Steam Vents

One of our last trips on the big island was to the volcanic steam vents. These are part of a lava flow that went through the east side of the big island in the 1950's. There are big pockets and cracks in the now hardened lava that hold heat, and as this is a rainy area steam as well. Some of these pockets have puka or holes just large enough for a person to get through and on the other side are large steamy cavey spaces. Many have been loved by locals and had benches and wooden ladders to ease the experience.

The first cave that we came up to had a very tiny hole to get in. I was a little apprehensive and let almost everyone else go in first. I aimed for feet first and it was surprisingly easy to get in and very large on the inside. We stayed there for a while and then decided to move on to a warmer puka. The next puka that we went to was much larger, and we needed a ladder to get down into it. The cave space had 3 small benches, but there was barely room for the four of us that went. We brought lots of water and went through it quickly, and we left with very soft skin. Unfortunately my camera would not have been safe here between the heat and the steam, so I left it at hedo.