Even if you've never visited Hawaii, you've probably heard of Pele, the famous Hawaiian goddess who resides in Kilauea's Halemaumau Crater.

Mount Kilauea, her home, is said to be one of the world's most active volcanoes. Pele views volcanic rocks, black sand, and pumice to be her children, and any who remove any from the islands faces her wrath. Many tourists who have been captivated by the alluring black sand and gravels of the island couldn't help but take some of it home as a souvenir. And that's when everything starts falling apart. There are tonnes of such stories. People have lost their jobs, had bad breakups of the relationships they thought would be forever, got arrested and even lost their pets and loved ones to death.

Every year the National Park Staff receives an insane amount of stolen sand and rocks, and even other stuffs like bottles and shells, in their mails with letters of apology to the Goddess, begging Pele to lift her curse and let their lives go back to normal. The park staff is, in fact, tired of this and declared that there's no such curse in the Hawaiian history.

Whether this story is a myth or not will probably forever be a mystery but there's far too many witnesses to the wrath and the curse of Pele.

Pele's strength and presence may be felt all around Hawaii Island, even when she isn't physically visible. Kilauea, Hawaii's most active volcano, serves as a continual reminder that the Hawaiian Islands remain alive and well.