Everyone is invited to participate in Kahuku events and hikes in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park through September. Two new hikes and special holiday programs are included, and all are free. ADVERTISING Everyone is invited to participate in Kahuku events and
Everyone is invited to participate in Kahuku events and hikes in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park through September. Two new hikes and special holiday programs are included, and all are free.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Cultural Festival
The 34th annual festival is slated for 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday in Kahuku.
Enjoy hula kahiko and music, watch skilled practitioners demonstrate their art, and try your hand at Hawaiian crafts. You also can taste traditional, ono Hawaiian foods.
Two Kahuku hikes will be offered, the new Pu‘u o Lokuana cinder cone hike from 10-11 a.m., and ‘Ohi‘a Lehua from 1-2 p.m.
Bring water, rain jacket and ground mat or chair, plus sunscreen and a hat. No pets. Lunch and beverages will be available for sale.
This is a family friendly, drug- and alcohol-free event. The Kahuku unit is the southernmost section of the national park, and is located on the mauka side of Highway 11 at mile marker 70.5.
Free entry and free parking.
Sponsors include Hawaii Pacific Parks Association, Friends of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, the Ka‘u Hawaiian Civic Club, Kilauea Military Camp and sister parks in West Hawaii.
Call 985-6011 or email havo_interpretation@nps.gov for more information.
Palm Trail
This is a moderately difficult 2.6 mile loop traversing scenic pastures along an ancient cinder cone, with some of the best panoramic views Kahuku has to offer.
Highlights include relics of the ranching era, sections of remnant native forest and amazing volcanic features from the 1868 eruptive fissures.
A guided hike of Palm Trail is offered from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. July 13-26, Aug. 9 and 31, and Sept. 20.
Enter the Kahuku unit of the park on the mauka side of Highway 11 near mile marker 70.5, and meet near the parking area.
Sturdy footwear, water, raingear, sun protection and a snack are recommended.
People and Land of Kahuku
This is a moderate 2 mile, three-hour guided hike that loops through varied landscapes to explore the human history of Kahuku.
Emerging native forests, pastures, lava fields and other sites have clues about ways people live and worked on the vast Kahuku lands — from the earliest Hawaiians, through generations of ranching families, to the current staff and volunteers of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
Learn about the powerful natural forces at work here and how people have adapted to, shaped and restored this land.
The guided hike is offered from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. July 19 and 27, Aug. 23, and Sept. 13 and 28.
Enter the Kahuku unit on the mauka side of Highway 11 near mile marker 70.5, and meet near the parking area.
Sturdy footwear, water, raingear, sun protection and a snack are recommended.
Ohia lehua
Learn about the vital role of ohia lehua in native Hawaiian forests, the many forms of the tree, and the lehua flower.
Visitors will be able to identify the many differences of the most prominent native tree in Kahuku during this program, which is an easy, one mile (or less) walk. The program is offered from 1-2 p.m. during the annual Cultural Festival and from 9:30-10:30 a.m. July 20, Aug. 3 and Sept. 7.
Meet near the parking area.
Sturdy footwear, water, raingear, sun protection and a snack are recommended.
Pu‘u o Lokuana
This is a short, moderately difficult 0.4 mile hike to the top of the grassy cinder cone, Pu‘u o Lokuana.
Learn about the formation and various uses of this hill through time and enjoy a breathtaking view of lower Ka‘u. This hike is offered from 10 a.m.-11 a.m. during the annual Cultural Festival and again from 9:30-10:30 a.m. Friday, Aug. 15, (Statehood Day holiday).
Meet near the parking area.
Sturdy footwear, water, raingear, sun protection and a snack are recommended.
Kahuku: Born from a Hotspot
Learn about the birth of the islands from the Hawaiian hotspot, and about the past eruptions that impacted Kahuku, which straddles the Southwest Rift Zone of Mauna Loa.
Visitors will be able to identify various pu‘u (hills) and other volcanic features, and learn about their formation.
“Kahuku: Born from a Hotspot” will be offered from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 17, and Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 1.
Meet near the parking area.
Sturdy footwear, water, raingear, sun protection and a snack are recommended.
Hi‘iaka &Pele
Participants will discover two fascinating Hawaiian goddesses, sisters Pele and Hi‘iaka, and the natural phenomena they represent.
Visitors will experience the sisters coming alive through the epic stories depicted in the natural landscape of Kahuku on this easy 1.7 mile walk on the main road in Kahuku.
The program is offered from 9:30-11 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 21.
Meet near the parking area.
Sturdy footwear, water, raingear, sun protection and a snack are recommended.
