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Beaches are almost guaranteed to be beautiful places, where we enjoy ourselves in the light of the sun and to the sound of waves' unending war with land. We all think we know the color of beaches and waves, dirty white against blue and green. But beaches come in more than one color, and here, from the black sand of Punaluʻu Beach to the green and golden landscape of Papakōlea Beach, are five beautiful beaches in as many colors: |
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Punaluʻu Beach |
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Punaluʻu Beach (also called Black Sand Beach) is a beach between Pāhala and Nāʻālehu on the Big Island of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The beach has black sand made of basalt and created by lava flowing into the ocean which explodes as it reaches the ocean and cools. This volcanic activity is in the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. |
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Punaluʻu is frequented by endangered Hawksbill and Green turtles, which can often be seen basking on the black sand. |
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Papakōlea Beach |
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Papakōlea Beach (also known as Green Sand Beach) is a green sand beach located near South Point, in the Kaʻū district of the island of Hawaiʻi. One of only two green sand beaches in the World, the other being in Galapagos Islands. It gets its distinctive coloring from the mineral olivine, found in the enclosing cinder cone. |
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The source of the green coloration of the beach sands is due to the olivine crystals which are winnowed from the eroding headland by the action of the sea. |
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Olivine, being denser and tougher than the ash fragments, glass and black pyroxene of the rest of the rocks and lava flows, tends to accumulate on the beach whereas the usual volcanic sand is swept out to sea |
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Hyams Beach |
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The Guinness Book of Records reports Hyams Beach, of New South Wales, Australia, as having the whitest sand in the world. The sand is fine, soft and brilliantly white. The exceptionally clear waters of are ideal for fishing, swimming, snorkelling, scuba diving & kayaking. The surrounding bushland is home to many native animals and an abundance of bird life. There are walking tracks to suit all ages and levels of fitness, or bring your mountain bike and go for a spin down a trail. |
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Pfeiffer Beach |
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What marks Pfeiffer Beach as interesting besides the surreal rock formations, seemingly constructed by aliens, is the purple sand. |
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The sand gets its color from minerals that compose it like any other beach sand around the world. I mean, how do you get pink or blue hydrangeas, right? You vary the mineral content in the soil, over simply put. Sand is mostly made of quartz and is clear or translucent which is why sand is mostly light in colour. |
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Pfeiffer Beach sand is made from manganese garnet deposits in the rocks around the secluded cove. The colour ranges from rusty red to royal purple. |
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Kaihalulu Beach |
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Red Sand Beach on Kaihalulu Bay is a pocket beach on the island of Maui, Hawaii on Kaʻuiki Head. Red Sand Beach is partially shielded from the rough open ocean by an offshore reef. The result is a natural sea wall that protects the bay from large waves. Kaihalulu is one of the few red sand beaches in the world. The sand is a deep red-black, which contrasts with the blue water, the black sea wall, and the green ironwood trees. This hill is rich in iron, and is why the beach's sand is such a deep red. |
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Kaihalulu is extremely isolated and requires a fairly short, yet perilous hike to reach. The trail to the beach crosses over private property and follows a ridge high above the ocean below. The path is rather steep and narrow, and is quite slippery due to the loose and crumbling cinder as well as needles from nearby ironwood trees. The trail also passes by an ancient Japanese cemetery. Because of the beach's isolation and difficult access, some visitors consider it to be clothing optional. |
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