If I Were Going...: Hawai’i Volcanoes

The green side of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

We drove to Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park along the southerly route, stopping along the way at the Punalu’u Bake Shop, where we picked up a couple of malasadas and a loaf of their sweet guava/taro bread.

The best rest stop: Photos: Punalu’u Bake Shop

The malasadas are to die for; I’m not too fond of the sweet bread.

Malasadas are a Portuguese donut popular in Hawai'i; Photo: Punalu’u Bake Shop

The shop is a popular tourist attraction along the route, which doesn’t have much else on it. Oh, and it has nice, clean restrooms!

Note that after we left, the shop was all but destroyed by Hurricane Lala. I will address this in my last blog in this series.

Four feet of mud inundated the shop; Photo: Big Island Now

As I mentioned in my earlier blog on Kona, Becca had not been to the Big Island since 1999, when our whole family did a tour of all the major islands. At that time, Kīlauea was releasing lava through tubes terminating in the ocean.

You can see steam rising in the background

Scott, Caty and I had visited Hawai’i Volcanoes in 2022 where we drove from Hilo early, early in the morning to see lava that was flowing through the crater.

We had driven from Hilo, arriving at 4:00 a.m.

The glow of the lava almost disappeared in the daylight.

But was pretty dramatic in the dark

You can read about it here. You can also read about the National Park in that blog.

At the time, Kīlauea was not seriously erupting, although it did have some lava flow. Four days after we left the island to finish our trip in Maui, Mauna Loa had a dramatic 16-day eruption, its first since 1984.

A massive eruption; Photo: Ethan Tweedie Photography

I wanted to return to The Big Island to see it, but didn’t, a decision I regretted ever since.

I saw it from 100 miles away as my plane took off from Maui for home

Fast forward to 2026 and this trip and we were hoping to see Kīlauea erupt. It had started a series of eruptions on December 23, 2024, and, by the time we were there, it had had 49 episodes, most 5-8 hours long and some fountaining as high as 1,700 feet.

Episode #1, December 24, 2024; Photo: NPS

I had been lucky enough to procure two crater-view rooms at the historic Volcano House and our fingers were crossed that we could watch from there.

About the Park

Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park encompasses two active volcanoes ...

Kīlauea, one of the world's most active

Mauna Loa, the world's largest shield volcano; Top: Tripadvisor

It offers ...

Dramatic volcanic landscapes

Glimpses of rare flora and fauna

A view into traditional Hawai'ian culture (this is Pu‘uloa Petroglyphs); Photo: NPS

The 553.85 square-mile Park includes wilderness areas, the summit of Mauna Loa, coastline and more traditional public areas, including overlooks, a lava tube, hikes and a Visitor Center.

Me photographing Kīlauea; Left: Caty Stevens

The Park encompasses diverse environments from sea level to the 13,679-foot summit of Mauna Loa and diverse climates from lush tropical rain forests, to the arid and barren Kaʻū Desert.

Full Park; Map: NPS

We visited the main unit, which includes the Kīlauea caldera; Map: NPS

The main entrance to the park is from the Hawai'i Belt Road. The Chain of Craters Road leads to the coast, passing several craters from historic eruptions.

Rainbows are frequent

The road had continued to another park entrance near the town of Kalapana, but that portion is covered by a lava flow and is only available for emergency evacuation. The park's Kahuku District is accessible via Kahuku Road off Highway 11 near mile marker 70.

When created in 1916 as Hawaiʻi National Park, it became the 11th National Park in the United States, and the first in a territory. In 1961, it was split into ...

Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island and ...

Haleakalā National Park on Maui

In 2018, the Kīlauea unit of the Park was closed for four months because of explosions and toxic ash clouds from Halemaʻumaʻu crater, as well as earthquakes and road damage.

The eruption destroyed nearby Leilani Estates

Most of the Park is now open, but some road segments and trails are still closed. The Jaggar Museum and buildings of Hawai'ian Volcano Observatory were too damaged by the 2018 events to be used further and were torn down in 2024.

The Hawai'ian Volcano Observatory sat on the crater's edge

Eruptive activity, ground collapses and explosions in the park ceased in early August 2018, and the lull in eruptive activity continued until an eruption on December 20, 2020, at the Halemaʻumaʻu Crater.

Halemaʻumaʻu Crater

Since then, the crater has been intermittently eruptive with lava fountains and flows.

We've been warned

Our First Day at HVNP

We arrived early enough to see that the volcano was not erupting and to explore the Park. Let me just give a little establishing information about the Park, in case you don't want to access my earlier blogs.

We got a few photos provng we were there (I always forget)

We drove down the 19-mile-long Chain of Craters Road.

The road cuts through lava

The road descends 3,700 feet from the summit craters to the Pacific coast.

A rainbow beckoned us to the bottom

Where lava meets sea (maybe what we saw smoking in '99); Photo: Becca Stevens

Here's a panoramic look ...

Chain of Craters Road offers lookouts over expansive, hardened lava fields from 1969-1974 eruptions.

Wide view

An oasis right in the middle of the lava fields

At the bottom among the sea cliffs is the dramatic 90-foot Hōlei Sea Arch at the end of the road where the pavement is blocked by older lava flows.

Formed when hot lava is rapidly cooled by cold ocean

We walked along the ocean’s edge and then drove back up, stopping briefly when a group of feral pigs crossed in front of our car.

Just a brief look; Photo: Caty Stevens

Our rooms were lovely, well-appointed with comfy beds and pretty artwork.

Pretty rooms

The historic Volcano House first opened in 1846 as a 12-by-18-foot thatched grass hut. The first permanent, western-style hotel, part of which now houses the Volcano Art Center, was built in 1877. After a fire destroyed the main hotel in 1940, the current replacement opened in 1941.

I was a bit surprised at the “crater view.” Yes, you could see it (when it wasn’t obscured by fog), but you certainly couldn’t photograph it from the room because of a thick mesh screen over the window.

Not ideal for photography

It opened by popping about six inches outwards, but it didn’t move enough to see around it. You could, however, walk downstairs to the back patio for a pretty good view – any time day or night.

You could even enjoy a beverage while watching; Left: Becca Stevens

In addition to the Volcano House, the Park houses Kīlauea Military Camp (KMC), a morale, welfare and recreation (MWR) facility that serves U.S. soldiers, Department of Defense employees and their family members with lodging, dining, tours, entertainment and recreation.

The KMC general store is serving as the Visitor Center while the real one is being renovated

Once a working military post, KMC has 90 one-, two-, and three-bedroom cottages and apartments that have been converted to resort lodging.

We ate dinner in the Volcano House’s “fancy” restaurant which was actually pretty good and, then, because the sun had set spent some time looking at the two active volcanic vents. During the day, they smoke. But, at night they glow bright orange.

The glow is the lava inside reflecting against the rising steam and smoke

As I said, it was pretty foggy, but around 2:00 a.m., Caty woke Becca and me up to tell us the sky had cleared. She had gone out and gotten a photo of the Milky Way over the vents.

Night view; Left: Caty Stevens

By the time I went out, the stars were covered again, but the vents were pretty at night. The particular place where Kīlauea was erupting was on the opposite side of the crater, so the view was far off.

Still the glow is bright enough to see (when it's not foggy)

I regret that we didn’t pile in the car and drive to a closer overlook, but at the end of a three-week trip, we were tired.

We had been routinely checking updates from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Hawai'ian Volcano Observatory on the status of the volcano.

Smoking, but calm

Scientists measure the glow from the vents, the sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission rate, seismic activity, the tilt and then predict when the volcanic will next erupt.

The equipment in the foreground monitors the volcano

Volcanic tilt (often monitored via tiltmeters) refers to the subtle bending, swelling or sloping of the Earth's surface caused by the underground movement of magma or volcanic fluids. When magma rises or accumulates in a volcanic reservoir, it creates immense pressure that forces the ground above and around it to bulge outward, changing the angle of the slope.

After an eruption, the ground sinks back down and tilts toward the center

We had been excited when June 25 had been predicted, but, now it had switched to June 26 after we would be gone.

We were leaving the next evening and it appeared we would not see an eruption

I had to make a decision. I decided that I would extend my visit and stay until I saw the volcano erupt. I asked the girls, but both said they needed to get back to work.

I wanted to see an eruption

So, I changed my flight to add four days to my visit – driven more by what flights and seats were available than by when I thought the eruption would be (that worked well for me).

I made arrangements to change to a smaller rental car and even changed my return from Denver to Colorado Springs. Then I could cancel the shuttle I was going to take home from Denver. Fortunately, Scott had dropped us off, so I didn’t have a car I needed to retrieve.

At that point June 26 was a strong contender for eruption, meaning I would have three days after to explore more of the island.

That's why I wanted an easier-to-drive car

I found what looked like a cute studio rental just 2.2 miles from the park in the town of Volcano (the Volcano House had no vacancies – and is pricey). Now, I would have a small kitchenette, making it easier to watch for an eruption without wasting time with meals.

I was sad that the girls couldn’t stay and a little guilty that I was, but, I needed to resolve the disappointment I had from missing Mauna Loa in 2022.

Day Two

The next morning, we did more exploring, including ...

Checking out the caldera ...

... with its smoking vents ...

... and yellow sulfur deposits

Taking in views of the Iki Crater

Admiring the phenomenal Jurassic Park ferns

Visiting theThurston lava tube: Left: Caty Stevens

And enjoying the beautiful rainy day; Photos: Caty Stevens

Before we left for the airport, we found my rental and I was blown away. It was a beautiful little house tucked deep in more of those insane ferns.

How's that for a Hawai'ian house?

It had ...

A big porch

A small living area, large bath, king-sized bed and nice kitchenette

I stocked the refrigerator with the few leftovers we still had, including leftover pizza from Becca’s lunch that provided me with three meals. Then we headed for Kona.

I was glad that I found the house and took all my luggage in during daylight. It was quite secluded and had a stone walkway through encroaching ferns that would have been tricky in the dark. Heck, finding the place would have been tough.

This was tough to navigate at night (but I loved it)

We took the more northerly route across the saddle road, which was fairly foggy for afternoon. I had heard stories of how dangerous that road can be when foggy because of how fast people drive.

Fog is common on the Saddle Road, which bisects the island; Photo: Hawai'i Tracker

So, I decided I would return that night by taking the slightly longer southern route.

Shave Ice

When we got to Kona, we made one more important stop. We had never managed to have shave ice the whole time we were there. So, we stopped at Original Big Island Shave Ice Co. in Waikoloa (very bougie) and had our fill.

An obligatory stop: left: OBISIC; Right: Becca Stevens

Shave ice (shave, NOT shaved) is an ice-based dessert made by shaving a block of ice and flavoring it with syrup and other sweet ingredients. In contrast, a snow cone is made with crushed rather than shaved ice. The thin ice shavings of shave ice allow for the flavored syrups to be absorbed completely instead of sinking to the bottom.

Making flavored shave ice; Photos: Embrace Someplace

Shave ice is usually served in a conical paper or plastic cup with flavored syrups poured over the top. You can also add elements including ice cream, azuki beans or condensed milk.

Options; Chart and photos: OBISIC

Shave ice syrups in Hawaii are often flavored with local ingredients such as guava, pineapple, coconut cream, passionfruit, Chinese plums, lychee, kiwi and mango.

Hawai'ian shave ice can be traced back to an ice-based dessert called kakigōri from Japan's Heian period, which spanned the 8th through 12th centuries CE. Kakigōri was once reserved for the wealthy because ice was only accessible in the winter and refrigeration relied on natural sources like ice houses.

The Heian period birthed kakigōri; Left: Study.com; Right: The Spruce Eats

During the early 1900s, new technologies allowed ice to be cheaply made and stored, allowing for more general consumption. Around the same time, many people from Asian countries relocated to Hawai’i to work on sugar plantations, which were proliferating across the islands. Japanese immigrants brought kakigōri with them and sold it to workers.

Japanese in Hawai'i; Left: Military Intelligence Service; right: Library of Congress

Waiola Shave Ice, one of Hawai’i's oldest shave ice shops, was founded in 1940 and shave ice became a regular product in many Japanese-owned grocery stores by the 1950s. Sales rose in the 1950s and 1960s with the arrival of Californian surfers.