Page 98 - Volcano and Geothermal Tourism

The Lure of Lava Tubes: Exploring Lava Tube Tourism on the Big Island of Hawai‘i 75

The ‘Wild Lava Tube’ tour fills up quickly. During One means to grow support for cave protection
the initial phone call, park staff inform the tour is by offering carefully designed small group tours
participant to bring their own flashlight and water, through lava tube environments. Kula Kai Caverns,
‑
wear long pants and closed‑toed shoes, and bring Kllauea Caverns of Fire, Kazumura Cave Tours
a set of four AA batteries to replace the ones used and Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park’s Pua Po‘o
in the headlamps provided by the park. Participants tour provide in‑depth interpretation which assists
are also notified the walk to the lava tube is a fairly in transferring cave conservation values to visitors.
strenuous one‑hour hike. Members of the tour In the case of the Pua Po‘o tour, values transfer is
meet the ranger at the designated location (King clearly demonstrated by the park ranger guiding
et al, 2008). The park ranger provides gloves, the tour asking tour participants not to share the
hardhats and headlamps to those that need them. location of the Pua Po‘o lava tube with others, and
The group then heads off to the entrance of Pua the overwhelming majority abiding by this request.
Po‘o. Items, such as backpacks, that might shift It is not unreasonable to assume that the other
while moving through the cave, are left hidden small group cave adventure tours mentioned
outside at the cave entrance in large plastic bags. above are also helping foster meaningful
Cave etiquette is discussed before visitors enter connections between cave visitors and Big Island
the lava tube. The park ranger discusses how lava lava tubes. Though visitor issues to such unique
tubes are formed, what tour participants will see environments remain, thoughtful interpretive
inside and why it is important to limit the number tour programmes such as those being offered
of people visiting the site. During the tour, the by Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park and by other
ranger conducts a variety of activities, interprets Big Island cave tour operators increase public
cave features and questions are encouraged. awareness and work to help conserve Big Island
Photography is allowed (King et al, 2008). lava tubes.
At the end of the tour, the ranger asks tour
participants not to share the location of the lava References
tube with others, to please keep it secret. Notably, Allred, K. and Allred, C. (1997) ‘Development and
the vast majority of visitors do keep the secret of morphology of Kazumura cave, Hawai‘i’, Journal of
Pua Po‘o as evidenced by the fact the location of Cave and Karst Studies, vol 59, no 3, pp67–80
the lava tube is not mentioned when the adventure Bullard, F. (1977) Volcanoes of the Earth, University of
is described on personal websites, internet blogs or Queensland Press, St. Lucia
to friends. Keeping the Pua Po‘o secret infers a Cas, R. and Wright, J. (1987) Volcanic Successions,
Modern and Ancient: A Geological Approach to Processes,
successful transfer of understanding and appreciation Products and Successions, Allen & Unwin, London
of wild lava tubes and the need to conserve them Cave Conservancy of Hawai‘i (2003) ‘Kipuka
to tour participants (King et al, 2008). Kanohina Cave Preserve management plan: May
Conclusion 15, 2003’, www.Hawai‘icaves.org/, accessed 27
April 2009
The Big Island of Hawai‘i holds the world’s most Halliday, W. (2003) ‘Raw sewage and solid waste
valuable lava tubes containing an outstanding array dumps in lava tube caves of Hawai‘i Island’, Journal
of values. These lava tubes and their contents are of Cave and Karst Studies, vol 65, no 1, pp68–75
endangered through major land and hydrologic Halliday, W. (2004) ‘Hawai‘i Lava Tube Caves, United
disturbance such as land and tree clearing, pollution States’, in Gunn, J. (ed) Encyclopedia of Caves
and human usage. Thus, it is vital to develop public and Karst Science, Fitzroy Dearborn, London,
pp415–416
appreciation and support for their preservation Hamilton‑Smith, E. (2004) ‘Tourist Caves’, in Gunn, J.
‑
and conservation. Visitors experiencing Kaumana (ed) Encyclopedia of Caves and Karst Science, Fitzroy
‑
and Nahuku lava tubes, most receiving only the Dearborn, London, pp726–730
most minimal interpretation, leave these sites with Hazlett, R. and Hyndman, D. (1996) Roadside Geology
little knowledge of why Big Island lava tubes of Hawai‘i, Mountain Press Publishing Company,
should be conserved. Missoula, MT

Ch04.indd 75 3/28/2010 1:27:11 PM