Lava extravaganza a hit
By Kapono Dowson
Advertiser Staff Writer
Lava from the Kilauea eruption was continuing to flow at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park yesterday, and so were the caravans of onlookers flocking to see it.
"You just see the joy on the people's faces when they see the red flowing lava," park spokeswoman Mardie Lane said. "And the colors are magnificent."
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Two small lava falls are very active at West Highcastle, near the end of the Chain of Craters Road, with a third one possibly developing, Lane said.
Where the lava hits the sea, two plumes of steam rise dramatically to more than 30 feet, Lane said. Sometimes when the wind shifts, the lava haze — dubbed "laze" by park people — wisps out for a hundred yards.
The line of cars snaking down Chain of Craters Road to the shoreline viewing area has been more than 1 1/2 miles long, Lane said. People have been setting up lounge chairs and having tailgate parties.
"Aloha Stadium has nothing on us," she said.
When her shift had ended at 7:30 p.m. Monday, the visitor count for the day was 3,280, with more people coming in for night viewing, Lane said. The most crowded times have been at sunset and at night.
Lane suggested that people come before 5 a.m. to avoid crowds. In the pre-dawn darkness, the plumes and molten lava create some of the best color ranges of reds, yellows and oranges, she said.
One unexpected nuisance the night crowds have encountered are centipedes. On Monday night 13 people reported being bitten. The nocturnal insects emerge from their rock hideaways to hunt for crickets and cockroaches, Lane said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Reach Kapono Dowson at 535-8103 or kdowson@honoluluadvertiser.com.
