The pa hula is located near the rim of Kilauea Caldera in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park at Ka'auea, which means "the act of revival of life, the rebreathing of life." In legend, this is where Hi'iaka revived Pele's lover Lohiau after the goddess Pele had jealously engulfed him with lava fire. From the pa hula, dancers gaze directly through a break in the surrounding foliage to Pele's sacred home, Halema'uma'u crater.
 

The late, respected kumu hula and revered kupuna Auntie Edith Kanaka'ole, whose family counts themselves as descendents of Pele, was consulted by Volcano Art Center founder Boone Morrison in the late 1970s. Shortly before her death, Auntie Edith was brought to visit the proposed site by her daughter, kumu hula Pualani Kanaka'ole Kanahele. She walked to the place where the hula platform now stands and said, "this feels very nice to me." When asked which direction the dancers should face, she replied, "towards Tutu Pele, of course" and pointed to the crater. How big a platform, she was asked. "Oh, five dancers across would be nice...and maybe three lines," she answered.

In 1980, the pa hula was created as she had suggested, with almost all of the work erecting the platform performed by native Hawaiians. The pa hula is open to any who wish to dance there, and is dedicated exclusively to non-competitive hula kahiko.