Exploring Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: Muliwai a Pele

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