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Return of Plant Life

The Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is located on Hawaii Island. The location is the so-called big island and is the largest one in a chain of islands making up Hawaii.The park highlights both the magnitude and the diverse scenery of the island. Various species of flowers bloom on the west side of the island where the weather is warm and fair. The east side receives a lot of moisture that sustains a lush green rain forest Not a drop of rain falls in desert-like calderas created by the collapse of volcanoes when lava is drained from their underground reservoirs. The park also has rare bird species, most notably, the nene-a descendant of Canadian Geese.

Lava Flow

Two volcanoes dominate the scene―Mauna Loa and Kilauea. While the Mauna Loa is the world’s most massive volcano, the Kilauea is the most active one. Intermittently, since 1924, Kilauea has erupted with underground lava flows that surface on the oceanfront. Its latest eruption began in 1983. This is an awesome and breathtaking sight. The volcano is the only active one in the world that can be viewed nearby from a car. Even some years ago a paved road lay near the site where the lava flows into the ocean. Today a lava flow has left a short stretch of the road impassible near the site. In a two-year period it gave me great pleasure to visit the site three times. The first visit took me by way of the Chain of Crater Road to the site where the lava went into the ocean. One year later lava flows were still blocking a short stretch of the road. Hot lava was still visible, though on the far side of the mountain when I made my third trip. Although expecting to see a big lava flow on the last trip, a park ranger consoled me that if I walked along the Napau trail, it would be possible to see an active lava flow at the Napau Crater. I decided to follow a seven-mile stretch of the trail.

Sunrise on Caldera

With each step my backpack seemed to become heavier with its camera and container of water. It takes a lot of physical strength to walk along a trail with rough footing. Trail markers were towers of pebbles along the trail and one did not dare lose sight of them to avoid becoming lost. Gradually, my body adjusted and my feet seemed to feel lighter, and I felt somewhat hallucinated as if I were in another world of dark colors where the cooling lava flows were no longer fiery red.

However, this dark environment showed signs of recovery from the volcanic eruptions. The different lava layers were starting to create an environment for plant life. At the Napau Crater, I found myself in a tropical rain forest where ferns grew sixteen or morefeet in height. Even little orchid flowers were bursting into bloom among the crevices where water collected from the morning dew. I felt renewed by the beautiful sight. After passing the last clusters of ferns, I saw volcanoes beyond the crater. It was now easier for me to understand why local people had long expressed their reverence for the power of nature. They paid their respects to the legendary Goddess Pele who had built a mountain home emitting smoke and fire. Her volcanic home symbolized the power of nature. It was humbling. I felt as though the Goddess was holding me close to her bosom.

Hiker on the Napau Trail

The day after my visit to Pele’s home, I had a wonderful surprise. While walking on the caldera above Kilauea’s summit, a pair of Nene parents suddenly appeared with two little chicks. The nene descends presumably from Canadian Wild Geese (Nesochean Sandvicensis). It is the official state bird of Hawaii and is not found anywhere else. At the end of the eighteenth century the nene numbered perhaps 25,000. By the 1950s their numbers had decreased to 30 because of hunting by humans and depredations by a natural enemy-the mongoose. UNESCO put them on its list of endangered species. Under careful protection the number of nene has increased to 400-too small to make sighting them a common occurrence. So I was lucky to see the parents and their newly-born chicks beginning the search for grass which barely takes root on the caldera. One wonders whether both chicks can survive this harsh environment. I wish all the best to this family of nene.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
P.O. Box 52, Hawaii 96718-0052
Phone: 808-985-6000
http://www.nps.gov/havo/

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