It was windy and the waves were high on the day I passed Kumukahi Lighthouse. Sadly I was not really able to get a good panorama of the lighthouse itself, which miraculously survived an eruption of Kilauea Volcano in the 1960's that destroyed much of the surrounding area. The a'a lava cliffs and sea create great sprays of water as the waves come in.

Cape Kumukahi Lighthouse - Hawaii Island visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Cape Kumukahi Lighthouse' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Hawaii.

Panorama taken from Cape Kumukahi near to the Kumukahi Lighthouse in the Puna District of Hawaii Island. The first petition for the lighthouse here was made in 1908. A lighthouse and very basic accomodation was finally installed and occupied in 1938 when Lighthouse man Joe Pestrella was transferred from the lighthouse tender 'Kukui' to Cape Kumukahi. Joe Pastrella set about planting trees and making transforming the barren area into a garden. In 1955 a lava flow from the Kilauea Volcano threatened the lighthouse but Joe remained in place on duty, for which he received the Civil Servant of the Year award for the Hawai`i area in 1956.

Shortly after in January of 1960 the volcano erupted again and a fountain of lava about half a mile long erupted through a sugar cane filed 2 miles from the lighthouse just north of Kapaho. This eruption destroyed the lighthouse complex, but spared the lighthouse itself, the lava flow dividing in two at the concrete base and flowing around the steel lighthouse structure. This panoramic photograph shows the resulting A'a lava cliffs which continue to be pounded by the sea. The lighthouse is now fully automated.

From Cape Kumukahi the coastal H-137 Kaimu-Kapoho Coast Road proceeds west past Isaac Hale Beach Park, Hot Springs, Mackenzie State Recreational Area and Kehena Beach to Kaimu Beach, where lava has swallowed the rest of the coast road in the area making further pprogress west impossible

Travel and Getting There:
Follow the I-11 to Kea'au, then the H-130 to Pahoa followed by H-132 past Lava Tree State Monument to Cape Kumukahi and Kumukahi Lighthouse.