Razor-sharp spikes crown rocky Makaluapuna Point, known informally by the nickname Dragon’s Teeth. The formation does look uncannily like the mouth of an imaginary dragon. The 3ft-high spikes are the work of pounding winter waves that have ripped into the lava rock point, leaving the pointy ‘teeth’ behind. The point is also potentially hazardous. It is subject to powerful waves, particularly the northern winter swells, and covered by uneven, sometimes sharp rocks.
Signage states that the outcropping is sacred to Native Hawaiians. Although the public is allowed access to the ocean by law, visitors are strongly discouraged from walking onto the formation, out of respect for native customs. The adjacent Honokahua burial site is off-limits to the general public. Both sites are of cultural significance to Native Hawaiians and should not be inspected up close. Respect the signage.
For a view of Makaluapuna Point, you can stand beside the plaque detailing the burial site. The plaque sits along the Coastal Trail beside the parking area and above the the 13-acre burial site. Don’t enter areas marked ‘Please Kokua,’ which are easily visible islets of stones bordering the Ritz’s manicured golf greens. Do not walk across the greens.
Get here by driving north to the very end of Lower Honoapiʻilani Rd, where you’ll find parking, beside the northern edge of the Kapalua Bay Golf Course.