Volcano!

Quote of the day:  “If your heart is a volcano, how shall you expect flowers to bloom?” — Kahlil Gibran

Kilauea Volcano Caldera – Sulfur Dioxide Gas and Steam Rising from Vent

Sunday I visited Hawaii Volcanoes National Park with 3 other women staying at Akiko’s B&B. Two of them are longer term residents at Akiko’s. Linda is from British Columbia and moved to Hawaii a few years ago. She is doing a work-trade with Akiko and lives a very simple life with few possessions.  Sara is from Belgium and arrived at Akiko’s a day or two before I arrived. She is interested in learning about perma-culture and has begun a beautiful garden at Akiko’s place. Sharon is also from British Columbia, and has come for a short winter escape at Akiko’s.

The volcano’s caldera is immense. It is called the Halema‘uma’u crater. The size is very difficult to comprehend or convey in pictures. In the center, lies the steam vent which spews out sulfur dioxide gas and steam constantly. The vent area sits within a depressed area in the caldera. Then for as far as the eye can see, lies a barren landscape. The gases that the volcano releases and the acid rain containing those gases prevents anything from growing for a wide area.

The actual area of lava flow is far from the caldera, down the side of the volcano. It still flows into the sea, constantly creating new land. The Hawaiian legend of the goddess Pele is alive in the Hawaiian culture. We watched a performance by a hula school in Hilo of one of the many legends of Pele. It was a wonderful performance, truly professional and the chanting and dancing was amazing.

Because we were attending a comedy performance at the Volcano Art Center Sunday afternoon, we didn’t have a lot of time to explore the volcano. We were able to visit the visitor’s center, the Jagger Museum and the art center. The art center is well worth a visit as it has some amazing paintings, pottery, hand blown glass, carved wood, photographs, and more.

I am meeting the most interesting people on my journey. Two new arrivals at Akiko’s are Mandy and Douglas from New York City. Mandy’s mother is Hawaiian, her father Swedish. She grew up in Sweden and is making her first visit to Hawaii, meeting cousins and other relatives for the first time. The story of her mother and father meeting is very romantic. Her mother and father became pen pals when her mother was 13 and father was 16 or 17. They wrote to one another for 7 long years before her father traveled to Hawaii. Two weeks after they met in person they were engaged to be married.

Halema‘uma’u crater close-up

Peak of Mount Kilauea in the Distance

Pele’s Home

The Vast Caldera

Ferns Grow at the Edge of the Caldera