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Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park

Eruption Viewing In Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park

The sky glowed fierce shades of orange and red that night in February when I stood at the Kīlauea Overlook and watched one of the world’s most active volcanoes do its thing. I was grateful to have evaded the crowds that gather here in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park at sunset but also secretly unnerved to be alone in unfamiliar territory just before midnight.

Culture And Controversy At Pu'uhonua O Hōnaunau National Historical Park

In the shade of the Royal Ground’s open-air Canoe House, with only the chatter of the Common Myna disturbing the peace, Aunty Keikialiʻi San Filippo sits weaving coconut fronds into baskets and fielding compliments and questions from people from around the world. It's a skill that “Aunty Keiki” developed more than 40 years ago and she has been weaving for Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park since the late 1970s.

Ancient Temples And Migrating Whales At Pu'ukoholā Heiau National Historic Site

Much is left up to the imagination when you watch koholā (humpback whales) from shore on Hawaiʻi Island. You will see plenty of blows in the distance, as well as tail and pectoral flipper slaps. You may luck into spyhopping or a dramatic breach — but you need binoculars or a spotting scope to really see what’s going on. Mostly, you have to be patient and fill in the visual blanks.

Volunteering To Cut Invasive Ginger In Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park

In retrospect, three hours doesn’t seem like a particularly impressive amount of time to volunteer to help Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and the 'āina (land). But as I tackled invasive Himalayan ginger with a lobber one February morning while other visitors made a beeline to the current eruption at Kīlauea volcano or hiked to lava tubes, the repetitive manual labor quickly became addictive and I was sorry when Paul Field insisted it was time to stop.

Completing The Electrical Circuit At Kīlauea in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park

This year is the final year of Kīlauea volcano projects funded by the Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act of 2019. This “Volcano Watch” article is about a deep study of subsurface conductivity beneath Kīlauea volcano that will reveal its subsurface magmatic plumbing. The project started within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park last summer and will be completed over the entire volcano this year.

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