Walk Visits Largest Petroglyph Field in State

Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park is home to the largest petroglyph field in the state, accessible via a trailhead 17 miles down Chain of Craters Road.  On Sat., Aug. 25, 2012 residents and visitors are invited to join the exciting “Pu’uloa Petroglyph Walk” from 8:45 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.  Participants will see hundreds of ancient symbols carved into lava over countless generations.

Former Park Ranger Susan McGovern will lead this easy-to-moderate hike, which totals 1.5 miles roundtrip.  On this guided walk, she shares stories that help connect viewers to the Hawaiian people who created these beautiful and mysterious images.  This is also an opportunity to learn about the plant life in the hot, dry, and windswept coastal lowlands.

According to the park’s website, Pu’uloa is “located in the ahupua‘a (an ancient Hawaiian land division) of Panau Nui on the southern flank of Kilauea volcano, Pu‘uloa is the name of the site which contains a vast area covered with incredible numbers of pecked images in the harden lava, images known as petroglyphs.”

“The archaeological site of Pu’uloa contains over 23,000 petroglyph images… motifs of circles, other geometric as well as cryptic designs, and human representations known as anthropomorphs, canoe sails, and even feathered cape motifs.”

This event is presented by the Hawai‘i Volcanoes Institute, an educational seminar sponsored by the Friends of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, a non-profit organization.  Program cost is $25 for Friends members and $40 for non-members.  Students (K-12 and college with valid student ID) are half-price.  Non-members are welcome to join the Friends in order to get the member discount.  Proceeds support the Friends of Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park educational programs.

To register for the “Pu’uloa Petroglyph” field seminar, call 985-7373 or visit www.fhvnp.org.

Anyone who requires an auxiliary aid or service for effective communication or reasonable modification of policies and procedures to participate in this event should email institute@fhvnp.org or call 985-7373 as soon as possible.