melchtour: October 2009

I once went to school in Pequot Lakes, Minnesota, when I was in the first grade. After one year, we came right back to Hawaii and this is where I grew up.

My classmates, however, decided to write me under the supervision of Mrs. Damon. I'll never forget her, she once took me -a 7 year old- on a snow mobile ride across the frozen lake that I lived on.

When we received the letters that the students wrote, I didn't know what to make of it. There were drawings of mountains blowing up fire and people riding whales and living in trees and huts with very little clothing. It didn't take me -a 7 year old- long to figure out the people in the drawings were me and my family.

At first I remembered laughing because I thought my classmates were so dumb to think that I live in a place with no buildings but then I got really, worried. I do live in Hawaii but I have never seen nor heard of any of the things they wrote about.

Since then, I asked my Dad a lot of questions about the existence of any volcano in Hawaii since I didn't believe there were any. Once I knew the truth, I asked just how safe are we really from Diamond Head.

I was devastated to find out that the island I lived on was not even "Hawaii" but its "O'ahu". What an ugly name. Nobody knows Oahu. I felt like a liar for telling people I lived in Hawaii.

A year later, We went to "Hawaii" for the first time. We stayed with crazy Rosa. She was the most wildest person a nine year old like me ever met. I remember once, she climbed down this crazy 90-degree wall into the deep ocean below. I think she may have even jumped in with her clothes on or at least attempted to. I don't remember because my Dad would tell me to go where its safe and that usually meant not near her. There is a picture of me at the edge holding on to my dear life with a rusty pole. The same pole she used to climb down. That place is completely gone now thanks to the lava.

Now that I am all grown-up, I like to visit the Big Island every now and then. I never get tired of going there. never.

Last December, I got to go with my husband for the first time and also with Eri from Japan together with Deven and Angie. It was Eri's last Hawaiian experience before moving back to Japan.

The Volcano National Park

You could rent a room and stay over night but who would want to do that?

There used to be a parking area and a wooden platform where the smoke is, but a few months before this picture was taken, it got destroyed.

They said that the magma is about 3 miles underground from here.

Oh no tremors!

We rolled down our windows as we started our drive through the town of Kalapana. It got really quiet. The lava seems to go on forever.

As we drive further we start to see houses and other types of debris.

Like this hot tub... with an ocean view

We walk from here guys.

You can see where the lava flowed down the mountain as it heads towards the ocean.

At this point we are completely surrounded by hills of lava. It makes you feel so small. We had to stick together because finding each other was as hard as looking for ants on black pavement.

Here is where the lava meets the ocean and turns into new land.

Lava Tunnel or Pele's armpits, as Gary called it.

Nahuku extends 334 meters beyond this point... of course we went.

...and it was dark

But the camera's flash gave us enough light for a good picture.

Here is the LAVA. This is from Deven's high zoom camera.

This video doesn't do justice.
We had to hike to see the lava (which is only visible at night) when it started to rain but when we saw the lava with our own eyes, we were mesmerized. The lava was dancing and bouncing as if it were playing with someone. You could hear people awe-ing all around. Standing in the rain, I felt a great sense of happiness that I never expected to feel. It was the power of creation at work.