Dozens of visitors endured the cold wind and rain Saturday to participate in the first ranger-guided tours at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in more than two years.
To celebrate National Park Week, which runs through Sunday, HVNP is hosting events for families, giving Kahuku tours, offering volunteer opportunities and bringing back ranger programs.
HVNP paused its guided ranger tours due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Park ranger Kawena Derr was hired during the pandemic and finally got to experience his first guided tour.
“Leading a tour was unexpected since I’ve been working around the lava flow since being hired, but I’m excited,” Derr said before the tour. “I grew up here and enjoy teaching people about our native plant species and history.”
As the group of 20 toured the summit, Derr discussed native plants, geology and the island’s past lava flows.
Chris Haag and Heather Hickman visited the park from San Francisco and were glad to catch a tour.
“We’re all about guided tours, we’re very much read-every-plaque people,” Hickman said. “We didn’t know this was the first day of tours, but we’re glad we caught this.”
HVNP plans to keep up the ranger programs as long as COVID case numbers stay low, according to spokeswoman Jessica Ferracane.
During National Park Week, HVNP will have a full schedule.
On Tuesday and Thursday, visitors have the opportunity to tour the Maunaulu lava shield with a ranger to enjoy panoramic views of the 1969-1974 eruption that crossed Chain of Craters Road multiple times and dramatically changed the landscape.
Tickets are available at 9 a.m. at the Kilauea Visitor Center the day of the hike.
On Friday, visitors can volunteer to help remove invasive plant species that prevent native plants from growing in HVNP. Those interested can meet project leaders Paul and Jane Field at the Kilauea Visitor Center at 8:45 a.m.
Visitors can also take a trip back in time to 1912 on Friday by meeting the founder of the Hawaii Volcano Observatory, Dr. Thomas A. Jaggar.
Ka‘u actor Dick Hersberger will be playing the role of Jaggar while he takes visitors on a short walk and talk story to the crater rim behind Volcano House at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m.
Those interested can pick up free tickets at the Kilauea Visitor Center the day of the event.
On Saturday, visitors can explore the geologic history of Kahuku on this ranger-guided, two-hour, 2-mile hike on Pu‘u o Lokuana Trail from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
HVNP rangers will also be featured in the Merrie Monarch parade in downtown Hilo at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday.
On Sunday, visitors can learn about the Ohia Lehua in Kahuku on a ranger-guided, 90-minute walk and talk story program from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
National Park Week also marks the debut of the Storybook Trail at Kahuku. The trail follows the storyboards of “Children of the Gourd,” a book about children who live on the Kamaoa Plain in Ka‘u, along the trail to the top of Pu‘u o Lokuana.
Kahuku is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.
For more information, visit https://go.nps.gov/HVNP-events or stop by the Kilauea Visitor Center lanai or the Kahuku Visitor Contact Station.
Email Kelsey Walling at kwalling@hawaiitribune-herald.com