Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park: Volcano House

On By nationalparkswithtIn Hawaii2 Comments
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Welcome back to National Parks and other public lands with T!

Aloha➢

My family and I took a cruise around the Hawaiian islands in 2019. We embarked in Honolulu on the island of Oahu. Prior to embarkation, we spent a few days on land and explored Oahu. Using Hilton’s Hawaiian Village as our base, we enjoyed visiting many interesting sites before boarding the Pride of America. We spent a week on board cruising the Hawaiian Islands. Our first port of call was Kahului Harbor on Maui.

After Maui, we sailed to the big island of Hawaiʻi. On the big island we had two ports; the first was Hilo. At the port, we met our guide from Roberts Hawaii. He took us to Volcanoes National Park where we visited the Volcano House, the steam vents, Kilauea Iki and Chain of Craters. We stopped at Big Island Candies on the way back to port for some goodies. Back at the port, we hopped into a taxi to go to Rainbow Falls and Richardson’s Black Sand Beach.

Volcano House➢

Volcano House is a historic lodge perched on the rim of Kīlauea’s Halemaʻumaʻu crater in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. It started as a simple shelter in 1846, about 30 years after the park was established. In 1866, the shelter was replaced with a four-bedroom hotel that welcomed notable guests, including Mark Twain. Twain later wrote about his stay in his autobiographical travelogue, which chronicled some of his early adventures. After a fire destroyed the hotel in 1940, it was rebuilt the following year as a 24-room lodge.

Robert Hawaii Tour➢

When our cruise ship docked in Hilo, we joined a Robert’s Hawaii excursion to the national park. First, we stopped at the visitor center to explore the exhibits. Then we walked across the street to Volcano House. From the veranda behind the hotel, we got our first glimpse of the massive crater. Native Hawaiians believe the volcano is the home of Pelehonuamea, the goddess of fire. According to legend, Pele fled to Kīlauea after angering her sister, the goddess of the sea. Because of this belief, visitors are warned not to take lava rocks.

When I visited in the 1980s—before the 2018 eruption closed the Jaggar Museum—I saw a display of letters from people around the world apologizing for taking rocks after experiencing bad luck. Today, the rule is enforced even more strictly. In fact, a man ahead of us at dock security was stopped from boarding the ship because he had rocks in his pockets.

In 2018, Kīlauea erupted explosively, destroying more than 700 homes and extending the island nearly a mile into the sea as the lava lake in Halemaʻumaʻu crater drained and flowed to the ocean. This dramatic event marked the culmination of a 35-year eruption that began in 1983. While there is currently no molten lava visible, steam still rises from the crater, and the volcano remains active.

Hilo Posts➢

  • Volcano House
  • Steam Vents
  •  Kīlauea Iki
  • Chain of Craters Road
  • Big Island Candies
  • Rainbow Falls
  • Richardson’s Black Sand Beach
  • Mokuola
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Location: 1 Crater Rim Drive, Volcano, Hawaii
Designation: National Park
Date designated/established: August 1, 1916
Date of my visit: April 16, 2019

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