How to Find the 'Secret' Lava Tube Near the Halona Blowhole

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Gigi (my mom) was recently here for her very first Hawaii visit!

So, we did lots of touristy things to show her around the island and mark items off of our Hawaii Bucket List!

One of our stops while we were exploring the Windward side of Oahu was the Halona Blowhole.

The blowhole wasn’t very spectacular while we were there, as the waves weren’t very high. (I want to visit again in the winter when the waves are bigger.) However, finding the lava tube on the beach below it was worth the drive!

Here’s how you can find it.

Park at the Halona Blowhole Lookout

The word ‘halona’ means ‘lookout’ in Hawaiian. And this halona rewards you with beautiful views of the steep cliff-lined coast. On clear days, you can even see the outline of the islands of Moloka’i and Lana’i in the distance.

There is a parking lot at the Halona Blowhole lookout, and it’s the best place to park to access Cockroach Cove.

Fun Fact: This beach has at least 3 names. Locals call it Cockroach Cove, and that is how it appears on my map when I pull it up on my iPhone. However, it is also referred to as Halona Beach Cove (because of its proximity to the Halona Blowhole) and Eternity Beach (because it’s the site of a romantic scene from a 1950s movie named “From Here to Eternity“).

Before heading down to the beach, check out the blowhole to see if it’s raging.

The Halona Blowhole spraying water into the air. — *(The blowhole spraying water into the air!)*

View of the coastline from the Halona Blowhole Lookout. — *(View of the rocky coastline from the Halona Blowhole Lookout.)*

View of Cockroach Cove from the Halona Blowhole Lookout. — *(View of Cockroach Cove from the lookout.)*

Break the Rules

After you find a place to park and check out the blowhole, you’ll have to break the rules to get down to the beach.

Normally, I don’t condone rule-breaking, especially if it’s dangerous. However, this seems like less of a rule and more of a way for the state to cover their behind if brazen tourists get hurt.

If you’re facing the road, go to the left side of the lookout where you can see the beach. Then head towards the road until you see a sign that says ‘Danger Do Not Go Beyond This Point’. Then, of course, you go beyond that point.

You’ll have to make your way down a steep rocky path to the beach. While the path is steep and sandy, it wasn’t that hard. We saw multiple people doing it in flip-flops. Just take your time and be careful on the rocks.

How to find the secret lava tube at Cockroach Cove near the Halona Blowhole. — *(The beginning of the path to Cockroach Cove.)*

The rocky path from the Halona Blowhole to Cockroach Cove. — *(View of the path to the lookout parking lot from down on the beach.)*

Go to the Right

Once you’re on the beach looking out at the water, head to the right. The ‘secret’ lava tube will be on your right at the back of the cove.

The lava tube stretches from the beach cove over to the mountain. It stretches to the other side of the road.

It’s not hard to find at all!

You can technically go all the way through the lava tube to the other side of the road. However, you have to crawl at the end of it to make it through.

Lainey and I weren’t willing to get dirty just to see the other side of the road. Heff and Lyvi, however, didn’t mind, and they went all the way through!

Pro Tip

Bring a flashlight or use the one on your phone because it gets dark in the lava tube.

The secret lava tube at the Halona Blowhole. — *(The entrance of the lava tube framing the beautiful blue Pacific waters.)*

Entrance of the secret lava tube near the Halona Blowhole. — *(Heff and the girls at the entrance of the lava tube.)*

Walking through a lava tube on Oahu. — *(We could walk upright most of the way through the tunnel. Granted, most of us are around 5 feet tall!)*

View from inside the lava tube at Eternity Beach. — *(View from inside the lava tube.)*

A Few Sobering Reminders

Here are a few things to remember when visiting Cockroach Cove:

the Ka Iwi channel (the body of water between Oahu and Moloka’i, where this cove is located) has one of the most dangerous ocean currents in the world
‘Ka Iwi’ means ‘the bone’ in Hawaiian, and they supposedly named the channel this because of the bones that washed up on shore from drownings
you can swim at the beach, but I wouldn’t let my kids get in the day we were there (not only were the waves high, but this cove has been known to sweep people out to sea with its riptide)
people were jumping off the cliffs into the water (again, that’s something I wouldn’t do because the water was way too rough)
there have been multiple deaths at the Halona Blowhole, and from what I can tell, every single one was caused by people standing on the rock shelf near the blowhole or swimming at Cockroach Cove

Cockroach Cove is also known as Eternity Beach is also known at Halona Beach Cove. — *(The beach at Cockroach Cove.)*

We had a wonderful time finding the ‘secret’ lava tube near the Halona Blowhole!

As you can tell, we were dressed for sightseeing, not a day at the beach. I highly recommend this approach to visiting this beach. It’s just too dangerous for me to recommend swimming here.

However, even if you just go to see the blowhole and walk through the lava tube, it’s definitely worth the drive!