by Donald B. MacGowan
Lava river channel at Muliwai O Pele, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: Graphic from Photo by Donald B MacGowan
Lava river channel at Muliwai O Pele, 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.
Muliwai a Pele
Frank Burgess walks down the lava channel at Muliwai a Pele, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: Photo by Donald B MacGowan
In Hawaiian, Muliwai a Pele means “River of Pele”. The platform overlooks the remains of a lava channel that flowed full with a river of lava during the Mauna Ulu eruptions, delivering millions of gallons of molten fluid down the pali.
Along the lava channel at Muliwai a Pele, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: Photo by Donald B MacGowan
When trenches such as these become roofed over, they are called “lava tubes” and the cooled remains are preserved as caves, such as Nahuku, or Thurston Lava Cave up on Crater Rim Drive. When the vent supplying the lava stops producing, these structures drain empty and cool.
Blocky a'a crosses shiny pahoehoe at Muliwai a Pele, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: Photo by Donald B MacGowan
Large lava cascades such as these may flow at a velocity of several to tens of miles per hour, however, in Hawai’i, most flows can easily be outdistanced on foot. Note the several large boulders near the observation platform that were dragged along by the flow.
Broken lava flows between Mauna Loa and Muliwai a Pele, 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.
Wood charred in the recent lava flows lies on a pahoehoe flow at Muliwai a Pele, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: Photo by Donnie MacGowan
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.
All media copyright 2010 by Donald B. MacGowan. All rights reserved.
Frank lava surfing at Muliwai a Pele, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: Graphic from Photo by Donald B MacGowan
3 Trackbacks/Pingbacks
[...] Exploring Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: Muliwai a Pele « Lovingthebigisland’s Weblog on 19 Mar 2010 at 8:44 [...]
[...] more about this portion of Chain of Craters road, please see the sections on Mau Loa O Mauna Ulu, Muliwai a Pele, Alanui Kahiko, Kealakomo Overlook and Holei Pali. Petroglyph figures at Pu'u Loa, Hawaii [...]
[...] numerous recent eruptions. Although everywhere fascinating, stops at Pauahi Crater, Mauna Ulu and Muliwai O Pele are almost mandatory. As mentioned earlier, this drive gives stark perspective on the slump blocks [...]