Looking out the back windows of the house you can see what looks like a fantastic surfing spot just to the south of Kealakekua Bay. There are three long breaks a few hundred yards off shore and I’ve watched a dozen folks surfing through the binoculars in the mornings.

The problem was that I couldn’t figure out how to get there.

None of the marked roads seem to lead to it and it would be a long hike over rough rocks to go by foot along the coast. So, while Emma and Henry were napping, I took set out in the car to do a little exploring.

As it turned out there was a little unmarked dirt/lava road I was missing that lead to quiet Ke’ei Village.

The houses in the village are run down, dogs lie in the middle of the road and the parking area was packed with the pick-ups of locals there for the surf. I have to admit that I felt a bit intimidated as I bounced along the unpaved road and got the stare-down from the tanned Hawaiian teenagers.

At any rate, the beach turned out to be perfect for the kids and we’ve been back the past two days. The sand is a coarse “salt and pepper” sand. Not so good for making sand castles but great for running and playing. The bottom is fairly rocky but there’s a path cleared that the surfers use to get out to the breaks and the locals have built a small “pool” perfect for kids. (Our “Happy Holidays” picture was taken here.)

We spotted a number of turtles swimming near the shore. I took Emma and Henry out into the water on my shoulders for a closer look and we were surprised when a turtle swam within three feet of us from behind. What a way to spend Christmas day!

You can find a lot more of Ke’ei Beach towards the end of yesterday’s posting about The Painted Church.