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 her shoe in one hand and a letter on the table. She said that she had a problem, and then showed the bottom of her shoe. A tiny pebble was stuck in the threads. It was actually a “lava” rock, which only meant bad news for Sarah. The same applied to Joe, her husband, who also had unwillingly brought Hawaiian pebbles of his own.
“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,” the woman 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, as well as from beaches, is illegal and can lead to fines and even jail time.
Therefore, Sarah had various reasons to worry. So, to counter Pele’s curse, the Missouri woman decided to send them back to Hawai’i Volcano National Park via an envelope. She included a stamp and also wrote, “Found on bottom of my shoe. Want to return to the land,” and then placed 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
The video sparked multiple responses, some from viewers who believed Sarah was exaggerating. 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].“
Finally, some even believed Sarah was up for bad luck either way. Many pointed out that placing shoes on tables or counters, just like she did, was also bad luck. She just responded, “Gosh dang it.”
