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The tube was closed for a year Mar 2020/Mar 2021.
The park closed the lava tube following the 2018 eruption and summit collapse of Kīlauea, reopened it in February 2020, then the pandemic struck and it closed again. During the eruption, large rocks were dislodged in the ceiling and new cracks appeared. A geomorphologist, mining engineer and other specialists determined Nāhuku could be reopened if safety mitigations were met. Two crack monitors were installed, and a low-hanging rock was marked off to prevent head injuries. Data from the monitors reveals little change in the cave’s structural integrity.
Nāhuku was first publicized in 1913 by Lorrin Thurston, a Honolulu publisher and proponent for establishing the national park. Nāhuku means “the protuberances” in Hawaiian, and possibly refers to the lava stalactites that once covered its ceiling but were taken by souvenir collectors. During the recent closures, long, delicate roots from ʻōhiʻa trees that grow on top of the underground tube now reach the floor in some areas. Colonies of white microbial matter thrive on the cave walls.
The park closed the lava tube following the 2018 eruption and summit collapse of Kīlauea, reopened it in February 2020, then the pandemic struck and it closed again. During the eruption, large rocks were dislodged in the ceiling and new cracks appeared. A geomorphologist, mining engineer and other specialists determined Nāhuku could be reopened if safety mitigations were met. Two crack monitors were installed, and a low-hanging rock was marked off to prevent head injuries. Data from the monitors reveals little change in the cave’s structural integrity.
Nāhuku was first publicized in 1913 by Lorrin Thurston, a Honolulu publisher and proponent for establishing the national park. Nāhuku means “the protuberances” in Hawaiian, and possibly refers to the lava stalactites that once covered its ceiling but were taken by souvenir collectors. During the recent closures, long, delicate roots from ʻōhiʻa trees that grow on top of the underground tube now reach the floor in some areas. Colonies of white microbial matter thrive on the cave walls.