When the volcano blows…no seriously! Kilauea erupted when our family was on the Big Island!
A visit to the Big Island wouldn’t be complete without the quiet hope that you’ll be there when Kilauea erupts. Never in a million years did we expect this to be the case, and we certainly didn’t plan for it but it happened, and was life-changing for us all.
What started as an idea to spend a few days with our family learning about lava, turned into the experience of a lifetime. It was the day before we were flying from Oahu to the Big Island and we decided to see if we could get a reservation at the restaurant at the Volcano House called the Rim. There weren’t any rooms available so we figured we’d go for dinner and enjoy exploring with our kids.
We arrived to Hilo, picked up our rental car, grabbed supplies at Target (yes, there are Targets on 4 of the islands) and headed over to the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel where we would be staying for two nights. We stopped by the Hilo Farmer’s Market for some snacks, hit up Big Island Candies for sweets, then took our time settling in. Our dinner reservation wasn’t until 8:30 p.m. so we decided to head to the Volcano House before sunset to see things while it was still light out. As a pro tip, make sure to book your reservation well in advance if you can. The one slot available was 8:30 p.m. and we were only able to secure the reservation because we called and asked; the online system showed no availability.
As we got closer, we noticed the sky was turning a gorgeous, mysterious red and there was something accumulating on the roads. Neither my husband nor I had checked the news or looked at social media that day as we were distracted with traveling from Oahu and making sure the kids were safe and soaking it all in. We truly had no idea what was going on. We got to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and there was a long line of cars. Barricades were blocking the entrance and everyone was being turned away. When we got to the Park Rangers standing guard, I told them we had a dinner reservation. They asked me to show proof and luckily I had a text message confirming our time for dinner. With that, they opened the gates and let us through.
After talking to another Ranger about parking, we found a spot and started to get the kids ready. Rain jackets – check! Umbrella – check! Jack’s play binoculars – check! Mom and Dad’s real camera – check! I popped out of the car to get something from the trunk and realized the ground was crunching under my feet. I was wearing Rothy’s flats (LOVE, they truly can go anywhere and be tossed in the washer afterwards) and was glad I had a sweater under my rain jacket. We had no idea what we were about to walk into.
As we entered the building, it was buzzing like the movies. Phones ringing. Huge screens with what we thought were videos of the volcano erupting. As we moved towards the caldera, we realized those weren’t videos…they were live streams! Kilauea was erupting! Two massive spouts were shooting lava 1,500 feet into the air – that’s higher than the Empire State Building (or Sears Tower if you’re a real Chicagoan, IYKYK),
We couldn’t believe our eyes. This was it. Everything you dream of but never believe will actually happen. We were there. It was right before sunset. Mother Earth was putting on a show and not only were Tony and I able to experience it, we had our kids with us too. They got to witness Pele in full force! Jack loved it; he wanted to climb a hill so we could get an even better view. Mia was cool with it, but preferred having snacks and staying warm inside.
We took turns soaking it all in. I went outside alone first, thanked Mother Earth, and bowed to Pele. It was downright spiritual. I headed in to watch the kids so Tony could get amazing footage. We all checked out the gift shop and enjoyed the fire (which was famously lit continuously for 133 years until it went out on New Years Day in 2010). We noticed the buzz from the staff was starting to intensify. They told us the eruption was about to end. We were at the window watching when the fountains finished spewing, surrounded by people clapping for joy. That was it. An experience beyond my wildest dreams. We saw it. The kids saw it. Our family was forever changed.
Cue the music! Right when we didn’t think things could get any better, my phone buzzed and our dinner reservation was ready. We sat down next to floor-to-ceiling windows where we could see the caldera glowing with lava. Dinner was a lovely buffet. We finished with ice cream and headed back to the car still processing what we had just witnessed.
The rest of our visit to Hilo was picturesque. We took our time. There was a park near the hotel you could easily walk through and enjoy views of Kilauea and Mauna Kea. Tony and Jack checked out the fish in the tide pools. The kids played with balloons in the room and we did a taste test of our Big Island Candies sweets on the lanai. It was a trip we’ll always remember. Magic moments indeed. ✨
