Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
HAWAIIAN EDVENTURES
monitor active volcanoes
HILO, HAWAII
We don't do drive-by tourism. We don't ever sit in a bus and say, 'This is
Rainbow Falls.' We experience it.
—Judith Fox-Goldstein, director of Hawaiian EDventures
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There are 500 active volcanoes in the world, and two of the most active are on Hawaii's
Big Island—which makes it a great place to study lava, ash flows, tephra, and other volcanic
ejecta that burst forth from the conical mountains. Thanks to the University of Hawaii-Hilo,
which has teamed up with Destination Hilo and the state's Department of Business, Economic
Development, and Tourism, you can spend an entire week learning about volcanoes. One of
the first things you'll learn is that Mauna Kea, one of the three active volcanoes on your it-
inerary, is taller than Mount Everest: If you measure it from its base on the ocean floor to its
summit, it rises 33,476 feet (Mount Everest towers 29,035 feet from sea level). You'll also
learn that the Hawaiian Islands, as well as 80 percent of the rest of the world, wouldn't be here
if it weren't for volcanoes.
On this three-island, three-volcano “EDventure,” you'll study with scientists from the
University of Hawaii-Hilo, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, and the Center for the Study
of Active Volcanoes, exploring lava tubes, trekking across historic lava flows, and learning
basic field methods in volcano monitoring. You'll collect seismic, geodetic, and geochemical
data and learn how to interpret it. But volcanoes aren't the only thing you can study through
Hawaiian EDventures, which custom designs each new adventure.
“A typical day can consist of any number of activities, depending on what you're inter-
ested in learning,” says Judith Fox-Goldstein, director of the program, which has won several
travel and business awards. “You can learn how to weave lauhala baskets and string lei with
Kupuna
(elders), study the stars at the Mauna Kea Observatory, or plant taro with farmers in
Waipio Valley.”
In 1990, Hawaiian EDventures began to offer programs that “you can't do as a regular
visitor.” At last count, there were more than 75 programs, each integrating academic, cultural,
