Hawaii, Hawaii

Hawaii is a state. It is also a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean. It is also the name of one of those islands! The Island of Hawaii is the youngest of the Hawaiian Islands. These islands were created by volcanoes on the floor of the ocean. The volcanoes are still active so the Island of Hawaii is still growing. There is a new island developing beyond the Island of Hawaii. It is still underwater. In about 60,000 years it will break the surface of the ocean and become the newest island in the Hawaiian Islands.

	Kona is where Kona Coffee is grown. This coffee grows well on the upper slopes of the volcanoes. Clouds are common over the island mountains. This provides the shade that the coffee plants need to grow properly. We saw the famous "Painted Church".
	The early Hawaiians believed that God could not see them inside buildings. The first Priest of this church painted outdoor and Biblical scenes on the walls and ceiling of this church.
	This is known as the "Refuge". If the early Hawaiians had committed a taboo (done something they should not have done) they could be killed as punished. If they could get to this "Refuge" then their taboo could be forgiven. It was very difficult to get to this place. Many did not make it.
Here is a home like the early Hawaiians would have lived in. Note the open sides. They did not have to be protected from cold. They only needed protection from rain.
		Here I am watching a Hawaiian craftsman building a canoe.
This appears to be a bed of stones. It is the base of an old Hawaiian temple.
		We went down to the reef in a submarine. We had large porthole that let us see underwater. We went down to around 100 feet underwater.
Many different fish could be seen.
Volcano National Park
	Volcanic lava flows are very good for growing plants. It takes time for the soil to develop. When it does the growth is thick and beautiful.
Sometime when molten lava flows fast, the outside may cool and harden before the inside. When the eruption is over the molten lava flow out leaving a lava tube. Here we were able to walk into one of these lave tubes.
	The volcano was high and the air cool. Warm drafts from the steam vents could be felt. They also smelled like rotten eggs (sulfur).
	Here we are looking down into the crater. Steam can be seen rising at the left.
		At the left you can see the  lava flow on the floor of the crater. This has happened within the last 20 years.
	The landscape in Volcano National Park looked like something from another planet. If fact they trained our Astronauts on the volcanic land near here.

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