Bring the Kids: Kawela Bay Banyan tree

 Banyan Tree
A maze of roots, tunnels and shadows, the North Shore’s famous banyan tree (also on Turtle Bay Resort’s land) is a sight to see — even parents can’t help but zigzag through this incredible organism. Once used as a set for the television show “Lost,” the shaded grove under and around the goliath tree is a good stop for a picnic lunch or a short play break for the younger travelers. The tree is tucked just behind Kawela Bay, making it easy to hit both locations in one afternoon. - TravelAgeWest

If you've ever stayed at Turtle Bay Resort, then you probably know about this giant Banyan tree, since it's on the resorts property. I found out about it online, and thought it would be cool to see, so I started digging for information. 

I've got to say, the information on how to get to this darn thing is severely lacking. 

All I could find out online was that you "take a trail" on Turtle Bay Resorts property. I figured, Ok, maybe its just so obvious once you get there that there doesn't need to be much info online about it. Nope. Not the case.

So, here is how we did it, what we found out, and some tips for visiting this tree.

Where is it?

Ah, the million dollar question. After searching online and reading everything I could find about this tree, we still had no clue where to go. So, we put the resort in the GPS, and went there. The first thing that happened, was our GPS tried to take us to the horse stables instead of the resort. We didn't realize it at the time, but that was a good thing! We realized you can't drive down to the stables, so we turned around and parked in the public parking lot. Then we got ready to walk. A lot.

The public parking lot is HERE: 57-20 Kuilima Dr, Kahuku, HI 96731

But Where do you go once you've parked? Are there signs? 

Nope.

It took us wandering for a while before finally figuring out which way to go, so, here are step-by-step instructions on how to get to the tree from the public parking lot:

1. After parking, walk back to the entrance of the parking lot, and cross the road. You will pass another parking lot on your left before continuing down a quiet, tree lined lane. Follow this lane towards the stables. You will be passing a golf course on your left.
2.  In about 800 feet, you will see the stables. The road turns to dirt/gravel, and branches off. You have two options Right or Left. Both will take you to the path. That's right, you haven't even gotten to the path yet. -RIGHT- Going right will take you along a beautiful, ocean view path - but you will be walking through soft sand and over roots. It's doable, but we were wearing flip flops. So it wasn't as easy as it could have been. -LEFT- Going left takes you past the horse pastures, along a smooth, dirt/gravel road - but you get baked by the sun and have no ocean views. 
3. Once past the stables and golf course, you FINALLY find a sign at the intersection of trails. Now, either way you go, you will end up getting to it eventually because they are all connected in a loop (sort of), but the quickest way is to follow the signs to the tree.

We took the trail that goes right through the middle. This trail has no shade. On the way back, we took the trail that goes along the highway. Slightly more shade, but a bit longer. 

 Our Experience?

 We were unprepared for the amount of walking it required. I think all together, from parking lot to tree and back to parking lot, it was about 3 miles. It's not bad when the sun isn't blasting you, but, this is Hawaii, so the odds of that not happening aren't that great.

My husband carried the camera and diaper bag, and I carried our 7 month old while our 3 year old walked. We chose to take the trail along the ocean, and were able to deviate from the path a few times to check out the beach. It was slow going with a 3 year old trying to walk through soft sand, but it was in the shade!

The tree itself is great! Our daughter enjoyed running around in the tall roots, climbing and hiding in them. There are horseback riding tours that follow the same paths and walk through the tree, as well as bicyclists. 

Right by the tree is a little hidden path that brings you to a secluded beach. Someone had built a little hut made of palms on the beach, which made some great photos. If we did anything differently, I would bring a swim suit! It was so hot, I was wishing I was able to jump in that clear, cool ocean.

Tips for visiting the Banyan tree:

• If you are determined, it IS stroller friendly...ish. Maybe geared more towards an off-road wagon. I found it much easier to navigate by wearing my baby and letting my 3 year old walk.
• There are horseback riding tours that walk the same trails. Have some sense and don't act like a fool around the horses. It's dangerous for everyone involved. Give them space to pass.
• We easily wore flip flops, and I actually recommend them if you want to deviate and hit the beaches along the way - but if you are going to stick to the trail, and prefer sturdier shoes for distances, then you would probably prefer sneakers.
• Water. Bring ALL the water. It gets really hot when there's jungle blocking the ocean breeze, and long stretches without shade.
• Sunscreen and bug spray. Because, again, no shade. Lots of mosquitoes.
• This trail to the tree is completely do-able with kids, but if you know your kid is going to get tired, or isn't much of a walker, you might want to try and bring a wagon or stroller, as difficult as it will be to pull/push it all that way.

Will we do it again? Totally! But next time we may just take the horseback riding tour instead, or perhaps park along the highway by the fruit stand for a MUCH shorter walk!