Puako Beach Drive is about 2.5 miles long, from the main highway to the Holoholokai and Paniau Beach parking lot. It makes a wonderful leisurely stroll. Homes on the makai side (sea side) are pretty pricey – even the ones with junk-heap front yards or the tiny one-rooms – or no house at all. Across the street on the mauka side (mountain side) homes run about 1/5th of those on the makai.
In in earlier incarnations, Puako was a small fishing village located where there was naturally occurring fresh water. There are a number of these fresh water areas up and down the Kohala Coast and you can see more of them on the coastal walk from the Mauna Lani to the Hilton Waikaloa. In the mid twentieth century, Puako Beach Drive was paved and the state divided up parcels to sell for new homes which (we would like to hope) respected the existing properties. Some of the original homes can be seen on both mauka and makai sides of the road.
All beach fronts in the State of Hawaii are accessible to the public. Or most. There are beach accesses every 1/4 mile or so and they are marked with signs. So it is very easy to get out to the ocean for swimming and kayaking, tide-pooling and seeing turtles, or hiking across the lava rocks. Or just sitting. Bring a beach chair. And wear good shoes because that is what the shore is here – mostly lava rocks. Very sharp, very beautiful.