Page 95 - Volcano and Geothermal Tourism

72 The Americas

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Developing guided interpretive tours for Big Hyndman, 1996; Halliday, 2003). Entry to Kaumana
Island visitors and residents to experience and is unrestricted and open to any visitor any time free
appreciate lava tube caves is one way to heighten of charge. County signage near the cave entrance
awareness of these fragile environments and help advises visitors they explore the cave at their own
foster interest in their protection while growing risk and reminds them about cave hazards, the need
grassroots support for their conservation. to bring light, and to seek proper permissions if
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Unfortunately, some of the lava tube experiences exploring beyond county parklands. The Kaumana
currently available on the Big Island could be Cave car park area includes rest room facilities and
greatly improved to better transfer appreciation of a small picnic area.
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the fragility of lava tube environments. The entrance to Kaumana Cave is through a
collapsed skylight (Hazlett and Hyndman, 1996),
The range of tourist lava tube so it resembles entering a deep pit with nearly
experiences for visitors on the vertical walls. A cement staircase leads down to the
Big Island of Hawai‘i picturesque cave entrance. Most visitors venture
only a short distance downslope, but the
From self‑guided to small group adventure tours, adventurous can walk or crawl another 9000m.
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the Big Island offers a surprising range of lava tube Kaumana offers visitors the rare opportunity to
cave experiences for visitors. Table 4.2 provides a move through a cave at their own pace unsupervised
list of key Big Island lava tube cave experiences to pursue their own personal explorations.
available to visitors. Unfortunately, unsupervised 24‑hour cave
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Kaumana Cave access also allows a small number of ignorant and
ill‑intentioned visitors the opportunity to vandalize
Located in a county park about five miles west of the cave leaving graffiti, shattered glass and rubbish
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downtown Hilo is Kaumana Cave. A large lava near and within the cave. Additionally, minimal
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tube, Kaumana Cave is one of the most accessible interpretive signage at the cave entrance equates
Big Island lava tube caves for geotourists to explore. to minimal visitor awareness and appreciation of
The lava tube was formed in the main channel of the unique values of Big Island lava tubes and may
the 1881 and 1882 Mauna Loa eruptions which even encourage complacent attitudes towards
nearly reached the town of Hilo (Hazlett and their conservation.

Table 4.2 Key Big Island tourist lava tube caves, 2009

Lava tube Tour provider Tour types Approx no. of visitors Access
annually
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Kaumana Cave None Self-guided Unknown Unrestricted
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Nahuku/Thurston US National Park Service Self-guided show 600,000–1,000,000 Unrestricted
cave segment and self-
guided adventure tour
Kazumura Kazumura Cave Tours Guided adventure 360 Restricted
Kilauea Caverns of Fire Guided tour and 3000 Restricted
adventure tours

Kula Kai Kula Kai Caverns Guided show cave tour 1000 Restricted
and adventure tours
Pua Po‘o US National Park Service Ranger guided 630 Restricted
adventure tour
Source: After King et al, 2008

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