Papalaua Wayside Park

You don’t need a permit right now which is nice. My friends and I came in late and were still able to find a spot, we parked next to the port-a-potty’s and some guys came around 3 am to grab the trash and spooked us, so avoid that if possible. Thorns on the ground, so wear shoes. Really close to the highway so we were worried about noise and privacy because we were tent camping on our car, so not so much of an issue if you’re in a tent or hammock on the beach. Overall a nice experience.

We opted for van camping so we were close to the road so it was noisier than if we’d been closer to the beach. Due to rain and needing to drive around other vehicles, the site was hard to get in and out of but we really enjoyed the location and ease.

Infested with kiave (extreme thorn plants). Difficult to get in and out of because it’s literally ten feet off a major highway. No fire access. No water access. Getting permits are a huge pain. Checking happened only once and it was in the middle of the night which is terrifying for a woman solo camping.

Attention Worst of all: a serious theft problem. Tent stolen. Umbrella stolen. Ladies before me had all their passports stolen.

The only pros are that it’s on a beautiful beach and the permitted spot is absolutely massive. Too bad tons of non-permitted campers decided to join me in the spot 🙄