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The NPS's Volcano House Hotel Concession

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Early Tourist at Volcano By David Miranda © 2009  For all the anticipation and excitement that a trip to the Hawaiian Islands presents to the modern traveler; with mental images of Waikiki and Diamond Head, it is astounding that the first commercial accommodation for the visiting tourist was in fact the Volcano House. The ancients, of course, did journey through the forests and uplands to honor the deity Pele at her home in Kīlauea’s Halemaʻumaʻu Crater. And they traveled to the summit of Mauna Loa as well; the remains of their ancient trails still present on the mountain today. But this was home and Pele was very real and present to them. They were not tourist in the true sense of the word. In the early 1800’s, the splendor of Kīlauea began attracting many notable personages. Around 1824, the High Chiefess Kapiolani with an entourage visited Kīlauea. They stayed in a small thatched house near the rim of the caldera. A second grass house replaced this and in 1861 a third grass house was erected. A few years later; in 1866, American author Mark Twain visited Kīlauea, traveling on horseback from the Kau district of Hawaiʻi Island. He stayed at this grass thatched Volcano House, taking in the view of Kīlauea from its porch with his companions. He found it to be “a neat little cottage with four bedrooms, a large parlor and dining room…”. In his journal he comments on the red glow of the molten lava reflected on the faces of his companions and wall of the porch, as they sat contemplating the scene before them. The Kingdom of Hawaiʻi was thriving in the later 1800’s. King Kalaukaua was a traveling emissary; seeking new ways to increase Hawaiʻi’s economy. His efforts were many. In 1875, a Treaty of cont'd on "People"people.htmlshapeimage_2_link_0

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NPS's Volcano House Hotel Concession


The historic Volcano House is Hawaiʻi's oldest continually operated hotel.¹ The name "Volcano House" was first used by Hilo businessman Benjamin Pitman, Sr., when in 1846, he built a grass hut on the northeastern side of the crater and appropriately called it the "Volcano House"; a name which has been continuously used for all subsequent versions built since 1846.²
The present structure is located in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi at 4,000 ft. elevation. The building sits at the edge of Kīlauea caldera and offers breathtaking views of the Halemaʻumaʻu crater and vent, and Mauna Loa mountain. The Volcano House hotel is the only hotel within 30 miles of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.


The facility offers 32 guest rooms, 2 boutiques, a restaurant and dining room with a capacity of 245, a bar/lounge with a capacity of 75, and spectacular views of Kīlauea and Halemaʻumaʻu craters. The hotel is situated directly across the road from the National Parkʻs Visitor Information Center and Volcano Art Center. Hiking trails are plentiful and lead directly from the facility into the Kīlauea caldera and Kīlauea Iki crater, lava tubes and surrounding steam vents and forest.


A former dormitory, located just yards from the main hotel is included in the concession.


Nāmakani Paio Campground


The concession's accommodations also include
the Nāmakani Paio Campground, located 3 miles from the hotel. Namakani Paio is named after a very special wind which sweeps through the stunning, giant eucalyptus forest. The campground consists of 10 cabins and 6 campsites. The cabins sleep 4 and contain 1 double bed and 2 single bunks. Picnic tables and barbeque grills are provided.


¹ Source: National Park Service, US Department of the Interior, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Lodging, http://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/lodging.htm


² Source: HAWAII NATURE NOTES, THE PUBLICATION OF THE NATURALIST DIVISION, HAWAII NATIONAL PARK AND THE HAWAII NATURAL HISTORY ASSOCIATION, VOL. V, NOVEMBER 1953. No. 2, The LAND OF PELE, A HISTORICAL SKETCH OF HAWAII NATIONAL PARK by NASH CASTRO, Assistant Superintendent, Hawaii National Park, Published by Hawaii Natural History Association, http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/hawaii-notes/vol5-2d.htm

 

Hawaiʻi National Park

is the world's classic of living volcanism.

It is a gentle land and a hard land—of brooding silence and explosive violence; of enchanting wilderness and barren desert; of pounding surf and lofty mountains; of gleaming snow and never-failing summer.

It is a changing land—new and fresh and awesome.

NASH CASTRO
Assistant Superintendent
Hawaiʻi National Park November, 1953

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Photo courtesy G. Brad Lewishttp://volcanoman.com/shapeimage_3_link_0