Spelunking Hawaii

VOLCANO, Hawaii - - About the time jagged edges started poking through my T-shirt as I wormed my way through a tight spot in a lava tube, I began to wonder: What am I doing here?

We could have been relaxing on the famous Green Sand Beach at South Point on the Big Island of Hawaii. But in the spirit of adventure, we instead were exploring the world underground.

I had convinced my husband it would be neat to go hiking to see flowing lava at the Kilauea Volcano on the first night of our weekend getaway, and then get up early the next morning to go caving in 1,000-year-old lava tubes.

He was agreeable, even after twisting his ankle on the initial hiking excursion, which lasted past midnight. Once we got back to our cabin at Volcanoes National Park, we understood why each room had a Jacuzzi.

But we weren't about to let our sore muscles get the best of us. Watching the orange glow of waxy-looking lava hiss into the ocean had intoxicated us. We wanted to see tunnels formed by the molten stuff.

So we caught just enough sleep to wake at the crack of dawn and drive to South Point in search of a labyrinth of lava tubes at a place called Kula Kai Caverns.

To get there, we punched in a pass code and entered a remote neighborhood built on lava rock. Then we saw our guide's landmark, a thatched hut that looked like something out of "Gilligan's Island.''

Slideshow   Polynesian paradise The Hawaiian Islands are the perfect vacation destination for travelers of all types. more photos

Our tour guide, Kathlyn Richardson, led us into the yurt and handed us spelunking helmets, lights, gloves and knee pads to gear up. We looked like coal miners without the soot, and we were about to go on a two-hour spelunking tour. So she tested us a little. Would we like to try shimmying up parts of the cave and crawling around in tunnels?

We were game.

Let me just say my previous experience in caves was limited to a guided tour years earlier on a heavily traveled pathway at Kentucky's Mammoth Cave. While it is considered the granddaddy of American caves - and the longest cave in the world - I saw only the easy-access "tourist'' part of it. No shimmying through narrow passageways was involved.

And I'd seen Thurston Lava Tube, a major attraction on the drive around Crater Rim Drive at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. But that was just a peek into a cave-like shell.

I'd never seen much of caves or could explain the difference between stalactites and stalagmites. Somehow, the idea of exploring a pitch-black volcanic cavern still appealed to me.

And that's just the kind of tourist Kula Kai Cavern founder Ric Elhard wants to educate.

"I started crawling around in caves when I was 12 years old,'' said Elhard, a California native who bought property on the Big Island because he knew there were caves underneath it. He and other cavers have since mapped out miles of lava tubes that crisscross the area.

MORE FROM HAWAII TRAVEL

Hawaii Travel Section Front

True Hawaii Sacred territory Hawaii: A diver’s paradise Hawaii getting used to strict smoking ban Hawaiian cruise tips for thrifty travelers Aloha weddings Historic palace damaged, but blessed Hawaii looks to calm edgy tourists Hawaii dream vacations turn into nightmares The Polynesian adventure Hawaii Travel Section Front   Add Hawaii Travel headlines to your news reader: