This hike goes around and through a new volcano crater, formed by the 1959 eruption of the Kilauea volcano. The hike is about four miles long and starts in a rain forest with glimpses of the volcano crater. We got really lucky with this hike. Do you notice on the picture below: a blue sky, the first real blue sky we encourntered after five days in Hilo.
View of the Kilauea crater. Steam vents are created by rain that seeps through the cracks and turns into steam when trickling down to the hot core below.
While the crater floor appeared smooth from above, we soon discovered that it was an uneven, buckled and warped mass that required careful stepping.
Back in the rain forest again with just about every living thing covered in moss.
The steam vents are not located in the Iki crater but in the Halema'uma'u Crater, a smaller crater in the larger Kilauea crater. For much of the 19th century, this small crater was a bubbling and boiling lava bed, visited by many including Mark Twain who called it "the fiery pits of hell."
This crater is also the home of Madame Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of fire.
.Exceptional hike because of the location. Where else can you walk on newly formed earth and an active volcano. Walking in the length of this small crater made us aware of the massiveness of the eruptions.
Thank you for sharing your trip with me. What a fabulous way to see and experience Hawaii.
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