Puna Tree Molds

Useful Information

Location:	Pāhoa-Pohoiki Road (Hwy 132). 4 km southeast of Pāhoa.
Open:	All year daily 7-18:45. [2020]
Fee:	free. [2020]
Classification:	lava mold
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:
Guided tours:	n/a
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	trail partly
Bibliography:
Address:	Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of State Parks, P.O. Box 621, Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96809 Division of State Parks, 75 Aupuni Street, Room 204, Hilo, Hawai‘i 96721, Tel: +1-808-961-9540.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1790	tree molds formed during a lava flow.

Description

The Lava Tree State Monument shows numerous tree molds, some of them are hollow. Characteristic is that these tree mold are about 150 cm high pillars. This is the lava which solidified by the cooling from the trees, while the trees burned to ash. When the lava flow stopped the lava drained away and the solidified casts around the tree trunk remained. They are hollow because the trees were burned away.

The small park has 80 tree molds, half of them are along the 1 km loop trail. None of them is big enough to enter it, so they are strictly speaking no caves.

The lava trees were formed during an eruption in 1790. The lava flow swept through a forest of ’Ōhi’a Lehua trees (Metrosideros polymorpha).