My favorite place in all the world

My first trip to the Big Island of Hawai’i was probably in 1972 or ‘73.  We stayed at the Volcano House hotel and spent a few days exploring Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park.  This was in the midst of the Mauna Ulu eruption period but there was no eruption activity at the time we were there.  There was, however, much evidence of recent activity, including blockages of the Chain of Craters road by lava flows that were only months old.  Months!  We drove along the road and reached a place where we just couldn’t go any further because there was new lava right there!  Usually, when we think about rocks (if we think about rocks – I know most people don’t) we assume them to be millions of years old.  They’ve just been here forever.  Even the most recent lava production in Washington State, which I discovered many years later, is already over six million years old.  Mount St. Helen erupted in 1983 but that was an explosive eruption of ash and debris, not an outflow of lava that produced new rock or new land.  That’s right, new land.  Kilauea has added over 500 acres of new land to the island of Hawai’i since the current eruption began in 1983 and this current phase has created a shelf a mile out into the ocean.

On that first trip I was awed by the stark beauty of the land.  Swaths of black lava rock dotted with bits of green fern, ‘ohelo berry, and ‘ohi’a seedlings.  Ropes of undulating pahoehoe interspersed with the sharp clinkers of ‘a’a, and, if you’re lucky, golden bits of Pele’s hair or glassy Pele’s tears.  Examining even the smallest bit of rock up close revealed a beautiful iridescence that I could hardly stop looking at.  And then I sat down in the middle of the lava field and felt a deep, visceral connection with the power of the earth that I had never felt anywhere else I’ve been.  I have been back to the Big Island maybe ten times since then, and every time I’ve felt a greater and greater connection.  There’s the physical connection I feel that just makes me want to lie down on the hard, bare lava (which I do every chance I get) but there is also the sense of the earth being alive and in a constant state of creation (and destruction) that is so apparent in the vicinity of an active volcano.  The Hawai’ians believe that this volcano is the home of their goddess, Pele, and that the flow of lava is the primary way she expresses herself in the world.  I can’t argue with that.

I lived in Hawai’i for about ten years and I go back to visit as often as I can since I moved away.  Other than the explosive development that has happened over the last 20 years, I love everything about the islands.  For me, there is no more perfect place in the world.    As humans, we cannot help but fall in love with the incredible natural beauty of the islands.  From the lovely trade winds to the magical sunsets; from the pristine beaches and clear ocean water to the soaring, lush mountains draped with mist and ribboned with sparkling waterfalls; from the waving palms to the heavenly scent of flowers that permeates the air.  If you’ve ever been hiking, swimming, surfing, snorkeling, taking a drive, or just walking on the beach in Hawai’i, it’s easy to see why we think of this place as “paradise” and it’s tempting to believe that this special place was created by the gods for humans to enjoy.  It is easy to be lulled into believing that this spectacular beauty is what nature is all about – that it is the perfect expression of “nature”.  

I, myself, have been tempted by this notion.  In 2000 I purchased an acre of land on the Big Island in Leilani Estates.  I had the idea at the time that I would retire there with two express purposes in mind – to enjoy the warm weather, lush beauty, and slow pace of Puna and to be close to the volcano that exerted such a strong pull on my soul.  Even though I knew, when I chose my little acre, that it was in an area clearly labeled as “Lava Zone 1” I did not really expect to have to reconcile those two purposes in my heart.  I sometimes commented, only half-jokingly, that if Pele decided to take me and/or my land I would welcome it as a devotee in awe of her power and in recognition that it was hers to reclaim.  In all my visits to the island I have enjoyed so much of what it offers: swimming in the warm pool at Ahalanui, lounging on the black sand beaches, exploring the Wailuku River and Rainbow Falls, wandering the trails of Lava Tree Park, snorkeling at Kealakekua Bay and Kapoho tide pools, marveling at the height and beauty of Akaka Falls, eating local fruit, attending the Merry Monarch Festival, and, of course, lava viewing and hiking on and around the volcano.

But that is only one side of the story.  With the eruption that began on May 3rd, it feels like everything has changed.  Even though I decided several years ago that I would never live on the Big Island, the area of Puna is very dear to my heart.  Now, half the sub-division where my property is has been destroyed.  And even though, at this writing, I believe my property has not been covered by new lava, it has come so close that it may have burned or killed most of the vegetation.  The Kapoho tide pools are gone.  Ahalanui Park with its lovely warm pool is at risk and, even if it is not destroyed by lava there is no access by car due to the lava flows over the road on either side.  Miles of lush green forest have been turned to bare rock in a matter of hours.  We look at these changes and call it devastation.  Of course, we mourn for those who have lost their homes.  I cannot even begin to imagine what it would be like to leave your home in a rushed evacuation knowing with near certainty that when (if) you return everything will be buried beneath 30 feet of rock.  That is devastating.  But when we place a value on one expression of nature – beautiful tide pools filled with jewel-like fish for instance – over another – the destructive power of a volcano – we have ceased to appreciate nature for what it truly is, in all of its raw beauty and power.  We have made it about us, about what makes humans happy, about what suits our own purposes.  I have been a pagan for over 30 years - a nature lover and an environmentalist.  I support environmental organizations and lament the negative impact of humans.  But this event, this total destruction of one part of nature that I love by another part of nature that I also love, brings me up short.  It makes me realize that most of what we think of as “saving the planet” is really about saving the planet for humans.  When we destroy habitat and pollute the air and water we definitely impact other species but we are only a small piece of the big picture.  Nature, as a force, is much more powerful than we humans can imagine.  She creates and she destroys what she creates.  While it can be difficult to reconcile in my mind I have no doubt in my heart.  Both of these things are beautiful.  Both of these things are true and I just have to sit with that.