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Hawaii is an archipelago that consists of several small islands that are worth visiting and that were formed thanks to the appearance of volcanoes, on the famous Pacific plate. The one that is located more towards the east is the one of Hawaii, called “Big Island”. It began its formation about 700,000 years ago, and there are 5 different volcanoes, called the Kohala, Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea, the Hualalai and the Kilauea.
These constitute, since 1916, “The Volcanoes National Park”, but 2 of them continue with some activity; among them the Kilauea, which is located towards the southern and coastal part of Hawaii. It emerged 100,000 years ago, being perhaps the most active on the planet. It is known that since 1952 some 35 eruptions have arisen; the penultimate in 1983 and the last in December 2020. These have been soft, without big pops.
The ancient Hawaiians and their deities
Formerly, the peaks of these 5 volcanoes were highly revered by Hawaiians. The mountains were considered sacred and associated with their deities, because they had to do with the natural elements of the island. The ancient story tells that the father Wakea of heaven and the mother Papa of the earth were married, and Kilauea has been the physical density of that deity called Pele; goddess of fire, wind, lightning and volcanoes.
Then, there was a conflict and fight between the goddess of fire Pele and the god Kamapua of the rain, where the latter covered the residence of the goddess with fern leaves, so that the lava would not come out, but Pele came out. The other gods, seeing that they could destroy each other, made the decision to declare them equal and divided the beautiful island. Pele was left with the driest part and Kamapua with the wet flank.
Later, peace followed and culture began to expand; Between the twelfth and the end of the eighteenth centuries, the vast territory began to be divided into several regions, to cover all the needs of the present population; and of course, for recovery over time, of the environment.
Study and research of the Kilauea in modern times
By 1823, Williams Ellis, an English missionary, was the first European to observe the Kilauea volcano in some detail and for 2 weeks. He wrote the first features of it, laying the foundation for future explorations.
In 1840, James Dana was the first to reach the summit and surveyed the Kilauea; in addition to studying it in detail, like the other volcanoes for several decades. He published a synthesis in 1852 and by 1881 he conducted a geological survey of the island, considering that Kilauea was not a separate volcano, but rather a vent for Mauna Loa.
Later, in 1884, another geologist named Dutton had the opportunity to dig a little deeper into Dana’s study, coming to the conclusion and widespread acceptance that the Kilauea volcano is a different and separate entity from Mauna Loa.
By 1912 the “Hawaii Volcano Observatory” was established at the level of the shore or end of the crater, thus beginning a new stage of study. This construction was designed by Thomas Jaggar, from the “Massachusetts Institute of Technology”, based on the fact that it was necessary to carry out an organized and methodical study of volcanoes and earthquakes, choosing Kilauea for this purpose.
Once he secured funding for this study, both from the “University of Hawaii” and the “Massachusetts Institute of Technology,” he took over the observatory as director, until 1940; this being the pioneer in the study of active volcanoes and earthquakes.
But once the funding ran out, this observatory continued to be sponsored by the “United States Geological Survey”, the “National Meteorological Service” and the “National Park Service”, with only the “United States Geological Service” remaining in the end. ”.
Since the creation of the observatory, in 1912, the initial construction has been displaced or moved twice, currently remaining on the shore or northwest edge of Kilauea.
When did Kilauea volcano tourism start?
It is from 1840 that the Kilauea begins to attract attention for tourism, and the island’s business figures, such as George Licurgo and Benjamin Pitman, begin with the construction of hotels at the level of the edge of the volcano’s caldera. Among them is the “Volcano House” that is still in use today and within the permitted limits of Hawaii’s “Volcanoes National Park”.
By 1891, Lorrin Thurson, a volcano-level hotel investor, began a campaign for a park, an idea that later, in 1903, was conceived by Williams Castle Jr. Then Governor Walter Frear, in 1911, proposed the creation of the aforementioned park, through a bill, “Kilauea National Park”, despite the opposition of the ranchers of the region.
But it was not until 1916 that House Resolution 9525 was enacted by President Woodrow. This being the 11th park in the United States and the first on the other side of the sea or ocean, called “Hawaii National Park” and later changed its name in 1960 to “Hawaii Volcanoes National Park”. Later, by 1987, it became a World Heritage Site.
In 1959, when Hawaii becomes a state that belongs to the United States, that trips to the island begin to increase and therefore, tourism begins to grow, being today an attraction of great tourist and conservation importance of the environment; Well, its beautiful views, landscapes, colors, very crystalline waters, exotic flora and fauna and of course, the attractive Kilauea attract attention.
What should we do to get to know the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii?
The “Volcanoes National Park” is visited by thousands of tourists throughout the year, as is the Kilauea volcano. Then the recommendation is that you enter the Kilauea visitor center, which is located at the entrance of the park.
In this place they will show you, in a video, all the extraordinary diversity that the park has, with an area of 130,000 hectares, in addition to the different routes and excursions that can be taken. They also give you all the information on both the requirements and the difficulties for visiting the volcanoes. Interesting fact is that the craters are visited from within.
To get to the park you can go by car from the city of Hilo and it takes about 45 minutes to travel. Don’t forget to visit the Thomas Jaggar museum to learn the full history of the volcano. You also have available accommodation of the “Casa del Volcán” or “Volcano House”, which is the closest accommodation to the Kilauea caldera.
If you’re planning to visit Hawaii soon, we suggest one of our private tours in any Hawaii tropical Islands Tours.
