HALEAKALA AND HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARKS – Thousands of rocks are mailed back to Haleakala National Park and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park every year. The reason? Many say they began to experience bad luck after taking rocks from the popular parks in Hawaii.
Lava rock is sacred to Native Hawaiians because Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of fire and volcanoes, is believed to be the force behind the creation of the land. Anyone who steals her rocks could suffer misfortune for disrespecting her, they say.
If you made the mistake of taking rocks and are on a streak of bad luck, you can mail the rocks back. And many people do. Sometimes, the parks get as many as 100 rocks mailed back to them each month!
When the rocks are returned, they must be frozen for a month to kill any foreign bacteria or diseases. And just a note; it’s actually illegal to take any rocks or sand from those parks.
If you would like to return rocks, here are the mailing addresses for the parks:
Haleakala National Park (Maui)
P.O. Box 36
Makawao, HI 96768-0369
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii Island/Big Island)
P.O. Box 52
Hawaii National Park, HI 96718-0052
