.

Transcript:

1080p! (Maybe this will be the first one I post.)
1080p at Kehena…

No, people are just going to laugh at me for singing about video quality. That’s stupid! “Andrew, you’re so crazy!”

Kehena. “Why aren’t YOU here?”
The Scenic Kehena: Where Naked Hippies Come to Play!
Da-da-da da daaa!

Welcome to the Hidden Lagoon.

It has many names, as do most places around here in Puna, but not too many know how to get here. (Hint: it’s down a narrow road past Mackenzie Park.)

There, the waves crash at the side of the low, oceanside cliff, kicking up ocean spray and forming little lagoons and puddles over the black lava formations.

Last week, I went there with a couple friends, but this time, something was different. In one of the shallow patches I witnessed a delightful display of Nature as a Game: The Epic Crab Race.

Enjoy.

Transcript:

Look at that little guy! Look at that little guy!
I shall name him… Tim!?

It’s a race! The blue one and the white one are racing. Go, go!
My money is on the white one.
Well, he had a head start. It’s not fair.
Go Bob! (Bob is the white one.)
Oh my god!

Da-na-na na-na!
Da-na-na na-na!

This is crazy. This is the best video ever.
The white one’s the winner!
Oh my gosh that was… crazy.

As I was walking along the Kalapana cliffs at night, admiring the full moon hanging above the Pacific Ocean, I suddenly realized I had my Macbook Air with me.

Why not shoot a short, fun video?

So here’s today’s Hawaii Minute in which we see the eastern coast of the Big Island and reflect about how we consciously decide where we end up.

Please excuse the video quality. The video is more intended to give you a feel of the ambiance than an accurate picture of what the cliff is like.

Enjoy!

Transcript:

The rocks are sheer cliffs where I am, going down about 10 meters. There’s no beach down there…

But for a little piece of civilization, I’ve got blueberries, dried blueberries. So that’s what you eat, apparently, on a cliff. And… maybe something will turn out. Maybe it won’t, but that’s Venus if you can see that. And that’s the moon, obviously. And down there is the Pacific Ocean crashing against the — almost the eastern tip of the Big Island of Hawaii.

So, where are you? Where are you?

And have you decided to be there consciously?
Or did you end up there on accident?

Think about it.

One Saturday, I was given an incredible opportunity: to see the Halema’uma’u caldera in person.

As you can easily see below, this caldera (part of the Kilauea volcano) is located in one of the most active volcanic sites on the planet. Visiting this lava lake was one of the most incredible experiences of my life.

If the opportunity opens up to you, take it!

For more:

There’s more where that came from! Be sure to check out the wealth of travel videos on the Travel Video page.