Belief in Pele continued after the old religion was officially abolished in 1819.
In the summer of 1823 English missionary William Ellis toured the island to determine locations for mission stations.
After a long journey to the volcano Kīlauea with little food, Ellis eagerly ate the wild berries he found growing there.
The berries of the ʻōhelo (Vaccinium reticulatum) plant are considered sacred to Pele.
Traditionally prayers and offerings to Pele were always made before eating the berries.
The volcano crater was an active lava lake, which the natives feared was a sign that Pele was not pleased with the violation.

Although wood carvings and thatched temples were easily destroyed, the volcano was a natural monument to the goddess.

In December 1824 the High Chiefess Kapiʻolani descended into Halemaʻumaʻu after reciting a Christian prayer instead of the traditional Hawaiian one to Pele.
As it was predicted, she survived and this story was often told by missionaries to show the superiority of their faith.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809–1892) wrote a poem about the incident in 1892.

An urban legend states that Pele herself occasionally warns locals of impending eruptions.
Appearing in the form of either a beautiful young woman or an elderly woman with white hair, sometimes accompanied by a small white dog, and always dressed in a red muumuu, Pele is said to walk along the roads near Kīlauea, but will vanish if passersby stop to help her, similar to the Resurrection Mary or vanishing hitchhiker legend.
The passerby is then obliged to warn others or suffer misfortune in the next eruption.
Another legend, Pele's Curse, states that Pele's wrath will fall on anyone who removes items from her island.
Every year numerous small natural items are returned by post to the National Park Service by tourists seeking Pele's forgiveness.
It is believed Pele's Curse was invented in the mid-20th century to deter tourist depredation.

When businessman George Lycurgus ran a hotel at the rim of Kīlauea, called the Volcano House from 1904 through 1921, he would often "pray" to Pele for the sake of the tourists.
Park officials frowned upon his practices of tossing items, such as gin bottles (after drinking their contents), into the crater.

William Hyde Rice included an 11-page summary of the legends of Pele in his 1923 collection of Hawaiian legends, a reprint of which is available online from the Bernice P. Bishop Museum's Special Publications section.

In 2003 the Volcano Art Center had a special competition for Pele paintings to replace one done in the early 20th century by D. Howard Hitchcock displayed in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park visitors center.
The existing portrait of what looked like a blond Caucasian as the Hawaiian goddess had been criticized by many Native Hawaiians.
Over 140 paintings were submitted, and finalists were displayed at sites within the park.
The winner of the contest was artist Arthur Johnsen of Puna.
This version shows the goddess in shades of red, with her digging staff Pã'oa in her left hand, and an embryonic form of her sister goddess Hi'iaka in her right hand.
The painting is now on display at the Kilauea Visitors Center.
Belief in Pele continued after the old religion was officially abolished in 1819. In the summer of 1823 English missionary William Ellis toured the island to determine locations for mission stations. After a long journey to the volcano Kīlauea with little food, Ellis eagerly ate the wild berries he found growing there. The berries of the ʻōhelo (Vaccinium reticulatum) plant are considered sacred to Pele. Traditionally prayers and offerings to Pele were always made before eating the berries. The volcano crater was an active lava lake, which the natives feared was a sign that Pele was not pleased with the violation.
Although wood carvings and thatched temples were easily destroyed, the volcano was a natural monument to the goddess.
In December 1824 the High Chiefess Kapiʻolani descended into Halemaʻumaʻu after reciting a Christian prayer instead of the traditional Hawaiian one to Pele. As it was predicted, she survived and this story was often told by missionaries to show the superiority of their faith. Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809–1892) wrote a poem about the incident in 1892.
An urban legend states that Pele herself occasionally warns locals of impending eruptions. Appearing in the form of either a beautiful young woman or an elderly woman with white hair, sometimes accompanied by a small white dog, and always dressed in a red muumuu, Pele is said to walk along the roads near Kīlauea, but will vanish if passersby stop to help her, similar to the Resurrection Mary or vanishing hitchhiker legend. The passerby is then obliged to warn others or suffer misfortune in the next eruption. Another legend, Pele's Curse, states that Pele's wrath will fall on anyone who removes items from her island. Every year numerous small natural items are returned by post to the National Park Service by tourists seeking Pele's forgiveness. It is believed Pele's Curse was invented in the mid-20th century to deter tourist depredation.
When businessman George Lycurgus ran a hotel at the rim of Kīlauea, called the Volcano House from 1904 through 1921, he would often "pray" to Pele for the sake of the tourists. Park officials frowned upon his practices of tossing items, such as gin bottles (after drinking their contents), into the crater.
William Hyde Rice included an 11-page summary of the legends of Pele in his 1923 collection of Hawaiian legends, a reprint of which is available online from the Bernice P. Bishop Museum's Special Publications section.
In 2003 the Volcano Art Center had a special competition for Pele paintings to replace one done in the early 20th century by D. Howard Hitchcock displayed in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park visitors center. The existing portrait of what looked like a blond Caucasian as the Hawaiian goddess had been criticized by many Native Hawaiians. Over 140 paintings were submitted, and finalists were displayed at sites within the park. The winner of the contest was artist Arthur Johnsen of Puna. This version shows the goddess in shades of red, with her digging staff Pã'oa in her left hand, and an embryonic form of her sister goddess Hi'iaka in her right hand. The painting is now on display at the Kilauea Visitors Center.
Pele (deity)