Is it illegal to take a lava rock from Hawaii?

Taking Lava Rocks Is Illegal! The rocks are an important part of the Hawaiian culture and have spiritual significance to the people who live here. Removing lava rocks from Hawaii without permission is viewed as theft of this natural resource and is punishable by law.



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The rocks are an important part of the Hawaiian culture and have spiritual significance to the people who live here. Removing lava rocks from Hawaii without permission is viewed as theft of this natural resource and is punishable by law.

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If you can't bring them back in person and you would like to mail lava rock back to Hawaii you can mail them to us. We gladly help. Once we receive the returned lava rocks we will carefully wrap them in a leaf of the Ti-Plant which is commonly associated with Good Luck.

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Taking Lava Rocks Is Illegal! The rocks are an important part of the Hawaiian culture and have spiritual significance to the people who live here. Removing lava rocks from Hawaii without permission is viewed as theft of this natural resource and is punishable by law.

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It's not only illegal to take lava rocks from Hawaii, but it's also considered bad luck. Known as Pele's Curse, taking lava rocks from the islands is said to bring bad luck and misfortune upon the thief. So if you're planning on visiting the islands anytime soon, leave the rocks behind and enjoy your vacation!

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Common Items from Hawaii NOT ALLOWED into the U.S. Mainland or Alaska
  • Fresh fruits and vegetables, some exceptions are those listed below as permitted.
  • Berries of any kind, including fresh coffee berries and sea grapes.
  • Cactus plants or cactus plant parts.
  • Cotton and cotton bolls.
  • Fresh flowers of jade vine, and Mauna Loa.


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Each year, hundreds of people mail, fly or hike pieces of lava back to the Big Island, hoping that by returning rocks they snatched, they will break the curse, appease the goddess and end their bad luck.

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Yes, at least partially. It is important to remember that a rock usually does not have a single melting point. It melts over an interval. Igneous (magmatic) rocks are made of combination of minerals (for example, quartz, olivine, pyroxene, feldspar) that each will melt at a different point.

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Generally, it's made illegal for environmental reasons, usually to protect the beach against erosion. It depends on who owns the beach. National Parks and State Parks oftentimes have laws on collecting rocks, shells, etc. so that all the public can enjoy it equally.

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Removing sand, rocks, shells or plants from any National Park or Historic Monument is against Federal law. Plants in soil are against Hawai'i law and USDA regulations, unless they have received a Hawai'i agriculture seal.

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Aloha means both “hello,” and “goodbye,” and is used as a greeting when seeing someone for the first time and wishing them well at parting. If someone says “Aloha” to you, say it right back. Mahalo means “thank you.” If someone does you a kindness, don't be shy about saying, “Mahalo,” to them.

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Lava won't kill you if it briefly touches you. You would get a nasty burn, but unless you fell in and couldn't get out, you wouldn't die. With prolonged contact, the amount of lava coverage and the length of time it was in contact with your skin would be important factors in how severe your injuries would be!

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Lava is between 100,000 and 1.1 million times more viscous than that of water, based on temperature and silica content. It also is three times more dense than water, Live Science reports. That means falling into a pit of lava is like falling into a pool filled with peanut butter - you'd float on top.

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