Our Maui Adventure in the Kaeleku CavernsWe could hardly wait for our Maui adventure in Kaeleku Caverns (a.k.a. the Hana Lava Tube) to begin... but first, we had to get there! We had been told to allow 3 hours for the drive from our resort in Kaanapali Maui. When we arrived, we met the owner of the caves, Chuck Thorne, who would also be our guide for the afternoon's adventures! We signed the release forms, and Chuck provided us with our helmets, gloves and flashlights. We were also given fanny packs to hold our snacks. We were pleasantly surprised to see that we were the only ones there for the tour that day! This was great, since it would mean less time wasted waiting our turn, and more time cave exploring! Coming right up... highlights and pics from our lava tube adventure! After reading our highlights, I think you'll understand why this was one of our top things to do in Maui for adventure! Chuck was personable and incredibly knowledgeable about the Hana lava tube - the perfect guide for this Maui adventure! I was relieved to find out that there are no insects, snakes or bats living in these caves. I'm not a fan of them, and now that I knew I would NOT be running into any, I could relax and enjoy the tour SO much more! Our tour started out in the self-guided tour area of the caves... there were informative signs along the footpath detailing interesting facts about the lava tubes. However, we didn't pay much attention to the signs, since the owner of the cave was right here with us telling us everything we needed to know personally! Kaeleku Cavern Highlights1) The first highlight of this Maui adventure was when we got to clamber up the sloped side of the lava tube, to a ledge where we could creep on our bellies through a narrow opening into a hidden room! Chuck went first, so we could see the light of his flashlight to guide us through the small passage. I was surprised when I realized that I couldn't just slither on through as I imagined. The floor was rough and would catch on my t-shirt. Since there were only a few inches to spare above me (when lying flat on my stomach!), the only way to get through this space was to lift myself up an inch or two by the palms of my hands and my toes, inch forward, then lower myself back down to rest... this was repeated over and over, until FINALLY, I made it out the other side. On the other side, a medium-sized cave awaited me. Here's a picture of my husband, Paul, squirming through to the hidden cave:
2) Another highlight of this Maui adventure was climbing up a knotted rope to yet another hidden cave! I'm not a fan of heights, but this wasn't TOO big of a climb, so even I was game for it! 3) We enjoyed our snack break in the pitch black of an enormous cavern. Yup... you read that right. I ENJOYED sitting in the pitch black for our snack break. By that point, I'd seen enough of the caverns to realize that there were no creepy-crawlies to be scared of. And it truly WAS a relaxing break in our Maui adventure just sitting there in the inky darkness, with the only sound being water dripping around us. 4) We climbed up a narrow crevice onto a rocky ledge. As I climbed, Chuck warned me to stay back when I reached the top. I reached the top, and shined my flashlight around for a look... Whoa!! Now I fully understood why he told me to stay back! A few feet from the crevice opening, the ledge dropped off to the ground far, far below! Once we'd all clambered up there, we enjoyed the view for a while, before clambering back down. 5) Chuck showed us microscopic bugs in a cavern off the main path. Despite my aversion to creepy-crawlies, I thought these were kind of cool! They were invisible to the naked eye, but with some searching, we could see them through the cylindrical microscopes that Chuck had provided! These microscopic bugs looked like miniature insects, legs and all! 6) I saved the BEST for last! This was by far the most challenging and scariest part of this entire Maui adventure, but totally worth it if you like the simple thrill of exploring a place that most never get to see! First, we climbed a 20' ladder leaning against a small ledge, where we stayed put as instructed while we waited for our guide to join us. Once Chuck reached the ledge, he moved forward a few feet to block off a hole that led to the ground 20' below. We clambered safely past him and the hole, where we reached a fairly steep lava tube that would lead to our final destination. Following Chuck's instructions, we managed to climb up the tube to a hidden cave. I thought it was quite cool to be up here, in a part of the Hana lava tubes that few get to see! Here is a photo of Paul and I in this little cave:
When I looked down the lava tube to plan my descent, I had visions of myself falling into that hole and ending up with broken bones or worse!! Chuck used his body to block off the hole again, and I watched with bated breath as Paul proceeded down the lava tube. Whew! He made it in one piece! Now it was MY turn. Paul helped to support my weight as I gingerly slid down the tube, and before I knew it, I, too had made it back to the ledge in one piece! I carefully stepped past Chuck and the HOLE and stared at the 20' ladder with trepidation. As I stared at that ladder, I felt a huge lump of fear in my throat! What if the ladder tipped over as I stepped onto it? What if I missed my step and fell 20' to the ground below? The lump of fear in my throat grew even larger.... Fortunately, I DID eventually get myself safely down that ladder (and so did everyone else!)! As we continued our Maui adventure in the Hana lava tube, Chuck pointed out some of the many intriguing lava formations along the way.
Our Kaeleku Cavern Tips1) Wear jeans and closed-toed shoes. You'll really appreciate wearing this type of attire if you end up crawling around and climbing in tight spaces as we did.2) Bring a change of clothes for the drive home. Our clothes were very wet when we left the caverns, from crawling around all of that damp, dripping lava rock! 3) Don't forget your camera! There are lots of great photo opportunities in the caverns! Cave exploring in Kaeleku Caverns was truly a memorable Maui Adventure, and we highly recommend it! More articles of interest: 1) Of course, 1 adventure in Maui is never enough, right? So click here to read about our top 10 things to do in Maui for adventure! 2) Read about more things to do and places to stay in the Hana area here. Go to Homepage from Maui Adventure
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