We spend our third day on Hawaii in and near Volcano National Park. We
drove along the crater rim drive, and we were soon greeted by
magnificent views and steaming vents. It smelled a bit funny at the
northern edge of the caldera. Of course we had asked a park official
whether it was safe for a pregnant women to go into the park, and she
told us that the only part where we needed to watch out for fumes was the
southwestern part of the drive, and that simply keeping the windows
closed in that area would be sufficient.Our first stop was at Steaming Bluff, where the steam came right out of the ground just under the edge of the bluff. The view of the Kilauea Caldera from here was impressive.
A panorama of the Kilauea Caldera, with the Halema'uma'u crater just right of the middle (the arm is not related):
A panorama of the Halema'uma'u Crater from a closer vantage point:
After the stops on the north side, we drove around to the south west
side, where we watched the scenery from inside the car. The area is
covered with many lava flows from recent years. The one to the left is
from 1982.Another remarkable feature we noted here were the signs warning us for crossing Nenes. However, there were lots of signs, but no Nenes. At this point we were starting to think that the Nene was like a snipe...
The Halema'uma'u Crater from the south side:
Our last stop at the caldera was at the Pu'u Pua'i overlook, which offers an excellent view of the Kilauea Iki Crater. It erupted the last time in 1959, filling the crater with lava, which overflowed into the Kilauea Caldera. As the lava poured out of the Kilauea Iki Crater, it left behind a `shoreline', indicating the highest level the lava reached. Even today the lava underneath the surface layer is still hot and molten.
A panorama of the Kilauea Iki Crater:
After the barren landscape of the caldera, we drove to the east
end of the park, which has a lush forest. One of the main attractions
of the park is the Thurston Lava Tube, and to the left you see Cindy
at the entrance of the tube, facing into the tube. The lava tube was
about 8 feet (2.5m) in diameter, and about 300 feet (100m) long.
The path to the lava tube led straight through thick forest, with
many large ferns. The lava tube itself was an strange experience,
as we were walking through a conduit through which hot lava once ran.
More views of the forest:
Just before sunset we started out on a drive along Chain of Craters road. Our idea was to drive to the coast and watch the show of lava pouring into the sea. When we arrived at the start of the trail to the viewpoint, we found that by then it was entirely dark. As we walked towards the start of the trail, we were a little hesitant starting the hike through the darkness, even though we could buy flashlights at a little stand at the start of the trail. When we heard someone ask someone else who had just returned from the viewpoint whether it was worth it, we found out that there was no lava flow visible. Therefore, we decided to head back up the winding road, and spend the rest of the eving relaxing. It was vacation after all!
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