In the Hawaiian language, Lanikai means "royal sea" or "heavenly sea".
Lanikai Beach is on the windward coast of Oahu, Hawaii, having as
neighbor Kailua Beach. The beach is one of America's finest and
frequently highly ranked in the world. It is quite small, just about 1/2
mile long and located adjacent to an upper-class residential area, it
can only be accessed through public access beach paths.
Lanikai
Beach is a popular gem for its soft sand, blue water, and gentle trade
winds. The beach is perfect for various water activities, particularly
swimming, snorkeling, sailing, windsurfing, kayaking, and of course for
sunbathing. Not far offshore from the beach is Mokulua (the two
islands) which many adventurers seek the opportunity to paddle across
from the beach.
Locals believe that the real name of the beach is
Kaohao (meaning "the tying"). Legend has it that a high chief by the
name of Hanoi used to beat up his two wives, Konane. He would tie them
together using a loincloth and lead them to the beach where the canoes
were. The name Kaohao was eventually given to the beach because of the incident that had taken place.
Lanikai
beach is often quite empty during weekdays, but becomes extremely
crowded on weekends and particularly during peak season period. The
beach has been the perfect location for many photo shoots of renowned
models. It provides fantastic moonrise scenery because of its position
being on the east side of the island.
Although a public beach,
the land is not owned by the state and unlike other beaches in Hawaii,
it is not a county beach. There is a lack of facilities such as
restrooms, showers or parking or lifeguards.