Post by L Roebuck on May 12, 2006 22:03:25 GMT -5
Big Island Lava Tubes Rich with History
Brooks Baehr - bbaehr@kgmb9.com
They're dark, damp and rich with history. Hawaii is home to the longest lava tubes in the world. Most of the caves are on private property or off limits for cultural reasons, but there's a network of tubes on the Big Island anyone can visit.
Kula Kai Caverns offers guided tours into Hawaii's past. Kula Kai is on the southwest side of the island not far from ocean view. The tubes are formed when lava flows downslope. As the surface cools, it hardens, but hot lava continues to flow underground. Then when the source of the lava dries up, the flow empties out leaving a hollow tube behind.
Owners Ric Elhard and Rose Herrera bought the land here because of the lava tubes. One tube is more than 21 miles long, and that's only the portion that's been surveyed.
"We've always been sensitive to the resources in the cave, be they archeological, geologic, biologic," said Elhard. "There's all sorts of resources in caves."
Our adventure begins at the main entrance to Kula Kai Caverns.
"Hawaiians used these caves as resource caves for water collection," said Kula Kai Caverns guide Kathlyn Richardson. "It was a source of survival for them."
The caverns are part of the Kipuka Kanohina cave system, the second-longest known network of lava tubes in the world.
The first few hundred feet of our journey is relatively easy. A lit cinder path snakes along the cave. Visitors who want just a taste of the underworld can take a walking tour here, but those interested in true spelunking can press on into the cool, dark unknown.
Some first-time visitors are exploring with us. So are a couple regulars, including Richardson.
"I feel like I'm in Pele's veins, like the lava flowed through here and built out more of the island," said first-time visitor Patricia Zura. "We're walking on the trail that created more of the island here."
"These lave tubes were formed somewhere between 750 and 1,500 years ago," Richardson explained.
Richardson's job is to make sure we're safe, we don't get lost as we make our way through the maze of tunnels, and we learn something about the geology, biology and history of the caverns as well as their role in ancient Hawaiian civilization.
"It was important for their survival," Richardson said.
Kula Kai Caverns was not used as a burial ground or as a place to stash man-made artifacts. Richardson says hundreds of years ago the caves provided both shelter and drinking water. There are gourd cradles throughout the cave. Rocks were placed in a circle, then gourds were put in the middle to catch drops from the ceiling.
Shells from kukui nuts, also called candle nuts, are further evidence man was there long ago.
"The kukui nut was their light source because they would burn the candle nut, kukui nut, and each one would burn for about 15 minutes," Richardson explained.
Carbon dating shows the ashes are about 250 years old.
Inching along under tons of rock on an island known for its earthquakes can be a bit unsettling. It's something visitors think about while crawling through tight spaces and over large rock piles, called break down, that have fallen from the ceiling above.
"When I see the break downs, the big piles of boulders, then I worry a little," said first-time visitor Russ Appleyard. "I'm thinking, if that can happen here then maybe, you know, maybe that could happen (again)."
But Richardson assures the caves are stable.
"The break down happens as the cave is cooling, so that was perhaps 1,000 years ago," Richardson said.
Mineral deposits cling to the walls creating a variety of shapes, surfaces and colors. The floor is covered with sharp a'a lava and there are boulders encased in a shiny outer coat. The tubes open to rooms large enough to drive trucks through and, in some places, the cave gets so narrow you've literally got to get down on your hands and knees just to squeeze through.
Roots from ohia trees on the surface dangle throughout the lava tube, providing nourishment for the handful of bugs that live underground. Fifteen to 20 species of insect have adapted to life inside the caves.
"It's like a living museum and at the same time, we need to protect what is here," Richardson said.
As we head for an exit, our tour almost done, Elhard says there's one thing he'd like all visitors to take home with them.
"We really need to appreciate these environments for the precious resource that they are," he said. "They are really precious spaces."
KGMB News
Kula Kai Caverns
Brooks Baehr - bbaehr@kgmb9.com
They're dark, damp and rich with history. Hawaii is home to the longest lava tubes in the world. Most of the caves are on private property or off limits for cultural reasons, but there's a network of tubes on the Big Island anyone can visit.
Kula Kai Caverns offers guided tours into Hawaii's past. Kula Kai is on the southwest side of the island not far from ocean view. The tubes are formed when lava flows downslope. As the surface cools, it hardens, but hot lava continues to flow underground. Then when the source of the lava dries up, the flow empties out leaving a hollow tube behind.
Owners Ric Elhard and Rose Herrera bought the land here because of the lava tubes. One tube is more than 21 miles long, and that's only the portion that's been surveyed.
"We've always been sensitive to the resources in the cave, be they archeological, geologic, biologic," said Elhard. "There's all sorts of resources in caves."
Our adventure begins at the main entrance to Kula Kai Caverns.
"Hawaiians used these caves as resource caves for water collection," said Kula Kai Caverns guide Kathlyn Richardson. "It was a source of survival for them."
The caverns are part of the Kipuka Kanohina cave system, the second-longest known network of lava tubes in the world.
The first few hundred feet of our journey is relatively easy. A lit cinder path snakes along the cave. Visitors who want just a taste of the underworld can take a walking tour here, but those interested in true spelunking can press on into the cool, dark unknown.
Some first-time visitors are exploring with us. So are a couple regulars, including Richardson.
"I feel like I'm in Pele's veins, like the lava flowed through here and built out more of the island," said first-time visitor Patricia Zura. "We're walking on the trail that created more of the island here."
"These lave tubes were formed somewhere between 750 and 1,500 years ago," Richardson explained.
Richardson's job is to make sure we're safe, we don't get lost as we make our way through the maze of tunnels, and we learn something about the geology, biology and history of the caverns as well as their role in ancient Hawaiian civilization.
"It was important for their survival," Richardson said.
Kula Kai Caverns was not used as a burial ground or as a place to stash man-made artifacts. Richardson says hundreds of years ago the caves provided both shelter and drinking water. There are gourd cradles throughout the cave. Rocks were placed in a circle, then gourds were put in the middle to catch drops from the ceiling.
Shells from kukui nuts, also called candle nuts, are further evidence man was there long ago.
"The kukui nut was their light source because they would burn the candle nut, kukui nut, and each one would burn for about 15 minutes," Richardson explained.
Carbon dating shows the ashes are about 250 years old.
Inching along under tons of rock on an island known for its earthquakes can be a bit unsettling. It's something visitors think about while crawling through tight spaces and over large rock piles, called break down, that have fallen from the ceiling above.
"When I see the break downs, the big piles of boulders, then I worry a little," said first-time visitor Russ Appleyard. "I'm thinking, if that can happen here then maybe, you know, maybe that could happen (again)."
But Richardson assures the caves are stable.
"The break down happens as the cave is cooling, so that was perhaps 1,000 years ago," Richardson said.
Mineral deposits cling to the walls creating a variety of shapes, surfaces and colors. The floor is covered with sharp a'a lava and there are boulders encased in a shiny outer coat. The tubes open to rooms large enough to drive trucks through and, in some places, the cave gets so narrow you've literally got to get down on your hands and knees just to squeeze through.
Roots from ohia trees on the surface dangle throughout the lava tube, providing nourishment for the handful of bugs that live underground. Fifteen to 20 species of insect have adapted to life inside the caves.
"It's like a living museum and at the same time, we need to protect what is here," Richardson said.
As we head for an exit, our tour almost done, Elhard says there's one thing he'd like all visitors to take home with them.
"We really need to appreciate these environments for the precious resource that they are," he said. "They are really precious spaces."
KGMB News
Kula Kai Caverns