According to legend, this park in the south-central part of the big island of Hawaii is the home of Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of fire. The Hawaiian goddess of the sea chased her from island to island, destroying each dwelling that Pele created. She finally came to Halemaumau, in Kilauea Calera, where she lives today. She is said to preside over the local volcanoes, from the 13,680-foot Manua Kea to Kilauea Crater, and is considered responsible for the eruptions and lava outpourings over the centuries. Oval-shaped Kilauea Caldera is two and a half miles wide and about 400 feet deep. Within it is Halemaumau Crater, where you can smell sulfur and hear steam hissing out of fissures in the rock. When Kilauea is erupting you can see seething lakes of molten rock, curtains of fire, and fountains of red hot lava. Being this close to one of the world's most active volcanoes is the experience of a lifetime. For an eruption update, call 808—967—7977. Temporary road signs will direct you to safe vantage points whenever eruptions occur.
From the Kilauea Visitor Center, you can hike through or drive around the edge of the caldera. Also within the park are deserts and rain forests; there are few places in the world where these dramatic extremes coexist. Mauna Loa, the world's tallest active volcano, is thirty-three miles north-west of the park headquarters.
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