We stopped at Keanakako'i, Cave of the adz. The old Hawaiian's use to use the dense basalt to made adz (vertical axe) which was then used to hallow out canoes. The area is a collapsed feature on the NE rift zones.
We then hiked the Napau Trail. We walked along a prehistoric cinder cone callled Pu'u Huluhulu. From the top of the cone you can see Makaopuhi, the largest pit crater which is 1 mile wide and 500 feet deep. You can also see Pu'u'o'o, a fuming cinder cone. Also viewed Mauna Ulu, which erupted between 1969-1974. It produced enough lava to cover 17 sq. miles and some of the lava reached the ocean.
We then stopped at Helina Palie, which is a 1500' fault scarp. The by is riding on the headwall of the scarp. The cliff formed due to volcanic eruptions. Lava flows over the palie and speeds up on the way to the ocean and will break up forming skylights along the way. Earthquakes can cause laba benches to drop drastically.
After some downtime, we headed out to Kupaianaha Lava shield. Since it was nice time, we were able to see where the lava was flowing due to the skylights along the path. It was interesting to think back that a few days before we were walking right over where this was taking place. After viewing the lava, we enjoyed just looking at the night sky and all the stars that were out and about. While picking out constellations, we were treated to a few meteorids. Hearing the waves crash along the shoreline, the peeping of the tree frogs and smelling the scents of the flowers made for a very relaxing and enjoyable night.
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