Hot stuff at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park

Article by: Conner Gorry, September 2008

For 25 years and counting, Kilauea has been sending hot ribbons of lava into the sea, boiling it on contact, making black-sand beaches and headlines, burying entire towns and sacred Hawaiian temples. It's the world's most active volcano and the best geological show on the planet.

Best of all, you can walk straight up to the molten stuff. Or nearly, anyway: the toxic plume blanketing the shoreline cliffs and unstable new lava land mean you can get only so close and still live to tell your friends about it.

But visit Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park (HAVO), where the volcano and its goddess Pele live, and you'll have stories about much more than live lava: hikes through steaming craters and secret lava tubes, petroglyph fields and white-sand beaches. The volcano has been getting a bit frisky lately; check up on the latest on road and site closures before you go.

Cocktails above the crater

Aside from camping, the only place to stay in the park is the historic Volcano House, perched over Kilauea Caldera. You might be better pitching a tent so you can skip the high-price, low-value rooms, but it's well worth making a visit to its Uncle George's Lounge for sunset cocktails. You'll be hard pressed to find a friendlier Big Island bartender. And you'll swoon from the view.

Cycle the crater rim

Life is better experienced on two wheels than four. On a mountain bike you can design a multi-mile loop connecting Crater Rim Trail (paved parts only, say park officials), the fun, almost all downhill Escape Road, and Hilina Pali Rd. This last offers some of the island's most kick-ass Mauna Loa views.

Make sure to download maps and the latest safety information before you go.

Explore a secret lava tube

Even if you like to leave your travel plans loose, plan ahead to secure one of the 12 coveted slots on this weekly tour. In a secret location several miles within the park, the 500-year old tube is reached on a ranger-guided hike; it leaves on Wednesdays at noon. To sign up, call the Kilauea Visitor Center (tel: 808 985 6017) at 7:45am (Hawaii time!) on the Wednesday before you want to do the hike - one week prior is the maximum advance planning they allow.

Glyphs a go-go

The ancient Hawaiians danced and chanted, surfed and sacrificed. They also drew prolifically, inscribing images of birth, death, sailing and sea creatures onto canvasses of smooth pahoehoe lava. You can see some of them at Hawaii's biggest petroglyph field, near the end of Chain of Craters Dr.

Hike to the lava source

There's nothing quite like trekking up a smoldering, crumbling cinder cone responsible for up to 1 million cubic yards of lava per day. Conditions at Pu' O'o are variable, so again, get the latest before you start out.

Old-skool Hula

Forget cheesy grass skirts and coconut brassieres. The Na Mea Hawai'i Hula Kahiko series of hula performances on the edge of Kilauea Crater are the real deal. Knees bent to better absorb the earth's energy, chanting like the ancients with each symbolically charged movement, the dancers transport you back in time. Check out performance times online or call 808 967 8222 for information.

Snorkel at Halape, sleep at Keauhou

This 20-mile, round-trip, back-country trek to coastal campsites will not disappoint. Halape is a series of scalloped white-sand beaches, with good snorkelling at the base of rugged cliffs. Keauhou is one of the Big Island's most savagely beautiful landscapes, combining cliffs, ocean, lava, sand and succulents. The permits you'll need are available at the Kilauea Visitor Center. Read up on back-country hiking and download brochures before you go.

Watching the live lava flow

See what the lava's up to before you contemplate this one. Obviously, lava is more dramatic at night: take water and reliable flashlights, and wear sturdy shoes.