One of the most active volcanoes in the world, Kīlauea recently made many dramatic changes to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park with its destructive eruptions (since 2018), closing some areas and activities. Volcano eruptions can be hazardous - fumes and fallout (like cinder, ash, and Pele's legendary hair) can irritate lungs and eyes. Pele is the Goddess of this volcano on the Big Island. We took a bus tour from Hilo. The summit is 4,000 feet above sea level, which explains the cool climate.
.jpg) |
| Kīlauea caldera - steam |
Intensely hot steam vents dotted the landscape, with the more accessible vents being fenced off for public safety. The major steam vent was in the crater.
.jpg) |
| A windy, chilly summit at 4,000 feet (1,220 m) |
Pele the Hawaiian Fire Goddess resides here and her wrath is insatiable.
.jpg) |
| Kīlauea's dramatic landscape |
The museum had a lot of structural damage and remains unstable and is fenced off from the public.
 |
| Kīlauea's damaged Museum |
Kīlauea's threat potential is VERY HIGH.
 |
| Panoramic view of Kīlauea's caldera - Home of Pele |
Pretty wild orchids swaying in the wind gave a pop of colour to this otherwise desolate landform.
 |
| Wild orchid on Kīlauea |
We were lucky with the weather - the north side of the Big Island gets its fair share of rainy days.
Next stop Kona, the sunny-side of the island. Too shallow for a cruise ship to berth, Kona could only be visited by tenders - small boats ferried passengers back and forth until it was time to pull up anchor.
 |
| Kona - sand and sunshine |
 |
| Tender boat arriving Kona - close up |
No comments:
Post a Comment