Puna, Hawaii
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Puna is one of the 9 districts of Hawaii County on the
Island of Hawaii Hawaii is the List of islands of the United States by area, largest island in the United States, located in the Hawaii, state of Hawaii, the southernmost state in the union. It is the southeasternmost of the Hawaiian Islands, a chain of volcani ...
(Big Island; County of Hawaii). It is located on the windward side (east side) of the island and shares borders with South
Hilo Hilo () is the largest settlement in and the county seat of Hawaii County, Hawaiʻi, United States, which encompasses the Island of Hawaiʻi, and is a census-designated place (CDP). The population was 44,186 according to the 2020 census. I ...
district in the north and Kaū district in the west.Hawaii County Data Book
With a size of just under or 500 sq. miles, Puna is slightly smaller than the island of
Kauai Kauai (), anglicized as Kauai ( or ), is one of the main Hawaiian Islands. It has an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), making it the fourth-largest of the islands and the 21st-largest island in the United States. Kauai lies 73 m ...
. Puna cropland supports
floriculture Floriculture (from ) is the study of the efficient production of the plants that produce showy, colorful flowers and foliage for human enjoyment in human environments. It is a commercially successful branch of horticulture and agriculture found ...
, nurseries and
macadamia nuts ''Macadamia'' is a genus of four species of trees in the flowering plant family Proteaceae. They are indigenous to Australia—specifically, northeastern New South Wales and central and southeastern Queensland. Two species of the genus are comm ...
. Most of the state’s
papayas The papaya (, ), papaw, () or pawpaw () is the plant species ''Carica papaya'', one of the 21 accepted species in the genus ''Carica'' of the family Caricaceae, and also the name of its fruit. It was first domesticated in Mesoamerica, within ...
crops are grown in the lower Puna area which is regarded as the best place in the Islands to grow the crop. The Puna District is subject to frequent lava eruptions and flows, which include the complete destruction of the community of Kapoho, a result of the devastating 2018 lower Puna eruption, as Puna is located on a volcanic rift zone of Kilauea Volcano.


History


Kingdom of Hawaii

Kalama's map of 1837 shows that Puna was a Moku (traditional district) covering the southeastern corner of the island before the great mahele of the
Hawaiian Kingdom The Hawaiian Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi ( Hawaiian: ɛ ɐwˈpuni həˈvɐjʔi, was an archipelagic country from 1795 to 1893, which eventually encompassed all of the inhabited Hawaiian Islands. It was established in 1795 w ...
.


Recent lava activity

Kīlauea is one of the world's most active volcanoes, and until August 2018 was continuously in action since 1983 along Kīlauea's East Rift Zone, and closely monitored by th
Hawaii Volcano Observatory
The Royal Gardens subdivision and the villages of Kaimu and Kalapana were largely destroyed by lava flows and in the Fall of 2014, lava briefly touched the outskirts of Pahoa, the main village in Puna, before halting and seeking a new course south into the ocean at Kamokuna. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, when constructed, had two entrances. The entrance from lower Puna was cut off in 1986, and several miles of the road along the ocean were covered by several flows that occurred over the course of the eruption. Millions of tourists came each year to witness the spectacle of a torrent of lava plunging into the sea and exploding as it hit the water. Lava flows continued to add new land to the old shoreline, often resulting in an unstable delta that periodically formed cracks and broke off into the sea; visitors were provided with viewing stations at a safe distance.


2014 lava flow

In June 2014, a
lava flow Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a Natural satellite, moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a Fissure vent, fractu ...
dubbed the June 27th flow started flowing from a vent of a spatter cone called
Puʻu ʻŌʻō Puu Ōō (also spelled Pu‘u‘ō‘ō, and often written Puu Oo, , ) is a volcanic cone on the eastern rift zone of Kīlauea volcano in the Hawaiian Islands. The eruption that created Puu Ōō began on January 3, 1983, and continued nearly co ...
on the east
rift zone A rift zone is a feature of some volcanoes, especially shield volcanoes, in which a set of linear cracks (or rifts) develops in a volcanic edifice, typically forming into two or three well-defined regions along the flanks of the vent. Believed ...
of
Kīlauea Kīlauea ( , ) is an active shield volcano in the Hawaiian Islands. It is located along the southeastern shore of Hawaii (island), Hawaii Island. The volcano is between 210,000 and 280,000 years old and grew above sea level about 100,000 years ...
Volcano A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most oft ...
in a northwest direction towards the villages of Kaohe Homesteads and Pahoa. In early September it appeared that the lava flow was en route to the small community of Kaohe Homesteads. Community leaders and state officials began to draw up plans for evacuations and the mayor signed an emergency proclamation as residents of the Kaohe Homesteads subdivision learned that lava from Kilauea Volcano was just away and could reach them within a week. On September 13, a release from the
Hawaiian Volcano Observatory The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) is an agency of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and one of five volcano observatories operating under the USGS Volcano Hazards Program. Based in Hilo, Hawaii on the Island of Hawaii, the obser ...
stated that the flow had begun to shift away from the subdivision as it had interacted with both the cracks and down-dropped blocks within the East Rift Zone of Kīlauea volcano and a natural valley that leveled away from Kaohe Homesteads. In early October 2014, the lava flow was heading towards the community of Pahoa, Hawaii. On October 25, the flow had crossed Cemetery Road at Apa'a Road near the Pahoa Recycling and Transfer Station, a waste/trash station, which was closed and relocated due to the lava flow. The flow was quickly advancing on a nearby cemetery and triggered the first series of evacuations. On November 10, the flow claimed a home. Officials feared that if the lava flow continued on its path it would cover and close the only route in and out of lower Puna, Highway 130. On October 22, The
National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...
announced that it would help state and county officials create an emergency route along 8 miles of the buried Chain of Craters Road in order to help Puna residents who would lose access to the rest of Hawai‘i if that lava flow covered Highway 130. Construction of the Chain of Craters alternate route began by making a path over a wall of lava rock covering the road in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The $12 million to $15.5 million route, to be re-established between the park and Kalapana as a gravel road, would have been the only road in and out of lower Puna, if the June 27 lava flow had made its way to the sea. The park closed the end of Chain of Craters Road as construction began. Nearly 8 miles of the roadway, officially known as Chain of Craters Road inside the park and Highway 130 outside of it, had been covered by past flows from the ongoing Puʻu ʻŌʻō eruption that threatened Pahoa. Chain of Craters Road, which opened in 1965, had portions blocked or covered by lava for 37 years of its 49-year existence, according to the park. The road is about 19 miles long inside the park. The lava flow stopped just short of the village of Pahoa. In 2016 a new flow (called Episode 61G by the
United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on Mar ...
) emerged from
Puʻu ʻŌʻō Puu Ōō (also spelled Pu‘u‘ō‘ō, and often written Puu Oo, , ) is a volcanic cone on the eastern rift zone of Kīlauea volcano in the Hawaiian Islands. The eruption that created Puu Ōō began on January 3, 1983, and continued nearly co ...
in a southerly direction, the shortest way to the ocean, across an area that had been covered in lava during the preceding decades. The emergency road connecting Hwy 130 to the Chain of Craters Road was severed by the new flow. In 2018 this road was again cleared through the 2016 lava to provide emergency access around the 2018 lower Puna eruption.


2018 eruption

On May 3, 2018, a fissure opened and lava started spewing out on Mohala Street in Leilani Estates. By June 5, 2018, reports from Hawai'i County officials indicated that hundreds of homes in several subdivisions had been destroyed by the ongoing eruption. By early August, when the eruption ended, over 13.7 square miles had been covered by lava, including about 875 acres of new land offshore. File:USGS Kīlauea image-405.jpg, Map of ongoing intrusion and earthquake activity along Kīlauea's East Rift Zone (May 2, 2018) File:USGS Kīlauea multimediaFile-1936.jpg, Collapse in the crater of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō, creating an ash plume (May 3, 2018) File:USGS Kīlauea multimediaFile-1938.jpg, Eruption in the Leilani Estates subdivision (May 3, 2018) File:USGS Kīlauea multimediaFile-1955.jpg, Lava from a fissure slowly advanced to the northeast on Hoʻokāpu Street in Leilani Estates subdivision (May 5, 2018) File:USGS Kīlauea image-409.jpg, Map of the locations of eruptive fissures (May 5, 2018)


Geography


Communities

For statistical purposes, the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
has defined many of these communities as a
census-designated places A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...
(CDP). The census definition of these areas may not precisely correspond to local understanding of the area with the same name. * Āinaloa * Black Sands * Eden Roc * Fern Acres * Fern Forest * Glenwood * Hawaiian Acres * Hawaiian Beaches * Hawaiian Paradise Park * Kalapana * Kapoho * Keaau * Kehena * Kurtistown * Leilani Estates * Mountain View * Nānāwale Estates * Orchidland * Pāhoa * Vacationland Hawaii * Volcano Village


Housing

The affordable housing prices have led to an enormous increase in developments in Puna, and have made this district the fastest growing area on the Big Island. Between 1990 and 2020 the population increased by 150% and slightly surpassed the population of the South Hilo district (including the city of Hilo), which in comparison only grew by about 15%. However, between 2002 and 2006 the price of houses more than doubled and the price of vacant land increased over fivefold, as increasing numbers of people from outside the district (often from the mainland U.S.) bought into the last affordable market in the state.
Homeowners Insurance Home insurance, also commonly called homeowner's insurance (often abbreviated in the US real estate industry as HOI), is a type of property insurance that covers a private residence. It is an insurance policy that combines various personal insur ...
can be more difficult to secure in the parts of Puna that are located in Lava Flow Hazard Zones 1 or 2. The entire
Kīlauea Kīlauea ( , ) is an active shield volcano in the Hawaiian Islands. It is located along the southeastern shore of Hawaii (island), Hawaii Island. The volcano is between 210,000 and 280,000 years old and grew above sea level about 100,000 years ...
rift zone region is in Zone 1, while the southeastern slope is in Zone 2. Most home insurance companies will not cover homes in Zone 1 or 2 for values over $350,000. Most of the volcanic destruction of private property in Hawaii since the 20th century has occurred in lower Puna, including the destruction of sections of Kapoho, Royal Gardens, Kalapana and Kaimū. Since 1983 (but prior to 2018), lava flows destroyed about 190 structures and covered approximately 50 square miles out of the 500 square miles of Puna. Living in Puna has some other unique considerations. For example, most homes in Puna rely on rainwater catchment for their household water. This lack of water availability for firefighting is also an issue with insurance companies.


Climate

The climate is a mild tropical climate with abundant rainfall, especially in the northern parts and areas of higher elevation. The terrain is characterized by gentle slopes with no defined waterways. Although rainfall is occasionally very heavy (one storm in 2003 brought 36 inches (90 cm) of rain in 24 hours), flooding is rare due to the slope and porosity of the volcanic rock. The vegetation ranges from
rainforest Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...
to desert shrub and coastal strand. Large areas of native forest are present in the Wao Kele o Puna and Kahauala tracts.


Places of interest

Besides visiting the active
Kīlauea Kīlauea ( , ) is an active shield volcano in the Hawaiian Islands. It is located along the southeastern shore of Hawaii (island), Hawaii Island. The volcano is between 210,000 and 280,000 years old and grew above sea level about 100,000 years ...
volcano and the formerly active and now cooled lava flows in the area of Kalapana, another interesting site within the Puna district was the heated tide pools at Ahalanui Beach Park (aka Pualaa County Park), where spring water was naturally heated through geothermal energy and this mixed with ocean water along the shoreline. Prior to the eruption in 1960 at Kapoho, the pools were not heated but were cold; in 2018 the park was overrun by lava. *
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
, (the entrance is inside the district of Kaū) * Issac Hale Beach Park (Pohoiki) (was heavily effected by the 2018 eruption and has since reopened) * Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Corporation


Notable people

* Arthur Johnsen, Artist * William "Billy" Kenoi, Mayor of Hawaii County (2008–2016) * Harry Kim, Mayor of Hawaii County (2000–2008 and 2016-2020) * Jason Scott Lee, Actor, owner and creator of Ulua Theatre, Volcano Village resident * Joseph Nāwahī, Native Hawaiian legislator, newspaper publisher, and painter * Emily Naeole, Hawaii County CouncilwomanHawaii County Council Biography
* Abra Moore, Folk-styled rock singer-songwriter * William H. Shipman, Founder of W. H. Shipman Ltd., agricultural entrepreneur, and major private land owner in Puna


Gallery

File:Metrosideros polymorpha.jpg, Ōhiā lehua is the predominant endemic tree found in Puna. File:KalapanaPlume2008.jpg, Kupaianaha lava flow plume in Puna near Kalapana. File:Three Waikupanaha and one Ki lava ocean entries w-edit2.jpg, Three entries plus Waikupanaha in April 2008. File:Starr 050423-6662 Santalum ellipticum.jpg,
Sandalwood Sandalwood is a class of woods from trees in the genus ''Santalum''. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and, unlike many other aromatic woods, they retain their fragrance for decades. Sandalwood oil is extracted from the woods. Sanda ...
was abundant in Puna prior to the early 1820s. File:Sugar cane madeira hg.jpg, Sugarcane was the main agricultural product in Puna for the 20th century. File:MacNut2.JPG, Macadamia nuts, pictured here in the shell & as a dry roasted nut, are still a significant agricultural industry in Puna. File:Coffee Flowers Show.jpg, Coffee was the main crop in the 1800s for Puna and has recently made a return. File:Koeh-029.jpg, Papaya from Hawaii is almost exclusively from Puna. File:Hawaii Lava Tree State Park 000.jpg,
Albizia ''Albizia'' is a genus of more than 160 species of mostly fast-growing subtropical and tropical trees and shrubs in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae. The genus is pantropical, occurring in Asia, Africa, Madagascar, America and A ...
trees are a seriously invasive species throughout the District of Puna, as evidenced by this picture near the "Tree Tunnel" at Lava Tree State Park. File:Kilauea-flow-map 01.jpg, A map showing the flow direction of the June 27th Lava Flow (as of 11/24/14). File:Island of Hawai'i - Landsat mosaic.jpg, This satellite image shows how most of Puna is covered in a lush green canopy, with some visible lava flows in the District of Puna. File:Kilauea Lava Hazard Map.gif, All of the eastern flank of
Kīlauea Kīlauea ( , ) is an active shield volcano in the Hawaiian Islands. It is located along the southeastern shore of Hawaii (island), Hawaii Island. The volcano is between 210,000 and 280,000 years old and grew above sea level about 100,000 years ...
lies within the District of Puna with a small portion of
Mauna Loa Mauna Loa (, ; ) is one of five volcanoes that form the Island of Hawaii in the U.S. state of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. Mauna Loa is Earth's largest active volcano by both mass and volume. It was historically considered to be the largest ...
running along the northern boundary. The flows erupted since 1800 are shown in gray and dated. Twenty-eight percent of the area encompassed by Zones 1 and 2 on the east half of the volcano have been covered by lava since 1955. The major housing subdivisions of Puna are shown in green.


References

{{Hawaii County, Hawaii Districts of Hawaii County, Hawaii Geography of Hawaii (island)