Page 97 - Volcano and Geothermal Tourism

74 The Americas

and contains many beautiful and unusual features.
‑
Kllauea Caverns of Fire (www.kilaueacavernsoffire.
com), offers primarily two tours through different
parts of Kazumura lava tube.
Kazumura Cave Tours (www.fortunecity.com/
oasis/angkor/176/) takes visitors into different
sections of the Kazumura lava tube system than
the other tour company and offers outstanding
adventure tours to some intriguing points of
interest. The owner/tour guide for Kazumura
Cave Tours is an avid spelunker with intimate
knowledge of Kazumura and often guides visiting
researchers and notables through the cave. Figure 4.3 Pua Po‘o tour participants going down the
All three Big Island cave tour businesses ladder to the entrance of the lava tube
market to potential customers through the
occasional travel article, TV travel programme
segment, newspaper stories and various web sites.
Some advertise in travel magazines and work with
distributors to place rack cards at appropriate
venues while another relies primarily on word‑of‑
mouth advertising.
Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park also offers a
once a week small group adventure tour through
a ‘wild’ lava tube not open to public for general
visitation. The Pua Po‘o adventure tour, guided
by Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park staff is an
example of a carefully planned and guided
adventure tour helping promote cave appreciation
and conservation, similar to the businesses above, Figure 4.4 A member of the Pua Po‘o tour squeezing
and is detailed in the following case study. out of the lava tube exit
Case study: The Pua Po‘o guided through the lava tube with minimal impact
adventure tour on a weekly basis (Figures 4.3 and 4.4). Based on
this information, Pua Po‘o was opened up to a
In 1989, the Pua Po‘o lava tube, known also as single public tour once a week (McDaniel, 2008,
Cock’s Comb Cave or the Wild Lava Tube, was personal communication in King et al, 2008).
discovered during the construction of a pig Pua Po‘o tours are advertised on the park web
fence within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. site, as well as through word‑of‑mouth, travel
According to official National Park Service guides, travel articles and internet blogs. Tour
procedures, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park staff reservations can be made only one week in
conducted a cultural assessment of the lava tube advance on a first come, first serve basis. Most
followed by a biological survey. Lava tube features reservations are made by phone, with a maximum
were mapped and photographed. The Interpretation of four people per call allowed to register for the
Department of the Park then applied for a permit tour. This restriction keeps commercial tour
to conduct limited guided tours through the lava groups from dominating the 12 available slots. The
tube (McDaniel, 2008, personal communication registration system is biased towards visitors with
in King et al, 2008). With a ranger leading the a real interest in lava tubes as they must remember
group and a ranger or volunteer at the back of the which day to call to ensure they will have a slot
group, park experts decided 12 visitors could be on the tour the following week (King et al, 2008).

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