11-10-2010, 01:57 PM
We are talking solid rock here. A hand operated auger could kill you when it jams in the rock, and if you are starting on an exposed sheet of pahoehoe the auger will just skitter around without cuttiing. Some people use a jackhammer, either hand operated or mounted on an excavator. There are areas with deep soil in Puna but I think most of Hawaiian Acres has pahoehoe very close to the surface.