Sunday Photo: Inside the Lava Tube

Inside the Lava Tube
Originally uploaded by webnelly

Okay, so the first thing you think of when you see this photo isn't really Maui. It's not a shot you'd find on a postcard or on the front cover of a travel guide at the bookstore, but it's still a neat shot.

This was taken from inside the lava tube at Waianapanapa State Park along the Road to Hana. Lava tubes were formed hundreds of years ago by flowing rivers of lava that ran down from the volcanoes, which also was the foundation for many of the black sand beaches as well. They pretty much like caves with two ends forming a tunnel, and were used in the days of the ancient Hawaiians as a safe haven for women and children during battle.

What was neat about this lava tube was that you could easily walk in from one end (although the clearance was about 3 feet) and on the other end was the ocean, with waves crashing in through that opening just like it was on the black sand outside. It was rather windy when we were there this past trip, and the waves were crashing pretty hard. So you could hear the loud sound the waves were making as they slammed into the nearby rocks, and then you would feel the water rushing into the opening of the lava tube (it was pretty cold). Finally, as the water descended back into the ocean, it would run across the small rocks at the base of the tube opening and would make an eerie hissing sound, almost like a sizzling sound.

I loved it so much after taking these photos that I ran back up the rocky stair climb to fetch my video camera from my wife, who was watching with mom from above. After returning to the lava tube, I shot video for about 5 minutes walking into and through the lava tube, seeing other people inside, others climbing on the rocks and one of the holes in the upper area, and also capturing the waves and that sizzle the water was making as the waves left the entrance.

I haven't had much luck encoding and posting that video online so far, but once I do, I'll add a link from this post.

Mahalo.

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If you'd like to see more photos, you can check out our Sunday Photos category here at the blog, featuring a new photo every week. Our website also features daily photos on the Today's Photos page, and if you're Flickr fans like us, you can check out our Ka'anapali Dreamin' collection.

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