At the center of the new landscape rises majestic Maunaulu— to many a creation of Pele, a Hawaiian volcanic diety, to all a monument of change.

In the pre-dawn morning of May 24, 1969, residents and visitors were jarred awake by window-rattling earthquakes. A large fissure had opened up in a quiet forest along Chain of Craters Road. Soon red-hot lava burst forth to announce the start of a new eruption, the birth of Maunaulu (growing mountain).

Maunaulu grew over a new vent that sustained 12 towering fountains from May to December 1969. At times, the fountains reached 1,770 feet (540 m) high—500 feet (150 m) taller than the Empire State Building! It is said that this was Pele’s brother, Keoʻahikamakaua, the spirit of molten fountains, wielding his spears of lava. Here, you can witness how this sacred Hawaiian landscape continues to undergo rapid and extraordinary change.

Today when we come to Maunaulu, we see a steaming landscape of destruction and twisted rock. We also discover a fragile and surreal beauty—a place where life regenerates on the volcano’s raw flows. In the future, as in the past, the earth will tremble, and molten lava will cover all you see. An awesome power constantly recreates this land. It is Kīlauea— a force of constant change.