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A New Eruption, Different Volcano!

    Madam Pele sure is busy! A new eruption within a different volcano, Mauna Loa, began around 11:30 PM in Sunday November 27th for the first time in 38 years! The eruption began  in Moku‘āweoweo, the summit caldera of Mauna Loa, inside Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.   This means there are currently TWO eruptions on Hawaii Island in TWO different Volcanoes!   One eruption  is Mauna Loa and a significantly smaller one is Halema’uma’u crater on the Kilauea summit caldera.     As of an hour ago, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) confirms that lava has exited Mauna Loa summit and can be seen in two lobes on the northeast flank and the northern flank.     Currently, the lava is not flowing toward populated areas and does not pose a threat to any communities.   It is headed towards saddle road which is a main throughfare for Hawaii Island residents and tourists alike to go from one side of the island to the other.    It is currently open, but that could change at any time. The Maun
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Glamping is Here! (Almost)

Let the glamping begin!  We are super excited that we can finally see a completion date for our new glamping site   Kahua Ho’omoana.  We have opened reservations to start booking as of June 1st.  Our off-grid glamping site is in the back 3 acres where our goats and donkey spend their days grazing away. We have erected a fence around the glamping site to ensure the animals cannot get into the tent or camp kitchen.  We provide a wagon to take luggage and personal belongings to the glamping site along the lit gravel pathway but do recommend packing light if possible.  Sitting on top of a 20’ x 22’ deck, the 16 ft. diameter bell tent is made of a durable natural cotton fiber suited for all weather use during all 4 seasons.  It is waterproof and windproof up to 30 MPH winds.   The tent is outfitted with a queen size bed with a memory foam & gel mattress, luxurious linens, and fluffy pillows. It features a café table with chairs, a writing desk which doubles as a charging station for p
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Welcome Back Madam Pele!!

  Madam Pele has done it again!     At 3:20 pm HST on September 29, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) detected glow in Kīlauea summit webcam images indicating that an eruption has commenced within Halemaʻumaʻu crater in the Kīlauea summit caldera. The new eruption began four months after the end of the previous Kīlauea eruption which ended in May.   Randal and I were going to go to the summit to look, but we had guests to greet first and we wanted to ensure our current guests knew it had happened since their time here is more limited than ours is.   By day you can see the plume of gas and steam.   At night you can see the glow.   From the pictures I have seen taken by my neighbors and friends, it is anywhere from light pink to blood red!   As a reminder to our upcoming guests, the park is currently open 24 hours a day, and the public is reminded to stay safe by following these precautions:   - Maintain social distance of six feet from others and wear a mask to reduc
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What’s Happening with the Volcano?

 On December 20, 2020 Hale'mau'mau Crater began filling with lava again.  I remember that evening before we went to bed, the dogs were acting restless and we had an earthquake.  We were exhausted so we drifted right off to sleep.  A few hours later, around 12:30 I woke up.  Curious about the magnitude of the earthquake we had, I opened my phone to Volcano’s trusty coconut wireless, Facebook, and before my eyes were post after post about Kilauea erupting again!  I couldn’t believe it and I was so excited Madam Pele was blessing us  with her with her presence once again! I woke Randy up and said “Rand, Hale'mau'mau is erupting again! Look!” “Huh?” he groggily replied.   “When…?” “It just started at 9ish after the earthquake.” I said. “Should we go?” he asked. “I think we should.” I said excitedly. So, we got up at 12:45 am drove five minutes to the park and watched the lava pouring back into the crater.   Steam was heavy as the lava dissolved the water lake th
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Glamping is coming to VAR!

  OMG I am so excited about the next chapter at VAR!   While we were closed due to COVID, I was working a 9-5.   One morning I realized we have hardly seen anyone, we haven’t traveled, we haven’t gone camping and I need a break!   I ordered a tent, air mattress and folding chairs on Walmart.com, picked it up on my way home, and that night Randy cooked under the stars and we slept on the most uncomfortable deflating air mattress ever!   But from that night my vow to bring Glamping to VAR was born!   Ok, honestly, it’s something I had been thinking about for quite some time, but never really put it into action because we were always so busy running multiple properties.   In hindsight, I am not sure how we did it, but the pandemic did have a way of putting what is important for the future into focus.   Part of the charm and the whimsy of Glamping is having all the amenities and modern creature comforts you want but being close to nature and its beauty.    “Lucky we live Hawaii” is a man
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Re-Opening (For real this time!) We look forward to welcoming you back!!

  We sincerely hope all our past and future guests are remaining safe during these uncertain times! The past 8 months have certainly changed the way we have been living, interacting and even working.  The only thing that hasn't changed is Lucy manages to get into everything all the time! As most of you remember, we managed to survive the slowdown of tourism in 2018 when Kilauea erupted in Leilani Estates.  Just as we were starting to figure out what the “new normal” would look like COVID- 19 erupted around the world.  Just like many of our friends, colleagues, and small businesses around our island we have struggled to make it this far, but here we are still standing and ready to welcome back visitors, although with social distancing in mind for the protection of everyone.  Our official reopening date will be November 2, 2020. We plan to open slowly, with only one room for now, which will be Lehua Ranch Retreat.  This our 2 bedroom bungalow which is cozy enough for a family of
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COVID 19- Reopening Update

We sincerely hope all our past and future guests are remaining safe during these uncertain times.   We feel so fortunate to be living on the Big Island of Hawaii but miss our family and friends on the mainland and abroad.   We are not sure when we may see you again, but we know we eventually will.   As most of you remember, we managed to survive the slowdown of tourism in 2018 when Kilauea erupted in Leilani Estates.   Just as we were starting to figure out what the “new normal” would look like COVID- 19 erupted around the world.   We have been hanging on hoping to re-open, but not too early as we still want to protect our island home and think about not only our neighbors, but our future guests. The state of Hawaii is still requiring a 14 day quarantine for out of state visitors, but starting August 1 st they will waive the 14 day quarantine if you take a valid COVID-19 test within 72 hours prior to your trip and show proof of a negative result.    We are committed to reopening
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