4th May 2007 to 18th May 2007

Volcano was the highlight of our trip, it was the main reason we had travelled over 7000km for our honeymoon, because Volcano is perched on one of the world’s most active and easily approached volcano, Kilauea, and that was what set it apart from all other tropical island destinations. We stayed at the Volcano Country Cottages and were well looked after by Garret and Sandy.

Lauri and the Chevy Malibu outside our cottage in Volcano.

Richard enjoying our traditional breakfast in Volcano, of French toast with tropical fruits and honey, orange juice and coffee. Our hosts also provided delicious fruit loaves which generally served as afternoon tea and desert, sometimes for several days running. Photo by Lauri.

Richard investigates a steaming vent on the floor of Kilauea Iki Crater. Photo by Lauri.

Ohi’a lehua blooms from cracks in the barren basalt floor of
Kilauea Iki Crater. Photo by Lauri.

Lauri explores the end of the unlit section of the Thurston Lava Tube.

 
Richard by two different forms of lava tree moulds form when lava flows around tree trunks and the cools. The one on the left was formed when lava flowed through a forest, leaving lava “trees” behind it. The one on the right was formed when lava cooled around a fairly large tree. Photos by Lauri.

Richard by a Koa tree on the flanks of Moana Loa. Photo by Lauri.

 

Lauri explores the tree moulds and other formations in the 1974 lava flows near the Lua Manu crater.

Lauri peers in to an eruptive fissure in the Kilauea Iki Crater.

Lava from the 2003 eruption blocks the Chain of Craters road.
Photo by Lauri.

Lauri rests by a sign engulfed when the lava covered the road.

Richard examines the various forms of basalt deposits while crossing the eastern lava fields. Photos by Lauri.

The structures formed by the pahoehoe flows were truly amazing and we stopped to examine and photograph almost everything, slowing our progress considerably. Photo by Lauri.

Lauri explores a sink hole formed by a caved in lava tube.

Lauri is irrepressible and bursts forth from a fractured mound
formed by lava pushing to the surface.

Lauri rests on the smooth and glassy mosaic surface of some vitrified (rapidly chilled to form a glass) basalt.

A Russian biochemist, stripped to his shorts with waves breaking on his thighs, photographs the molten lava as it pours in to the ocean, to be chilled and shattered into the black sand that formed the beach we were standing on. The photo below was taken using a zoom lens as we aren’t that crazy.

Lauri photographed the twin rainbows as we walked back to the car, across the lava fields as the sun set. The rainbow is sort of the state symbol.

Richard wearing a lei by a large chuck of basalt in the Kau desert. Photo by Lauri.

Lauri holds some accretionary lapilli (formed when rain falls through clouds of volcanic ash) from the Kau desert, in her hands.

Lauri treads in the ancient footprints left when native Hawaiians crossed the wet ash deposits from the explosive eruption of Kilauea in 1790.

Lauri examines the petroglyphs carved in to the basalt at Pu’u Loa.

 More petroglyphs at Pu’u Loa, including circles, people and even a sailing waka. Photos by Lauri.

  Richard pokes molten lava with a stick and photographs a fractured, vitrified deposit. Photos by Lauri.

Above: Lauri has just spotted the molten lava flows at the Kalapana side of the lava field. She is actually standing on the location of the Royal Gardens Subdivision, now buried by up to 50′ of rock.

 : Lauri admires the pahoehoe formations and
pokes some molten lava with a stick.

The interior of the Star of the Sea Church which was moved to its present location to prevent its destruction when lava flows over ran the Kalapana Subdivision. Photo by Lauri.

 An interesting lava formation forms as Lauri waits for the sun to set and our dinner (white object in the centre of the right photo) to thaw out in the heat from the lava.

Molten lava by night. This made the 2km walk back to the car across the broken surface of the lava field, in the pitch black and pouring rain all worth while. Photo by Lauri.