Exploring Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: Kealakomo Overlook

by Donald B. MacGowan

Morning rainstorm at Kealakomo, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: Graphic from Photo by Donald B MacGowan

There are many wondrous, enigmatic and fascinating attractions on the Big Island of Hawaii, some better known than others, many out of the way and generally off the beaten track. Tour Guide Hawaii has produced an encyclopedic collection of the most up-to-date information, presented as short GPS-cued videos, in an app downloadable to iPhone and iPod Touch that covers the entire Big Island, highlighting the popular and the uncrowded, the famous and the secluded, the adventurous and the relaxing.

Kealakomo Overlook

The south coast of Hawaii from Kealakomo Overlook, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: Photo by Donald B MacGowan

At Kealakomo, the road breaks over the edge of the Holei Pali. The upper portion of Kilauea is separated from the coastal plains by a series of fault escarpments, where the lower coast has moved down relative to the rest of the mountain. Sometimes these movements are immense as enormous chunks of land slide catastrophically off into the sea, such as has happened at Kealakekua Bay in Kona and on the Hilina Pali, here in the Park.

Over time, the coastal plain block here at Kealakomo has fallen as much as 1400 feet relative to the main block of Kilauea Volcano. At Kealakomo you can see how the recent lava flows from Mauna Ulu have been draped over the giant escarpment.

Summer Rainbow at Kealakomo, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: Photo by Donald B MacGowan

In 1975 a 7.2 magnitude earthquake heralded the movement of the lower fault block, dropping it by as much as ten feet downward and sliding it seaward by as much as twenty feet. This movement triggered a local tsunami which swept a group of a few dozen young campers who had horse-packed into the abandoned village of Halape thousands of feet inland; fortunately, only two men a some horses were drowned, the others miraculously survived.

The Kealakomo Overlook has a picnic tables on an overlook platform, incredible views, a generally cool breeze, but no water, restrooms or other services available.

The old covered pavilion at Kealakomo Overlook, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: Photo by Donald B MacGowan

To see the new iPhone/iPod Touch App, please visit http://www.tourguidehawaii.com/iphone.html. The best of Tour Guide Hawaii’s free content about traveling to, and exploring, the Big island, can be found here.For more information on traveling to Hawaii in general and on touring the Big Island in particular, please also visit www.tourguidehawaii.com and www.tourguidehawaii.blogspot.com.

The view toward Halape and Keauhou from Kealakomo, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: Photo by Donald B MacGowan

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All media copyright 2010 by Donald B. MacGowan. All rights reserved.

Kealakomo Rainbow, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: Graphic from Photo by Donald B MacGowan