Puna District

• Puna Average temperatures: 71° in winter, 75° in summer
• Annual rainfall: 96 inches

Black Sand Beach. Photo courtesy Big Island Visitor Bureau.

Driving south out of Hilo, then through Keaau, you’re in the Puna (Poo-nah) District in about 10 minutes. This moku on the eastern tip of the island stretches from the sea to the 4,000-foot summit of Kilauea volcano. At one end, roiling ocean, a black-sand beach where people play drums and leave their bathing suits behind, a spring warmed by the volcano’s steam. At the other end, by Kilauea’s summit, more steam, yellow sulfur banks, rainforest, hula dancers giving their gift to Volcano goddess Pele here in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

On the fertile slopes between sea and summit grow an Eden of tropical fruit, flowers and vegetables-orchids, anthuriums, banana, papaya, herbs, macadamia nuts, and more.

Many who live on Hawaii Island say that Puna moku especially is Pele’s workshop, and that our island is her grand work-in-progress as the volatile and tempestuous goddess continuously creates and recreates the very land we live on.

Puna District Photo Gallery

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As these photos of Puna show, this is a seductive coastline of warm springs, black-sand beaches and residents who play a different drum.