Natural Phenomena that Last

The super blue blood moon has come and gone, and there won’t be another one for 20 years. But there are plenty of other natural phenomena you can see that occur often enough to plan a trip around.

A Tropical Permafrost Lake

Lake Waiau sits at about 13,000 feet of elevation near the summit of Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii. It’s the only permafrost lake in the tropics, and though it shrank to about 2 percent of its previous size several years, it has made a comeback and can be reached by hike off the road to Mauna Kea’s summit. On the same island, you can also visit a Papakolea Beach, which features green sand thanks to a large supply of the mineral olivine. On clear days, you might also catch a glimpse of a green flash across the horizon just as the last rays of the sun go down, a special sight owing to the island’s latitude. Also on the Big Island, where Kilauea Volcano has been erupting continuously for 35 years, you can see thin strands of volcanic glass known as Pele’s hair, named after the goddess of fire.

Rainbow Eucalyptus

Aurora Borealis/Australis

Bioluminescent Bays

Basalt towers

By Damien Martin