We knew this place was going to be amazing when we called and Steve responded with so much enthusiasm about showing us the lava tubes. Especially when he told us he had already headed home but was “totally cool” with coming back. Normally I would have just waited until the next day but since we were on our last few last days in Hilo, we took Steve up on his offer. I’m so happy we did!! Granted, driving there I was pretty sure we were entering the beginning scene of a scary movie. You know… the part where the tourists are super stoked to be somewhere remote but there are spooky yellow eyes peeking out from the brush ready to pounce?
We were greeted by Steve’s dog Cinnamon and all the creepy feelings went away. The lava tubes are absolutely amazing. There’s a beautiful sparkly bacteria on the ceiling of the entrance that looked like the night sky when you shined your flashlight on it. Steve knew everything about how these spectacular lava rock formations were formed. When we were fairly deep into the tube, we all turned out our flashlights to feel true darkness. You literally can’t see your hand in front of your face!! It’s such a unique feeling. I highly recommend a visit to the Kilauea Caverns of Fire on your next visit to The Big Island of Hawaii. It’s truly a fantastic experience!
This amazing lava rock was formed at the exact moment a rock dropped into hardening lava but was still fluid enough to ripple.
The iron content in the rock is what forms all the different colors of lava rock.
Wandering in Heels 