Lava
March 7th, 2008 by ali
The lava passed through Royal Gardens subdivision again. Back in the 80’s, it was a pretty nice place. We used to drive along past Kalapana beach and the fishponds on our way to visit friends. They lived in a house they designed and built themselves. It was small but it was theirs and they loved it. When the lava was approaching, they decided not to evacuate. I remember thinking that they were crazy! They held on as long as they could, planting even more ti leaves around the boundaries. (The old timers used to say that the ti leaves would protect the property.) In the end, it was of no use. Madame Pele flowed over not only their home but most of Royal Gardens and, eventually, almost all of the Kalapana area. Some of the places gone forever–
Queen’s Bath
Waha‘ ula Visitor Center and ancient heiau
Harry K. Brown Park
the black sands of Kaimu Bay
Kalapana, Fishponds, Walter’s Kalapana Store & Drive Inn
In the end, Madame Pele claimed what was always hers but she also gave us a powerful and beautiful show, more land and a new black sand beach.
Gorgeous photographs courtesy of J.D. Griggs, D. Weisel and G.E. Ulrich.
This entry was posted on Friday, March 7th, 2008 at 1:20 pm and is filed under Friends, Photos. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
March 8th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
she is mighty, that Madame Pele!
March 9th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Sure is but oh so beautiful!
March 10th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
Thanks for the photos and info. I need to take a day to drive down to the other end and see the lava flowing. I have seen it at a distance several times, but never had a chance to stand in front of advancing lava.
March 10th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
Hi Andrew! Love your photos and write ups of your adventures on the Big Island! Did you have a chance to take a look at Hunter Bishop’s photos? He has some really nice shots. It would be worth it to go and see the flow. I’ve seen it a few times over the years in various spots and it is always spectacular.
March 11th, 2008 at 7:24 am
interesting photos, it is truly wonderful and scary to think about lava and volcanoes. thanks for sharing.
March 19th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
oooh, and she’s at it again. i wonder what will happen next.
March 19th, 2008 at 10:34 pm
She’s still meeting the ocean and it looks like there’s activity in the crater now, too.