A woman from Washington, Missouri, returned from a trip to Hawaii and was shocked to find a few pebbles stuck in the bottom of her shoe, including what she said was a volcanic rock. Taking rocks from the island is not only illegal, but also considered bad luck, so she decided to mail them back to prevent any curse from disrupting her life.
Sarah Kraffty shared her effort to avoid bad luck on TikTok. She is a popular travel content creator who, as previously noted, was in Hawaii recently. The clip attached above went viral in less than a day, garnering 803,200 views, 77,800 likes, and close to 600 comments.
The Missouri woman recorded herself with one shoe in her hand and a letter on the table, explaining that she had a problem. She then showed viewers the bottom of her shoe, where a tiny pebble was lodged in the tread. Sarah believed it was a small lava rock and explained that accidentally bringing it home could bring bad luck, according to the well-known legend of Pele’s curse. The same applied to her husband, Joe, who she said had also unknowingly brought home a few Hawaiian pebbles.
“It is extremely bad luck to bring back anything from Hawaii. Like lava rocks. Rocks. Like, don’t take it. Sand, don’t take it. It’s bad luck. It means it belongs to the land,” she said.
Mailing Rocks
And she wasn’t making stuff up. According to the Hawaii Guide, Pele’s curse, named after the goddess of fire and volcanoes, is considered real by those unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end. As a result, Hawai’i Volcano National Park routinely received apology letters accompanied by the rocks people had taken, on purpose or by accident.
Additionally, taking rocks, sand, coral, and other natural objects from national and state parks and beaches is illegal and can result in fines and even jail time.
Not wanting to take any chances, Sarah decided to mail the pebbles back to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Along with the rocks, she included a note that read, “Found on bottom of my shoe. Want to return to the land,” before dropping the envelope in the mailbox.
“Bye! No bad luck. I’m not doing anything dangerous the next couple of days,” she said as she walked back home.
Reactions
Viewers were divided over Sarah’s decision. While some questioned whether the superstition should be taken seriously, others praised her for respecting Hawaiian traditions. One said, “I feel like this is some sort of psychosis.” Another one commented, “I wonder how hard the park ranger who receives this laughs?“
Others, however, appreciated the Missouri woman’s effort to respect Hawaii’s rules and traditions. One wrote, “As a native Hawaiian, I really appreciate this.” Another one added, “Mahalo for respecting our ʻĀina [land].“
Others joked Sarah may have traded one superstition for another after noticing she had placed her shoes on the table while filming. When one viewer pointed it out, Sarah simply replied, “Gosh dang it.”
