Kaumana caves

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Dahna: We decided to hire bikes for a couple of days (US$20 a day) and just stay based at the hostel for a few nights. We rode five miles up a pretty steep (well steep enough) hill to Kaumana caves. Not a very long ride, especially considering Jono's brother (ode to you Martin) is currently riding around eastern Turkey to Syria and Lebanon to Iran, Central Asia and onwards to Russia. BUT it was enough to make my legs feel it after having not done much exercise since leaving home.

The caves were only marked by a small road side sign and had a pretty run-down car park and toilet block. The locals obviously don't consider it a tourist attraction.

The "caves" are actually massive old lava tubes formed by an 1881 lava flow from Mauna Loa. As the flow subsided, the outer edges of the deep lava stream cooled and crusted over to form a tube as the hot molten stuff (lava) drained out. It was awesome to walk though. It was drippy and wet and we didn't have spare batteries or helmets so did not venture too far into them, but far enough to be well and truly away from any outside sunlight. amazing feeling to be walking through a passage way that only 100 years ago was flowing with hot lava, and having no one else about... so that you could hear the dripping water and the beating of your own heart.

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