Come Experience Red Hot Magma
Have you ever wanted to experience the awesomeness of an active volcano? Well, Kilauea on the Big Island of Hawaii has been spewing a constant flow of lava for over 25 years now, and after my exhilarating experience I can only say, "Run do not walk," you must witness this once in a life time event!
It is imperative that any visit to the Volcano should begin at Volcano National Park, which just so happens to be Hawaii's only World Heritage Site (http://www.nps.gov/havo/). The amount of information provided via films, park rangers, and the two museums is paramount to understanding the result of 70 million years of volcanism, which has created a grouping of islands that possess very unique ecosystems. Visitors should also walk from the Kilauea Visitor's Center across a small path and peruse the historic photos on display at the Volcano House - the only privately owned lodge in the National Park. Here you can view photographs taken in the early 1900's of visitors getting up close and personal to the lava explosions that were actually erupting out of the crater (something that would NEVER be allowed today!). Even Mark Twain made a pilgrimage to this remarkable site; his thoughts are captured and displayed alongside the historic photos showcased in the lodge.
In the museum you will learn the difference between a'a and pahoehoe flows, you will see Pele's hair, and Pele's tears. You will find out why the Ohia trees, which are abundant on Hawaii, are the first to grow and last to die in lava. You will see Old Growth Forests on the slopes of Mauna Loa (which last erupted in 1984 and caused the town of Hilo with over 600,000 residents to evacuate). In these beautiful forests live some of Hawaii's most melodic and endearing endemic birds, most of which you can only find in the higher elevations due to the invasiveness of man. Remember, these remote islands sat alone for millions of years untouched by anyone, so the flora and fauna all evolved harmoniously together until man disrupted their existence - one of the reasons Hawaii Volcano National Park has been designated an International Biosphere Reserve.
The park is easily visited by car in just a few hours, or may be explored in greater depth. When I went we toured both the Kilauea Visitor's Center and the Jaggar museum, visited the Volcano House Lodge, stopped at several vents plus various other sites along the road, hiked through the Thurston Lava Tube, and hiked Bird Park - this took about 7 hours. If you want to capture the red-hot glow of Halemaumau (considered to be the home of Pele, the Hawaiian fire goddess), which is located inside the crater, be sure to be at the Jaggar Museum (located in the park) at sunset. We did not witness this event but I know from chatting with the park rangers that this is a rare site to see since no glow has been visible from the crater for many, many years. (Direct link for livecam of Halemaumau - check it out at sunset to see the glow - http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/cam3/).
The following day we went on a boat adventure to witness lava flowing into the ocean. You can hike to a platform where you can see the steam generated by the lava entering the ocean, but the only way to get a full sensory lava experience is to go on the boat adventure, which I went on.
The company we used is Lava Ocean Adventures, you can see what they have to offer at http://www.lavaocean.com/ and they also have great videos on http://www.youtube.c om/watch?v=qiVVvQ9SVfc&NR=1. The Captain, and owner, Shane Turpin is a long time resident of the Big Island. He has been operating tours to witness lava via boat and lava dives for high profile film crews as well as friends and family for years. This is the only way you will get a true lava experience, and witness the fiery awe of Pele - Hawaii's goddess of fire. And I figured if the Discovery channel chose this experienced guide to help create their upcoming film, which will be aired within the next six months, then I should too!
Captain Shane and the crew will highly stress to ALL participants that this experience is an adventure and completely different than anything else you have been on - it is an adventure and not for the faint of heart. People prone to seasickness will do well to medicate before the journey - it can be quite a rough and bumpy 45-minute ride to and from the lava flow - due to the Aleutian current and warm water flows combining to create a unique scenario that can be down right scary at times. In fact, the harbor we departed from, Pohoki, offers great EXPERT ONLY surfing - it is one of the only places in Hawaii I have ever seen signs posted stating unequivocally that you better know what you are doing or else!
With the anticipation of the unknown coupled with the crew stating several times this is an adventure - the thrill of a lifetime, I was quite invigorated and ready to get going and see lava! At the boat ramp we were all schooled on how we MUST get on the boat immediately, in order of procession from least seaworthy to most seaworthy, oh, and lest I forget as we are entering the boat we are asked, "Has anyone ever done a shore departure through the surf?" After, contemplating all that was being said I thought to myself, "what are we in for, is this safe?" But then when I looked at the crowd - a young child who was about one year old with his multi generational family in tow, a professional photographer, elderly and younger people of varying ages - I dismissed any ill conceived notions I might have harbored because, WE ARE GOING TO SEE LAVA!
Luckily for us Pohoki boat harbor was not the forbearer of high surf this day, so we were spared the joy of a shore take off through crashing waves. Oh darn, there is always next time, right?
The seas were a bit choppy, especially given the size of the vessel, however, the captain quickly made us all feel quite at ease and we began to settle into the rhythmic motion of the sea. The crew was informative and explained the sites along the way as well as an extensive amount of information on the lava flow and Kilauea Volcano.
First let me state explicitly that no amount of testimony or imagery can prepare you for what you will experience as each visit will be unique to each and every individual.
From off in the distance we can see the steam from the lava, we actually pass the place where visitors can walk to from their car and try to see the lava flow (believe me they never will from that vantage point). The captain then comes forward and explains how he will maneuver in and around the flow and what we can expect once we get "inside" the flow area.
After the rough bumpy ride, the ocean becomes eerily still, from far away you can feel the change in air temperature, and once you arrive at the flow area you become enveloped in the steam of the lava. I had anticipated we were going to smell sulphur, but actually I didn't smell anything - and I have a very sensitive schnoz! For me, I likened it to a floating steam sauna, which constantly moved. You could hear the lava hissing, popping and exploding as it reached the cool water. We are told that even though we are just 30 - 50 feet from shore the depth of the ocean is 150 feet and that the water temperature is a bit over 100 degrees. Mini lava eruptions are common, you witness black sand beaches instantaneously being created as the cooling lava splits and cracks into super fine glass fragments. The unrelentless river of lava flowing into the ocean provides a surreal landscape you cannot take your eyes off of. And then all of a sudden if you are lucky you get to witness the cracking and calving of a large lava shelf - which was somewhat similar to the calving of a glacier. I took so many photos, literally hundreds as the imagery changed by the millisecond. We saw "floaters" which are large chunks of molten lava that float on the ocean, and if cracked open would contain liquid magma. When casting my eyes away from the shoreline I saw several water spouts come and go.
You see the volcano creates its own microclimate, and by getting this close to the action you get to experience what only a handful of people in the world have - the creation of earth!
As we were slowly moving away from the lava flow, Pele bid us a final farewell by bestowing upon us fragments of her hair. We all considered ourselves blessed to have the goddess of fire provide us with such wonderful gifts upon our departure. We witnessed all of Pele's awe - in fact, our captain said we were very lucky to have experienced all that we did, remember each tour will be uniquely different.
I highly recommend a visit to Kilauea volcano and the Lava Tour - it was safe, even a baby did it - and he never cried once! The only word of advice is that if you are prone to seasickness take medication before the journey, then you can sit back and enjoy what will surely be one of your greatest adventures in life!
Joyce Craddock
For more information please contact Joyce at jc@incrediblejourney.net
