Halemaumau Crater, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Written and Produced by Donald B MacGowan
Narrated by Frank Burgess
Still and Video Photography by Donnie MacGowan and Frank Burgess

Breathtaking, awe-inspiring, sacred. Clearly overcome with awe and wonder, when he visited Kilauea a century and a half ago, Mark Twain remarked aptly: "...here was room for the imagination to work!"

A spectacular eruption has been underway in Halema'uma'u Crater since March 19, 2008. Because of this, Crater Rim Drive is closed at Jagger Museum and at the junction with Chain of Crater Road, so the Halema'uma'u Overlook is inaccessible. Great viewing of the eruption can be had from Jagger Museum; views of the ash cloud at night, lit up with the glow of molten rock from below the surface of Halema'uma'u, are particularly exciting. Please go here to learn more about this eruption.

The Hawai'ians revered the area around Halema'uma'u Crater as the home of the volcano Goddess, Madame Pele, who journeyed from Tahiti to Ni'ihau and Kau'ai before settling down at Halema'uma'u. For generations Hawai'ian Kahuna came here to divine the future, hold rituals, make sacrifices and appease the goddess with offerings. Commoners among the native Hawai'ians were not allowed within sight of the sacred grounds. Continuing into modern times on several ceremonial days each year (in times of eruptive quiescence), modern Hawai'ians gather on the crater floor to perform hula dances and other rituals to appease the goddess Pele.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• pele
• madame
• fire
• goddess
• hawaii
• volcanoes
• national
• park
• donnie
• donald
• macgowan
• frank
• burgess
• kilauea
• caldera
• halema'uma'u
• crater
• eruption
• lava

[Cathylovesitalodisco]

Very nice video.

[lappenstar07]

Very nice Video,thumbs up!!

[mclovein14]

Well done!