Hawaii Volcanoes National Park will offer several Hawaiian culture and After Dark in the Park programs in April. The programs are free, but park entrance fees apply. Two consecutive fee-free weekends celebrate National Park Week in April, and many programs honor the 54th anniversary of the Merrie Monarch Festival.
Endangered Marine Wildlife: Threats and Mitigation Measures. Susannah Welch of the Marine Wildlife Program shares innovative ways to protect species, including the promotion of barbless hooks and their usefulness is sustaining the fisheries of Hawaii. The talk is at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 4 in the Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium.
Hei Demonstration. Hei are traditional Hawaiian string figures, and are used with oli (chants) to tell stories and connect with the elements around us. No’el Tagab-Cruz teaches about this practice from 10 a.m. to noon , April 12 on the Kilauea Visitor Center lanai.
National Park Week Fee-Free Weekends are April 15-16, and April 22-23. All fee-charging national parks are free.
Kahuku Ohana Day. Keiki 17 and younger and their families are invited to explore Puu o Lokuana Trail in the park’s Kahuku Unit, and practice their GPS skills. Darlyne Vierra will share Kahuku’s compelling paniolo history during the 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 15 event. Call 985-6019 to register by April 7.
Celebrate World Heritage Day with a Wilderness Hike. Join a ranger on a challenging 14-mile, seven-hour, round-trip interpretive trek into the Kilauea Volcano’s East Rift Zone wilderness, including Makaopuhi Crater and Napau Crater. Info: 985-6017. Hikers must bring four liters of water per person, lunch and snacks, sturdy closed-toe shoes or boots, long pants, sunscreen, hat and raingear. The hike is at 9 a.m. April 15. Meet the ranger at the Mauna Ulu Parking Lot off Chain of Craters Road.
Merrie Monarch Festival Events. Practitioners will share lau hala weaving, lomilomi massage, hu kukui top game, and ulana niu (coconut leaf weaving). Falsetto singer Kai Ho’opii performs. The event is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 18 on the Kilauea Visitor Center lanai. Practitioners share the arts of lei making, palaie (Hawaiian ball and hoop game), and kpala mea ulu (Hawaiian plant stamping) and the Young Brothers will perform local melodies. The event is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 19 on the Kilauea Visitor Center lanai. Practitioners will share the arts of lei making, haku hulu (Hawaiian featherwork), ohe kapala (bamboo stamping), and kuku kapa (making fabric from bark cloth from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 20 on the Kilauea Visitor Center lanai. Multiple Na Hoku Hanohano award-winning musician Kenneth Makuakane will perform.
The Value of Plantation-Era Archives in Today’s World. John Cross of the Olson Trust will lead a visual journey through irreplaceable historic resources about the days of big sugar plantations. The talk is at 7 p.m. April 18 in the Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium.
Kai Hoopii in Concert. Enjoy an evening of Hawaiian music of Kai Hoopii, an Aloha Festival Hawaiian falsetto contest winner. He performs from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. April 19 in the Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium.
National Park Rx Day. Join the growing movement to prescribe parks and nature for the improvement of our health. Danielle Makaike offers yoga from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.; various presentations including lomilomi kalo will be from 10 a.m. to noon. “Walk with a Doc” from noon to 1 p.m. The event is on the Kilauea Visitor Center lanai.
Kilauea Volcano’s Summit Eruption: Nine Years and Counting. U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist Matt Patrick presents an update and overview on the Kilauea summit eruption, the lava lake at Halemaumau, including stunning imagery at 7 p.m. April 25 in the Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium.
Weave Ulana Niu (Coconut Fronds). Learn how to weave coconut fronds from 10 a.m. to noon April 26 on the Kilauea Visitor Center lanai.