Maui’s secluded beach was recently praised on national television and also subjected to questions of legality.Recently on the Tonight Show, Jay Leno named our own Little Beach in Makena, as the best place in the world to swim naked. (The worst place, he said: the Vatican fountain.) With one of the best views on the island, there are many who would agree—and they go there regularly to experience the freedom of shedding those unnecessary layers on the beautiful secluded beach.
Little Beach is not only a tourist attraction, but it’s well known for its Sunday evening gatherings with fire dancing, odd talents, costumes and drumbeats. According to long-term residents of Maui, these gatherings have been happening for over 30 years and are still a highlight of the week.
Anyone who has frequented a Little Beach Sunday knows that it is quite something to be a part of. Sunday, July 29, was just another celebration on the beach for musicians, dancers and people from all over the world. People of many ethnicities and backgrounds gathered together, clothed or unclothed—it didn’t matter to them. All ages were present, from the gray bearded 70-year-olds going crazy on the bongos to little kids being entertained by a man in costume dancing and waving his cane in the air.
Colorful flags swayed against the blue, purple and orange sky. Dancers stepped in tune with each other. Jugglers walked through the crowd of smiling faces enjoying each other’s company. A rainbow peaked through the trees just as the sun was setting.
“This is a place of meditation for some people,” said one Upcountry resident. “Some people go to church on Sunday, I come here.”
It makes sense when you look around and see people coming together to enjoy the beach, enjoy nature, enjoy each other. Many people said that the crowd at Little Beach is open-minded and they feel refreshed by that. So colorful and upbeat, no cares or worries seem possible in presence of such openness, beauty and freedom.
“It is total freedom,” said a tourist. “Letting go of your inhibitions—how can that be bad?” And yet, many an islander has had the chance encounter with authorities. Nudity is still considered a gray area. Some police officials say that it is completely forbidden, even at Little Beach. Other police officials say Little Beach is the only beach where it will be tolerated. “That topic takes a lot of research and work,” said Randy Awo, branch chief in the state Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement.
The legalities concerning nudity on Maui beaches recently came to light in an issue of The Maui News from one woman who was scolded more than once for topless sunbathing. “Being topless is legal,” said David Peterson, a lawyer in Wailuku. “Showing of the genitalia is what is illegal.”
“They tried to stop it a while back, but nothing ever came of it because you can’t just stumble upon this beach,” said a Ha‘iku resident. “You have to know where you’re going to get here. The little hike up the lava rocks has always been a favorite of mine, truthfully.”
Maui residents disagreed with Jay Leno on his opinion of best nude beach, according to the recent issue of Maui Time Weekly’s “Best of Maui” issue. Voters named Red Sand Beach in Hana as the ultimate place to don their birthday suits.
Why did Little Beach get passed over? It could very well be the “Chester Molesters” that perch up in the brush behind “the show” at Little Beach. “They are creepy and gross,” claimed many female beachgoers. “They are disrespecting the whole point of the place.” Many have changed their favored freedom place for more private parts of the island, pardon the pun.
“We as Americans are simply not ready for it,” stated Chef Julia Koltzoff of Ha‘iku. “I have been to Europe numerous times and seen the nonchalant way nudity is displayed in everyday life and the media. It is still taboo in everyday life and the media here.”
For privacy and respect of beachgoers, the only way to experience Little Beach and its people is to sit among them. It is a colorful experience and just another reminder that we live in one of the most beautiful places in the world.
Again, “how can that be bad?”