Pa Ka‘oao

Pa Ka‘oao is a volcanic cinder cone reached by a trail that climbs to views of the Haleakala Wilderness Area and the highest peaks of the Big Island. What first appears to be barren rock is living habitat for nesting ‘ua‘u, ‘āhinahina (silversword), and a mini-world of wolf spiders, flightless moths, and yellow-faced bees. Although the summit can seem hostile to people, temporary shelters visible on the rock slopes below the trail testify to a long human history. ‘Ua‘u, or Hawaiian petrels, spend most of their lives at sea but return here to dig nesting burrows under rocky outcrops, while the ground-hunting wolf spider builds burrows under rocks rather than weaving a web.

Kula, Hawaii · United States