Pahoa Lava Zone Museum is reopening on Monday, May 3.
The museum was temporarily closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic but will be opened on the anniversary of the 2018 Lower East Rift Zone eruption and earthquake.
“Life in Puna changed forever on May 3, 2018, when the first fissure erupted on Mohala Street in Leilani Estates,” Pahoa Lava Zone Museum volunteers stated on their website. “The following day, an M6.9 earthquake, the largest in Hawaii since 1975, marked a turning point in history and a hulihia for lower Puna: An upheaval of events that left the land unrecognizable from one day to the next.”
The volunteers who immediately put up the museum after the eruption and earthquake damaged Thomas A. Jaggar Museum, aim to share the stories and educate the people on the constant volcanic risks in Puna and all of Hawaii Island.
To date, the museum is entirely operated by volunteers and funded by donations. The reopening features several in-house and online presentations with minimal fees to help keep the museum open. Reservations can be done via Facebook or email pahoalavazonemuseum@gmail.com. Visit their website for further details on the reopening. If going to the events is not possible, helping them is still workable by donating through their website.
While it would be opened daily, visiting hours may vary because it is volunteer-operated. But it is normally open from 11 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. including weekends. Please call (808) 937-4146 to confirm hours before your visit. The Pahoa Lava Zone Museum is located at 15-2959 Pahoa Village Road in Pahoa, Hawaii, 96778.