Haunted MacKenzie State Park in Lower Puna

When we pulled into the parking lot of MacKenzie State Park, Loli insisted I go to the restroom with her. She is easily freaked out by the local lore of haunting at MacKenzie State Park. Because she believes anything mystical and because her friends have shared tales of hearing loud cries. This is a state park in Lower Puna, near the Red Road, which is the Kapoho Kalapana Road, easily one of the most scenic roads in America.

This place is so haunted that local Hawaiians will not go there at night or even near sunset. There have been murders in the park as well. But this was broad daylight, and I did not want to get out of the van in the pouring rain, so Loli was on her own.

We stopped at MacKenzie State Park just before moving on to the Fissure 8 Tours on the agenda.

MacKenzie State Park was created by using the labor of convicts from Oahu in 1850. Ranger Albert J. MacKenzie planted the ironwood trees (Casuarina) in the park in the 1930s and, after his death at age 21, they named the park after him.

These Casuarina trees withstand tsunamis, and is often used as a natural windbreaker. MacKenzie State Park has the largest number of Casuarina trees in Hawaii. They look like pine trees or a soft redwood, but they are not.

Our guide from Kapohokine Tours, Laurence, was a wealth of information. Next to him is a tourist from Albuquerque, which is a terrifically difficult word to spell, even though I remember there are 3 U’s in Albuquerque. They are standing very close to where the new lava entered the ocean, which will be the topic of my blog tomorrow, so stay tuned.

This is a gorgeous piece of layered rock. It offers a glimpse into our geological history. If you have been reading my blogs for a while, you may recall how one day I plan to study geology. I don’t know why I did not find this topic interesting while in school, but I am fascinated by geology now. Guess 50 years can make a difference.

My husband has also helped a great deal with my quest for knowledge about rocks. He knows more about this topic than your average bear. If only he were here to discover MacKenzie Park, but his chance will appear.

The opihi were found at the base of an ironwood tree in MacKenzie Park. I initially thought of these as clams but they are not. They are officially limpets, which is an aquatic snail, and considered a Hawaiian delicacy. The locals farm them along the rocky shores and sometimes die in that quest. A wave comes out of nowhere and carries them off to sea.

Many opihi pickers eat them raw as they go along. The grilled option sounds good to me. Although, I love raw oysters, so who can talk?