Kaka’ako Waterfront Park

Kaka’ako Waterfront Park, where the land meets the sea.
What a neat little (what looks to be, underutilized) park. My largest discontent was the amount of homeless individuals who live just outside the parking lot of this park, as well as on the parks strip.
Here is where I had met a party of segways — strolling through the park, drivers — returning from the ocean via a little climbable latter off the east rock wall, and locals — fishing off the piers and south rock wall.
There is no sand here and there is no beach. But this park has so much attention to attract the right people for their water fix.

I have mixed feelings about this park.
If you just look at it objectively, you may notice the homeless population in tents along the way to the park. Sometimes a feral cat or two may cross your path. If it’s a nice day, which it usually is, some children will be sliding down the hills on pieces of large cardboard.
Happy times here include the Love Festival which was a big music event with many vendors. My friends and I won tickets through Unilocal Hawaii — it was really fun!
Another time, my family and I gathered here to remember my cousin, Kyle, who passed away too soon. He was a Detective with the Honolulu Police Department. His 2 children paddled out on surfboards with some of his ashes. That picture of them in the wide, calm ocean is burned fondly into my memory bank…
Eat The Street events have been held here. I have passed through during a charity’s Fun Run. Recently, I discovered the Memorial for the Ehime Maru — a Japanese fishing vessel that collided with a US submarine on February 9, 2001. A few citrus trees were planted nearby to commemorate its 10^th anniversary.
Even though this park has a good location in Honolulu with free parking and a functional restroom, it’s not my favorite. It wouldn’t be my first choice for a family picnic, although tables and benches are available. I would just stop by for a quick photo or two and be on my way…

I have been to Kaka’ako Waterfront Park for a few times. Couple of those times was to attend the EAT THE STREET events HAWAII and USA.
Previously I have visited the Kaka’ako Waterfront Park after getting off of working a graveyard shift on my day off from work. I would walk through the parking lot and start climbing up the hill to find a spot to just relax and enjoy the scenery.
One of my most recent visits to Kaka’ako Waterfront Park was to pay my respects to a friend’s daughter’s remembrance. That night was a rainy night. I met up with my friend and her family to pay my respect. She handed me a lei in which I threw it out onto the water. Two members of the family I found out was my co-​workers from when I used to work for EK Fernandez Shows.
My visits to Kaka’ako Waterfront Park was very relaxing during the day, very entertaining during the EAT THE STREET events, and very peaceful at night. The only part that I didn’t really care for at the time was the many homeless tents that were setup closed to the park area. I hope the homeless families go to shelters and I pray that they change their lives around soon.

The park itself is beautiful. But the park has a homeless problem. Even though the city keeps doing sweeps, encouraging the park residents to go to shelters and trying to connect them with city and state services, the problem persists.
Be aware — there are no beaches here — it is rocky seawall.

Took an Über ride and had a great time.

Eat the street with some friends. Good food and good times. Nice crowd but space larger so it does not seem as crowded.

Just enjoyed EAT THE STREETS and decided to go for a short walk.
It is a nice park hidden behind the Burns School of Medicine. The plants and grass here look much better than Ala Moana Beach Park. The structures too look well maintained. I noticed a maintenance vehicle cruising back and forth patrolling the area. That’s nice.
As we walked over the grassy hills admiring the setting sun and ocean we started to fell lucky that we could enjoy a spectacular view. We settled into the pavillion. I told Mog P. to wait while I used the restroom behind us. Surprisingly there are no doors to the restroom here. So much for having an extended bbq here. I’m thinking they took the doors off to deter the great homeless population here from holing up inside.
The waves were pounding but the tribe of cats that live here were not threatened. They kinda look well kept but are scrawny. I don’t see how they can get much to eat here unless they’re catching pigeon. Did notice a lady feeding them for awhile making sure each had a good amount. They followed her casually like a pied piper.
Surprisingly we only noticed a few homeless in the actual area. We did notice HPD patrolling the area but I wonder is it because there was an event going on? Or is this a regular patrolled area.
Even with all this going on, we were enjoying the moment, the beautiful scenery, everyone else coming to have their moment, and the beautiful sunset. We’ll probably start to come here more often for sunset watching because it does feel more tranquil.
As we’re exiting the main entrance, an HPD officer is talking to gentleman about drinking in the area. Weird how the Japanese wedding couples continue to take their prized photos with them directly behind. I guess it makes for a more interesting story when they get back home.

Here is the type of beach that is not expected in Hawaii, but not in the good way.
It is not a good swimming beach.
It is a peaceful place having a good picnic by the ocean that not many if any tourists will be at any time soon. It is off the beaten path and a little walk from the parking area, so I would advise being aware of your surroundings.
It is a good picnic place especially when Eat the Street is in the parking lot.
It is near a growing homeless population. So, I am just aware of that.
Many of the picnic tables and bathrooms have some more than wear and tear and graffiti on them. It does make it less desirable a beach to visit.
They do hold some wonderful events, like the New Years bash. When they have those kinds of events– they have areas blocked off and have a heavy security presence. That helps make people in general feel safer.
But the ocean is a great vista to behold.

Having been able to see this park throughout various points in my life I must say that it’s current condition leaves me highly disappointed. As a kid I remember sliding down the grass hills on cardboard boxes, eating lunch after field trips, etc. As a teenager/​young adult I remember taking walks with my gf, sitting on the hill watching the sun go down… Now when I brought my 9yo daughter to take a walk… all I see is a degraded park full of questionable people.
The parking lot, top corner, closer to the kids discovery center had broken down, old cars with sheets up in the windows, more ugly broken down cars surrounded by hoodlum looking kids, graffiti, piles of trash. We almost turned around and left.
Walking through the park you see more homeless people, hordes of our newest, fastest growing immigrants from that certain island group (no offense), and just general dirtiness throughout the park.
It’ll probably take me a few more years to get up the desire to come back to this park. It’s really lost it’s «shine». Now this park is slowly turning into a large Aala park with ocean view. Sad.

I love taking afternoon strolls here with my man friend and my man’s best friend. On a week day in the afternoon, the park is pretty desolate, making for a very tranquil yet romantic setting for a walk. There are many different routes to take depending on type of walk you want to go on. Plenty of inclines and hills if you want more of a workout. I love just coming here to enjoy the sunset with my boyfriend, and my dog loves all of the open fields of grass!
Sometimes I let him run around for a bit if there is absolutely no one around for quite a distance. Very safe park, and the bathrooms are pretty clean for them being public park bathrooms. This is a very beautiful place suitable for couples, BBQs, and family gatherings. There are even some outdoor yoga classes here sometimes. I gotta figure out how to get in on that! Namaste!

Good place to hang and chillax but there are a lot of homeless heading to the park unfortunately while it’s beautiful it’s expensive to live in Hawaii.

I was expecting more. The scenery is nice but the vast amount of trash and homeless people made it look ewww. I don’t get how it got 4.5 stars? People are more lenient here I guess.
Oh yeah and there are no doors in the toilet stalls. Like really? Never seen that before
I’m being generous w the 3 stars

A place from the past yet, a place of our future…
Kaka’ako Waterfront Park brings to the forefront south shore surfing wrapping around from Kewalo. It is a great picnic place; to sit and watch the surf and sun during your lunch hour or an ice cream snack watching the afternoon sunset. It’s a great jogging location. It’s central location in our great city makes this place a «must» do. And yes, a great place and venue for various activities; concerts, carnivals and the list goes on.
With new life and development in the few square miles of the Kaka’ako area, we can be sure this park will be a place to reckon with. The new condominiums, new shopping areas, new community and new concept of city living will enhance this great park!
This is my final review for the year. Today, December 31^st, we bid farewell to 2014 and welcome 2015 with great hope to a promising future.
Kaka’ako Waterfront Park promises an evening filled with food (Eat the Street), fellowship (friends gather from far and wide), entertainment and a great sky show of fireworks at the stroke of midnight!
Happy New Year! Akemashite Omedetou gozaimasu! Hau’oli Makahiki Hou!
ps-​photos coming soon!

This has always been a great park to walk around and check out almost every time I’m in the area. Lots of high hills and sometimes I’ll see large pieces of cardboard to slide down the hills on. You can easily see Waikiki and Diamond Head in the distance to the East while you can catch a glimpse of Honolulu International Airport and maybe parts of Downtown Honolulu to the West. There are two lots to park your car as well.
Be aware of homeless people who seem to hang out around this park on a regular basis nowadays.

I have fond memories here such as sunset make out sesh’s with BF (now hubs) and picnics with my cute lil’ preschoolers. These are a thing of the past. After a picnic with the fam this afternoon I am sad to report this park has gone to the dumps.
Manned with two cardboard boxes and a picnic basket, my family were greeted by graffiti. We headed to the west end of the park. Why you ask? The sidewalk forks in the front, some loud scary looking folks occupied the sidewalk going east.
My daughter rode her bike on the pavement and soon exclaimed that the sidewalk was bumpy. Although she had her helmet and pads on, I admit, I was a bit concerned if she fell. The rocks on the sidewalks were like mini daggers. Ready to scrape her up. I told her «ah neva mind just ride» but in the end, she decided to walk her bike instead of ride it.
We headed to the highest hill and noticed trash scattered throughout the park. I feared that my daughter would step on a needle in the grass or something because of the scattered litter.
The grass was unkept so it was impossible to slide down the hill. The bright side of this was that we used the boxes to eat on top of.
There are some homeless people at the park but it didn’t seem like the reason for the park being in such poor shape. C’mon Kirk Caldwell care for this park! It an amazing oceanfront property!
This once bustling park is now dead. I am heartbroken. I once loved this park…

Hmmm Kaka’ako, a lovely, open space. for people who need a lot of space.. Like mee because I like to spaaaace out… and ponder about life
Okay the reason why I feel really great and silly (right now) is because I just finished relaxing under a tree in this park, and I’ve had my coffee for the day. I LOVE everything with nature so I go here a lot to meditate, reflect, think, attempt to befriend the cats, and spend time with myself to recuperate from lost energy dealing with everyday stress. I love to fly kites here too so if you see a short girl flying a pink panda kite by herself, come and say «Hi»! Haha
I also love taking my friends and my le boyfriend here to look at the sunset and spend quality time together. Guarantee, you gonna see 4 – 5 couples getting their wedding photos taken or some amateur photographer working on his/​her skills during sunset, its really interesting to watch people. and birds (yes I love people, sometimes not so much).
The only downside to Kaka’ako are their restrooms. I wish they put doors in the stall or maintained it with toilet paper and some soap but other than that, its fine.
Also, they close the gates at a certain time but you can sneak in if you ride a bike across town. One time my friends and I sneaked in here to slide down the hills during a rainstorm using boogie boards (my crazy idea) but it didn’t quite work so we kinda just rolled around in dirt. Haha hopefully next time, we’d bring tarps and soap. Just watch out for crazy homeless here and always adventure with friends!!!
Tip1: Bring cardboard boxes so you can slide downhill
Tip2: FOR SINGLE PEOPLE: Dont be sad! Although you may see all the lovey dovey stuff thats happening here, dont worry. You will find the right person. Lolololol
Tip3: You can bring your dogs but please clean up after cause you don’t wanna make someone’s day bad ok (specially for those single pringles
Tip4: For all you lovey doveys: Stop being sweet cause you gonna make everyone crey their eyes out, jk

This place is near and dear to my heart!
The first time I came here, I came to see the sunset with my bb but he surprised me and proposed which made me totally forget about everything else going on. I’m so glad I didn’t faint and fall in the water! lol
It’s such a beautiful location. You can see Diamond Head and Waikiki on your left when facing the ocean. On the right you can watch the sunset and planes take off into the beautiful Hawaiian sky. I love that you can get near the water without getting sand everywhere because they don’t have sand! You can stand on the rocks next to the water or just sit on the grass. There are benches where you can sit too but it doesn’t matter where you are, you will get a beautiful view regardless.
There are two lots that you can park in and it’s free parking. I’ve seen people come just to watch the sunset/​sunrise, go fishing, BBQ, surf or just relax. It’s right off of Ala Moana Blvd so if you’re visiting HI and driving toward Waikiki, stop by and take a gander. If you’re local, it’s a nice clean spot to relax and enjoy what Hawaii has to offer. This spot will always be special to me and I will always look forward to coming back :)

Hours: Daily during daylight hours.
Entrance Fees: None
Services/​Facilities:
Restrooms, picnic tables, amphitheater, trash cans, drinking water, payphone.
** Good place for picnicking, shoreline fishing and accessing offshore surf and dive sites.
** Main entrance to the park.
** Picnic table under the tree.
** Sit on the wall, enjoy the blue sky and ocean.
** The oceanside jogging and bike path.
** Stair and small swimming area.
** Kids sledding, Hawaii-​Style!
** Amphitheater
** Sculpture at Middle Pavilion
** The Ocean path has breathtaking views.

While this park would be a disappointment to anyone who has seen parks in Europe, I do have to say that for Oahuans, this is a fabulous location. I like the size of the parking lot. There are lots of lush and green hills to roll down, run down, or cardboard-​slide down.
Sunsets here are BEAUTIFUL. GO WATCH ONE! :)

Kaka’ako Waterfront Park is too big to be considered a hidden find. But I want to loop it in that category because it is definitely a spot that does not get its due. Ala Moana Beach and Waikiki seems to be the place where people go when they want to visit the south shore. I think it is because the location is slightly off the beaten path and is closer to downtown.
The park is located a couple blocks away from Ala Moana Boulevard so it is not really a burden to get here. There is plenty of parking to be found, so that is no reason either to not visit. There are barbecue and shower areas making it ideal for outdoor events. Perhaps this place is more hopping on weekends. But it was quiet on a weekday afternoon which is sort of a good thing. It can be hard to find a place in town to be alone and relax, but I think this place fits that bill the best.
The park is huge with great views of Honolulu Harbor, Honolulu skyline, Ala Moana, Waikiki and Diamond Head. I like that the park is not completely flat. Despite being by the water, there are parts of the park that are a bit hilly that add some extra character to this spot.
If you are looking for a place to get some fresh air, exercise and/​or sun by the Honolulu waterfront in relatively calm, Kaka’ako Waterfront Park is where I would suggest.