The Kazumura Lava Tube

I have been working on my old Jeep.It has been sitting for awhile and now rust and corrosion are everywhere. Last week I got it running well enough to be able to take it for a little jaunt in Hawaiian Acres. So I put on my  best jeans and tennies and drove the whole 1/2 mile to the community center for the local market and the breakfast get-together happening every Saturday. It was the same as usual, great pancakes and coffee cooked up by John and a chance to talk story with some folks from the Acres.

Damn! No cell phone.

Now, Leo is the kinda' guy that always has something going on Saturdays. He has done presentations on the many levels of sustainability, a really fun presentation and group talk on Valentines Day and has done Woodstock anniversaries a couple of times. This Saturday he was organizing a group of friends for a trip to the Kazumura Lava Tube and I was invited to go along. I wasn't prepared for the trip, but I figured I would go along for the ride and take photos of the group at the entrance and Leo would take video of the trip and maybe have enough information for a story. It didn't work out quite that way.

How cool is this?

Leo was the leader and my friend Ben, who photographed Pu'u O'o with me in '06 was in the group. We paired up and I rode up with Patrice who walked with a cane and said she was only going to the entrance. OK. That works for me. Then she said she would go in just a little ways, and then she said, well....she didn't tell me her real intentions. She had a helmet, headlamps, waterproof gear...she was ready for a trek. All these guys were seriously prepared and I was only equipped with my (usta' be) almost good jeans and my not so clean everyday tennies and my cameras. Oh well, I had my cameras. Don't need no stinkin' gear!

Skylight

I am so glad I tagged along with these guys. The photos will tell the rest of the story.

The Kazumura lava tube system has 41 plus miles of lava tubes that twist and  turn through upper and lower Puna, and they have been dated back to the 1400-1600A.D. volcanic era. Our lava tube exploration was by invitation on private property and to the best of my knowledge, the Kazumura Lava Tube System is only entered via private property and any access information will not be disclosed.

Lava flow formations

We talked about exploring other tubes in the area and promised to share our stories and photos, so stay tuned.
 J. Osprey
For more Lava Tube Photos click here.Kazumura Lava Tube Photos

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