Update: now with pictures!
Today, I want to have a little fun with my readers—I hope it is fun for you, too.
I was reading a thread on Trip Advisor about the Glass Beach at Port Allen where they cover pretty much all the details: dirt road access past industrial area, old dump site by the coast, a beach literally covered in beach glass (depending on the season and tide), plenty of blue guide toting tourists by day, probably scary at night. I was thinking of replying that there’s another “glass beach” on Kaua’i, but then I figured I’d have to give detailed directions, and in a way I’d be responsible for revealing it to the hordes.
The Other Glass Beach was another dump (landfill) by the sea (probably sounded good at the time), though it has a lot less glass. But it does have lots of other little treasures reshaped by the sea, and a few engine blocks encrusted in the “limestone.” Locals probably know about this place, but for the rest of us, I lead you there in a riddle:
And follow the way to the pier.
If you get locked in, you’re only to blame
The sock and the mushroom are near.
I had actually planned on making the riddle easier, but to make it ryhme, I had to change it. To make up for that, I’ll give you a few clues (stop reading if you really want a challenge). To know what part of the island, you need to decipher the first line or recognize the vague landmarks in the other lines. Then, unless you know the area, you’ll actually have to go there and look around for those landmarks. But it should all make sense as you find your way there.
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I should warn you that this is much more dangerous than the original Glass Beach. The makeshift trail is steep and leads down the slope of the old landfill, where trash is exposed, especially broken glass. Then you have to climb over rusted metal all over the place. The ocean is rougher here, so avoid high tide and high surf days.
Let me know if you follow the riddle and make it there—or if you don’t. But if you do find it or already know where it is, please keep it a challenge and don’t reveal it here or elsewhere.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR DESTROYING OUR LITTLE FISHING SPOT! THIS PLACE IS BEING ERODED BY TURIST THAT DO NOT HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF THE AINA (LAND) PISSING AND SHITTING EVERYWHERE. THIS PLACE IT USED TO BE QUIET, WHERE WE CAN HAVE A GOOD TIME FISHING. NOW WE HAVE TONS WEIRDOS DIGGING THE LAND, AND LEAVING THEIR TRASH EVERYWHERE. NOW THE TRAIL MAY BE CLOSED. YOU SHOULD RESPECT OUR PLACE.
REMOVE THIS BLOG AND REALLY FOCUS ON OTHER ISLAND ACTIVITIES.
We will be there in Jan.2011…I am interested in finding it….I am a photographer, we spent time at Salt Pond & Glass beach a few years ago.
After reading the angry post above I was wondering if you felt any anger from the locals when you were there? We have spent many trips on all islands
and love the out of the way places. We haven’t figured your clue out…but will let you know if we find it! Cheers, Linda from Canada
Hi Linda, good question about the angry post–I should’ve responded to that when it was written. No, I have never run into anyone there, it is rather unused. I have seen beer cans and empty bait packaging there, so the part about it being used by fishermen is true. But given that the fisherman leave more trash around than tourists, it is rather misguided. Plus, even more so than the original Glass Beach, this place is a dump and nowhere near pristine, so I’m not sure human impact could be any worse. Finally, I have never seen any indication of trail overuse or heard of potential closure in this area, so I think the commenter was confusing this with somewhere else.
Plus, I didn’t give away the location for this very purpose. In fact, you’re the first person to express interest in this post, so I doubt many have read it, looked for it, let alone found it. If you do go, you can see the beach from the parking area, so if there is another car or you see a fisherman, you may want to come back later.