The first light to mark Hanapepe Bay was a beacon fire kept by early Hawaiians on a hill above the bay to guide their canoes at night. After sugar plantations were established on Kaua'i, a private company used a reflector-equipped steamer lamp raised to the top of a thirty-six-foot frame tower to provide a red light to mark the bay.

The Hawaiian government established an official beacon at Hanapepe in 1902 in the form of an automated beacon mounted on a pyramidal tower that rested on a small enclosure. The present beacon is a flashing light mounted on a tower along with two diamond-shaped daymarks.

References

1. The Lighthouses of Hawai`i, Love Dean, 1986.

From Highway 50 on the east side of the Hanapepe River, turn south onto Lele Road and follow it to the eastern end of the runway. You can drive to the light if you find the right dirt road. We ended up parking near the Salt Pond and walking the last half-mile or so to the light.

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