For the last three weeks we’ve been taking a look at Hawaii, and specifically the island of Oahu, where Honolulu is located.  Everyone who visits Hawaii will stop by Oahu at one point or another (especially if you’re flying there), but admittedly, it wasn’t the island I was *most* excited to visit.  I was most excited about visiting the island of Hawaiʻi, known simply as the Big Island, which is where Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is located.

Since I was a kid I’ve been fascinated with volcanoes, and have always wanted to see one erupting.  Though Holly and I have been fortunate to see dormant volcanoes and areas that have had lots of volcanic activity, we’ve never gotten to see lava.  Well, that finally changed with our trip to Hawaii, where we got to witness Kīlauea erupting.

The Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park website actually had a couple different webcams setup, so that visitors could monitor the action going on inside the crater.  When we first arrived, the flow had stopped and crusted over, leaving not much to see in the way of lava (though the park is amazing even without active lava flows).  We ended up doing a couple hikes and seeing lots of the sights on the Hilo side of the island, before switching to the Kona side.  BUT, it wasn’t until we’d switched sides of the island that Kīlauea started erupting again, so we loaded up and just made a day trip out of going back.  I can confidently say it was worth all the driving (the Big Island is actually really big!).  Actually getting to see the volcano erupting was absolutely incredible.

For some added context, the lava lake that you’re seeing the bottom of the crater is about 17 acres in size (we were over a mile away from it at the viewing area).  There’s a small cone that is spewing stuff in the air (where the two plumes rising from the crater are emanating from), which was over 70 feet tall!  While we were standing there watching, you could see multiple little mini-eruptions shooting up in the air. It was quite the spectacle! 

More next week!

–Dan Thompson