Living with Lava

On the Big Island of Hawaii, a community of people live within the shadow of Hawaii’s active volcano, Kilauea. Homes have been built atop active lava fields where rivers of lava can flow within a mile of the community. The volcano has been erupting for a quarter of a century spewing lava down its slopes in a frightening display of beauty. Between the early 80’s to the mid 90’s, lava flowed from Kilauea into several communities along the southern coast of the Big Island destroying close to 200 homes. Many of the residents who lived in the volcanic zone did not move away but rebuilt despite the constant threat and past history of volcanic activity in the region.

After the mid 90’s eruption subsided and the land cooled, realtors began selling plots of hardened crusts of lava rock to new buyers. Acres of land sold for cheap to those who wanted a piece of paradise. Many plots, which could be sold for millions of dollars if the volcano was elsewhere, sold for next to nothing. One resident stated she purchased six acres of lava field for under $3000, a pauper’s price considering current home and land prices around the Hawaiian Islands. Plots were carved out of the black lava rock with homes and gardens sprouting from the once bleak devastation. Many homeowners grow their own vegetables and catch rainwater while using solar power. Many who live in the region just want live off the grid away from it all.

Ocean and mountain views once only available to millionaires sold for fractions of their original costs. But the price and land came with a warning…the lava could return and reclaim it all.

With recent lava pouring back into the community, many people, despite the lava only being less than a mile away, refuse to abandon their homes and livelihoods. “It’s heaven on earth” for many who could never afford a piece of paradise in Hawaii. For those who are there, the volcano is a constant threat but they have accepted their fate and live with the lava, not against it.