Is It Really Paradise?

Is It Really Paradise? was Originally Posted on December 22, 2006 by lavarock

Look up “paradise” in the dictionary and more than likely you will find a definition such as “a place of extreme beauty, delight, or happiness”, however, another definition is “heaven, as the final abode of the righteous”.

Many call Hawaii Paradise and it is a great tourist attraction. However, we are a very unique landmass in the middle of nowhere and dare I remind people, “We are NOT a theme park”. People tend to forget that. People tend to die because of it.

I can’t fully blame tourists but they don’t get off Scott-free either.

We warn people not to approach the turtles, yet people snuggle next to them to get heir picture taken. That is it a crime to get close, they seem to ignore.

We encourage people to visit and learn about our volcano and we even guide them out to a lookout to see lava. However, we tell them not to venture further but many do. I did and knew full well that it was dangerous. As I stood watching lava flow into the ocean I realized that I was standing just inches from 2,000 degree molten rock. I quickly moved but could have been quickly injured.

Recently we had someone die because they did not understand the ocean currents.

People get cut on the sharp lava and do not get medical attention. That mistake can lead to dire problems if it gets infected.

Two hikers just dies when they fell from an unmarked or poorly marked trail near some falls on Kauai. It appears they were following information in a travel book.

Who is at fault? It is a bit of all involved. While the state and guidebooks and visitors all focus on the rose, there lying beneath is a sharp thorn!

It is not just Hawaii. I recently read that people are having accidents using voice-guided GPS systems which encourage people to turn their steering wheel and un into guardrails and rivers.

When having my farm cleared, we discovered that in some places on my property there are lava tubes. Just driving over that area with a truck might have been enough weight to collapse the hidden dander and cause a tire to drop many feet into the earth. One of these tubes had a very thin roof and went down 10 feet and was perhaps 6 by 6 feet square! I have smaller holes all over the property. The island has some tubes large enough to drive a bus through!

Our telephone books describe what to do in a tsunami, but until the disaster a few years back overseas, visitors here ignored the information as our last tsunami was decades ago.

People jump into surf without a second thought, yet some of the best surfers in the world are killed or nearly so in the same waters.

I don’t have the answer unless it is to be very careful. Know your surroundings and be deliberate with your explorations.