While we do not necessarily believe in Pele's curse, why tempt fate. On our three trips to Hawaii, we have never even considered taking lava from Hawaii. First it's not ours. Secondly, why take a chance? Anyway, flash forward to today. My teenage niece returned home from Hawaii with a baggie of sand. Does this qualify as lava? She wants to know.

Tell her that the level of Pele's curse that she will experience is the same whether she takes lava or sand. Best idea is to return the sand to the ocean as quickly as possible. If that means dumping it in your nearest river or lake, so be it.

Oh good grief, they sell this stuff in ABC Stores. Do you suppose ABC has cut some kind of deal with Pele?

Don't frighten your niece with superstitious nonsense. This exact same "curse" goes by a dozen different names in various other places around the world. They all have but one purpose -- to help keep environmental impact from tourists to a minimum, which in itself is a good cause.

This may be a coincidence,but several years ago my husband took a small piece of lava rock from the Volcano on Big Island as a souvenir. On our way home our plane developed a fault and we had to make an emergency landing in Edmonton, Canada. The plane had to burn off fuel when it was landing and the black smoke was very scarey.After several hours of clearing Canadian Immigration we had to stay the night in Edmonton. Next day a bus picked us up for the airport and en route the bus had a fire on board and we had to get off and wait for another. We were on T.V. in Canada because it was such a story.
Some years on my husband still has the rock, despite my protestations and recently he lost his job and a large percentage of his pension. Co-incidence? Who knows! But I will be making my way to the nearest water later today! Thanks for that.

I'm not a superstitious person, but I have heard so many stories from friends, family members - many are Hawaiian - about Pele's Curse. I just would never take any of the sand or lava from where I found it - for some reason that I can't explain the Hawaiian superstitions seem to bring consequences with them. I'd tell your niece to get rid of the sand and in the future leave it where she found it.