Although life in the islands can be peaceful and beautiful, every now and then, the Hawaiian Goddess of Fire, Pele, comes to visit. She wants to make her presence known just to remind everyone in the islands how powerful she is.  This happened to three Hawaiian towns in 1990, Kalapana, Kaimu and the Royal Gardens totally annihilating them in a short period of time as the devastating lava rushed to the sea. Towns people saw their homes and businesses swallowed up and destroyed. Today, you can visit these towns by taking Highway 130 south to the end from Pahoa Town.  In addition to the loss of these three Hawaiian villages, the Big Island also lost Kaimu Beach. Up until this tragic lava flow, this beach had been regarded as one of the best black sand beaches in the islands.