ASSOCIATED PRESS Visitors to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park gather at night as lava from Kilauea Volcano reaches the Pacific Ocean earlier this week.

New flows at ocean’s edge
offer visual treat

Visitors to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park can expect to see some of nature's own fireworks this Easter weekend.

The Kilauea volcano was spilling lava into the ocean at five places by early yesterday, treating larger-than-usual crowds to the eye-popping explosions that often punctuate the molten rock's flow into the water.

Crowds have been larger this week due mostly to the spring break vacation at most schools and the Easter holiday, said Aleta Knight, a management assistant at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

"The ocean entries have just been a bonus," she said, adding that reports of new lava flows into the water often attract more local residents to the park.

Kilauea has been erupting continuously since Jan. 3, 1983.

Visitors willing to make the 5-mile round-trip hike at night have been treated to more dramatic views of the lava glowing bright red against the hillside beneath this week's full moon, said Teri Murphy, manager of the communications center at the park.

Knight said the number of entry points had dwindled to four by yesterday afternoon, but that could change this weekend depending on the weather.

"With ocean entries ... if they continue we're going to be real busy this weekend," Knight said.

She said the park is expecting as many as 3,000 visitors this weekend.

Early yesterday, officials at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said Kilauea was supplying lava to the ocean at five separate points.

The most active, near Kamoamoa, was expected to last through tomorrow. The largest entry was at Kailiili, with three other, relatively small sites.