Halema'uma'u crater pano

Hiking inside the crater

Hey, I finally passed my driving test so I am allowed to move government vehicles! How cool is that, after four months of trying… … to get the log in for the training account … all is well!

Halema'uma'u Crater puts on a show with its night glow at stationary wind conditions, Jaggar Overlook, Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, Big Island, USA

This is just a spectacular show that Halema’uma’u is putting on, I guess Pele is really in a good mood to show off. Actually, it is the stationary wind conditions, for some reason the trade winds that usually blow quite steadily during this time of year have subsided, which makes the steam from the vent go away much slower and much more straight up in the air. This also means SO2 etc., and we have put on our air purifiers in the bunk house.

Drums at the Beach

A happy drumming circle at one of the Hippie Beaches of the Big Island

We took a small detour from our shopping trip to Hilo and wanted to check out the ongoing lava flow from Pu’u O’o on the eastern rift zone. Not sure how far away that really is, but it sure is better than it used to be – one can at least see lava from far away. Hopefully at one point we can have a hike up there…

Here in the cloud forest of Kilauea, native plants have really adapted (away) from their ancestors that were blown over by wind or transported by wings and waves. Ferns have fared well in particular, as there spores seem to be easy to transport over these large distances. Many of the plants in Hawai’i have lost their defense mechanisms because they didn’t have to use them, as their original predators do not exist here. “Use it or lose it” seems to be the mantra, and the examples I have already shown you were the Hawai’ian endemic raspberries, the Ne Akala. In addition to that, there’s nettleness nettle or, like depicted here, the mint less mint.

Mintless mint in Kilauea rainforest

A few days back, wanted to share: No word’s needed… don’t trust the voice of the Lady in your GPS Satnav device!

Hawaiian Rainforest

Hey, it’s called rainforest for a reason!

Halema'uma'u Crater Night Glow from the Lava Lake

Nightly lava glow from the lava lake down at the bottom of Halema’uma’u Crater Pit with a nearly full moon today in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. Interesting show especially as it was still pouring down with rain in the Volcano Village nearby.