Hawai brings to your mind beaches, sun, volcanoes, lava, tourism, travel and more. Located on Oahu, less than an hour’s drive from Honolulu, is the Polynesian Cultural Center. Through music, dance, craft demonstrations, and games, the center portrays the culture and daily life of the Polynesian islanders in Hawaii, Tahiti, the Marquesas Islands, Tonga, Samoa, and Fiji, as well as that of the Maoris in New Zealand. The center is divided into sections representing each of these locations. Many of the performers come from the islands that they represent, providing a high degree of authenticity. Visitors can tour the facility during the day or see a show in the evening.
Kilauea is sometimes called “the world’s only drive-in volcano.” This prolific volcano produces 250,000-650,000 cubic yards of lava per day-enough to resurface a 20-mile-long, two-lane road each day. As of January 1994, 875 acres of new land have been created on the island of Hawaii. Many locals say that Pele, the volcano goddess who lives here, is very unpredictable. The extraordinary natural diversity of the park was recognized in 1980 when it was named a World Biosphere Site by UNESCO and in 1987 when the park was honored as a World Heritage Site. Steam vents plume from this massive crater, known as the home of Pele, the volcano goddess. In 2008, this crater was filled with a lake of lava that disappeared earlier this year. Seismic activity caused by the crater walls falling into itself created a much larger crater. In May 2018, the Halema?uma?u’s volume was about 70-78 million cubic yards. It is now about 1.2 billion cubic yards. The crater floor has dropped more than 1,600 ft. Great respect should be paid at this sacred site. Also worth noting is that higher elevation near the crater means that temperatures can drop fairly quickly. If you’re coming from the beach in shorts and t-shirt, be sure to pack some warmer items like a light jacket while you’re here.
The Big Island of Hawaii was formed entirely by volcanic activity. There are five separate volcanoes which have, over the past million-or-so years, combined to form the island. Of these five volcanoes, one is considered to be extinct and in transition between its post shield and erosional stage; one is considered dormant, and the three remaining volcanoes are active with Kilauea volcano the most dangerous.
Get access to basic information on the islands, from weather to where to stay, for free! Each of the categories has select free sections so you get a sneak peek at what the full package will include. More on Volcano Lava Flow. “The directions are so thorough. You’ll always find the best scenic drives and hole in the wall restaurants that will make your trip unforgettable. The maps lead you straight to where you want to go with exact instructions! My trip wouldn’t have been half as good without this app.”
Hualalai is an active volcano. The resort town of Kailua is on the southwest flank of the volcano. Hualalai last erupted in 1801 and sent lava from a vent on its northeast rift down to the ocean. Swarms of earthquakes in 1929 were probably the result of magma movement within the volcano but there was not an eruption. Hualalai is monitored by geologists of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. In the last 24 years there have been no swarms of microearthquakes nor any harmonic tremor. Since the early 1980’s the geologists have been surveying the volcano. Hualalai is not expanding at the present time nor has expanded since the geologists began making their measurements. If anything changes I’m sure we’ll hear about it.