This is a mysterious part of Kalaupapa National Historical Park you’re not allowed to see!
Among others, it contains a zombie tree engulfing an old grave…
Trees love to grow over, in, and around things and it is always amazing to observe how they are eating or even engulfing strange and weird objects.
In the park itself there are a total of 14 graveyards, with an estimated 1,200 known grave markers. The state incorporated the land into a park in 1980. It wasn’t until 2008 that the park began receiving funding from the federal government for grave marker preservation.
Each year park employees go though and prioritize which graves need to the most maintenance. The grave pictured above is actually in pretty good shape. The banyan tree that’s growing around it has not grown much in the last several years, and the grave itself is in a stable condition.
Aside from this one there are numerous unmarked graves in the park that speak of the park important role in Hawaiian history. When leprosy made its way to the Hawaiian islands in the mid 1800s, the Hawaiian King Kamehameha V forced those with the disease to the secluded Kalaupapa peninsula. In fact there is still a small settlement of patient-residents on the peninsula, which is why tourist access is tightly restricted.
