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Virtual
Lava Tube Cave Hiking
Adventure on Maui |
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Below is our lava cave exploration experience on the island of Maui...
Click here to
see the cave map full size
 Ka'eleku
Caverns is the 18th largest cavern system in the world. Maui Cave Adventures in Hana
offers guided explorations of Ka'eleku Caverns to suit all cave-exploring adventurers! The
adventures are not excessively strenuous but you must be steady on your feet, you will be
walking on a lava cave floor covered with gravel and uneven rock surfaces. A scenic
walking tour and a "wild" adventure tour are offered daily. The walking takes
you about a half mile deep into the winding volcanic lava tube system where powerful
flashlights enable adventurers to check out interesting rock formations, stalagmites, and
stalactites caused by lava flows thousands of years ago. The "Wild" Adventure
Tour covers all the same territory as the walking tour but goes deeper into the cave and
has optional climbing and crawl adventures that take you to see hidden rooms and
interesting formations. On our recent visit to Maui we ventured on the "Wild"
Adventure Tour and below is an account of our adventure...
Ka'eleku Caverns check-in house and gardens |
Cavern entrance covered in flowers and ferns |
Upon checking
in flashlights, gloves, water and a snack are provided with a fanny pack to carry your
stuff or a spare flashlight. We recommend bringing a camera but don't plan to bring much
more than that because you need to travel light. After a quick briefing with a question
and answer session we were ready to hit the trail.
The cavern entrance is one of two sources of natural light entering the cave. |
Rare "Corncob" Mineral Stalagmite.
This is the only one known like it in Maui! |
Our guide,
Chuck is very knowledgeable about Ka'eleku Caverns and where all of the geological
formations on the floors, ceilings and walls can be seen and how they were formed. From
the entrance and through out the cave Chuck stopped to point out interesting formations,
cracks, and side tube openings. He had a super bright light in addition to our already
powerful flashlights to enable us to get better perspectives of our surroundings and for
better lighting for photos.
Chuck shows how after the lava stopped flowing through the tube the clues left behind tell
what type of activity took place to create what can be seen today. |
With no light, taking good cave photos takes a strong light or strobe flash for automatic
cameras. Be sure you are stabilized for long exposures. |
Being inside
the cave is cool, but not cold, and very quiet except for water dripping and cinders
crunching under your feet. There aren't any bats, spiders, or mosquitoes found in the
cave. It's pitch black in there and you can't see a foot in front of your face without
flashlights, except for the areas with skylights. It is amazing to see what surrounds you
when you shine your flashlight around.
Hard chocolatey looking stalactites of lava coat the ceiling of one area of the cave. |
The Pahoehoe lava filled the cavern and drained quickly leaving smooth gray colored walls
in another area of the cave. |
Several
sections of the cave look like they're coated in smooth and creamy chocolate frosting! A
rush of hot smooth brown lava flowed into the already formed lava tube filling up to the
ceiling before breaking through. There are areas that look like chocolate brownies caused
by the lava hardening on top and cracking as pressure pushed up from within as the gasses
in the lava cooled and expanded.
A bit of lava seeping through a crack in the wall. |
The edge of the smooth and chocolatey lava flow. |
Since it's
original formation thirty thousand years ago successive lava flows have entered the cave
through fissures, other tubes, or through the entrances of the cave. Flood waters have
also come into the cave bringing in some sticks, cow bones, and debris.
The cavern is full of side trails with tight squeezes and narrow ways. Some lead to dead
ends and some rooms yet to be explored! |
"The Boat Hull" is a solid cylindrical lava flow. |
Everywhere
you look you'll see one fascinating thing after another. Stalactites and stalagmites
abound in the cave as you might expect. If you get confused between stalagmites and
stalactites, think of the "g" in stalagmites as standing for the
"ground" they rise from, and the "c" in stalactites as standing for
ceiling they hang from.
 |
An interesting glob was formed when a sulphurous lava flow coated the ceiling and, because
of the nature of the lava not to adhere, this glob fell to the floor into what is best
described as "The Dog Poop" formation. |
We're only a
little more than halfway through the tour and it's time to take a little break and have a
snack. Chuck is actually the owner of Maui Cave Adventures and has explored caves around
the world. Our group listened as Chuck regaled us with stories of his explorations of
submarine and subterranean caves.
We're in a cavern with 30-40 foot high ceilings. |
This "brownie crust" form has a smooth cracked surface. |
Our adventure
had already been filled with "Wild" discoveries and when the really wild part
began. We climbed up a chimney tube to gain access to a upper level ledge area with
interesting stalagmites including the only known white "corncob" stalagmite.
Climbing up a rocky ledge for a view of a unique stalagmite or up a twenty foot ladder to
secret chambers are just a sample of the excitement on this exploration.
Suddenly, I'm just half the man I used to be!
Be sure when you go to watch your knees and elbows in these tight spots like this chimney
vent shown above. |
Kim making her way up the cave wall with a rope. |
In the late
1990's Chuck single handedly dug out a blockage in the cave which opened access to a
portion of the lava cave that was perfectly preserved in the condition it was left when it
was created. In the exploration of the cave Chuck found no evidence that any other humans
had ever been in that portion of the cave. He has found a couple of skeletons of a variety
of bats that are now extinct. There are still many areas of the cave yet discovered. We
were fortunate to be able to go into a new area of the cave Chuck recently discovered. It
is exciting to know you are one of the few people on earth that will ever enjoy the
amazing beauty that was created in the cave. On our adventure we all were very careful not
to break off any stalagmites or stalactites in order to preserve the integrity of the
cave.
Our group of four in a smooth dead-end cave. |
There are golden mineral deposits and calcium and lime from the moisture seeping into the
cave |
There's no
shortage of little nooks to tuck yourselves into, but we never felt cramped or
claustrophobic. It's really comfortable in the cave and is a nice place to investigate
even for someone who's a little sheepish. All side adventures are optional so if anything
isn't comfortable for you then you do not have to do it. But don't be afraid to challenge
yourself. It is worth it!
Slipping down an innocent hole to discover another room in the lava cave
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Investigating a small "puka" hole near the ceiling.
|
We continue
on our journey into the deeper parts of the cavern where we get to scootch and belly crawl
into a secret room where we turned off all of our lights and appreciated the quiet,
blackness, and the depth of the caves.
It's a little bit of a tight squeeze... |
but with a little wiggling and scooching soon your enter into another room in the cave |
Cave
exploration is something few nature lovers ever get to experience and we enjoyed every
inch of Ka'eleku Caverns. Chuck was an excellent guide and was very helpful to us all, we
were all very appreciative of his knowledge and guidance.
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