Lava Covers Ahalanui Park

Hawaiian Lava Destruction

Recent Hawaiian volcanic eruptions and lava flows are happening near where we stayed in Pahoa during our December, 2011 visit to the big island. Our shoreline rental house was located only about 5 miles from the spectacular (fissure 8) lava fountain and the homes it obliterated. Some roads we used are now under impassable black lava, and one of the parks we visited recently disappeared under advancing molten rock.

One day in 2011 we drove along Route 137 to Ahalanui Park, a lovely small park along the coast featuring a natural, volcanically heated, spring-fed, warm water swimming hole next to the ocean.

Palm trees and a small grassy area preceded the swimming hole.

The main attraction was the swimming hole seen in the next four-panel panorama. (Click on the image for a larger view.)

The warm water pool opened directly into the ocean.

My 1.5 year-old granddaughter, Sophie, enjoyed the warm water with her Dad, Keegan.

My daughter, Ellen, did some snorkeling and snuggled little Sophie in a towel.

These beautiful scenes now remain only in photos and memories because lava has completely covered and obliterated Ahalanui Park. The next two maps from the US Geologic Survey (USGS) on July 12, 2018 show where ongoing lava flows eventually found their way to the sea and the park. (Click on the next two maps to see them at full size.)

Our rental house was located on the shoreline in the Hawaiian Beaches neighborhood seen at the top of the previous map. The actual location is just off the top of the map. We drove on Routes 132 and 137 to reach Ahalanui Park. The next picture from the USGS shows the lava-altered coastline where Ahalanui Park was located. The largest white plume near center is the park's former location.

An even more spectacular aerial USGS photo from July 14th shows glowing red lava and three bright white plumes from the approximate location of Ahalanui Park.

A more head-on view on July 15th shows the same three major plumes. The small pond, slightly inland, seen to the left of the plumes is approximately a half mile from the Ahalanui Park location.

Notice the significant expansive change of the coastline in the light pink Vacationland Hawaii area on the map above. Hawaii must be the only state with growing land area! Who owns the new land? Probably the state, of course. But if lava flows expand the shoreline immediately adjacent to privately owned land, does the property owner suddenly own more property?

This would be a fantastic time to visit Hawaii to see spectacular active lava flows, although I don't know how close tourists can actually get to the action. Many roads are blocked by lava, and authorities have probably erected barriers on other roads to keep people away. But the opportunities now are surely greater than what we experienced on our lava hike in 2011.