Mauna Kea in Hilo?

I haven't seen anything about Mauna Kea in Hilo. I am very interested in planetariums, but I'm wondering since we will be in Hilo during daylight hrs if this is worth seeing. Has anyone been here, and if so, what was it like?

Felicia

Hi,

Probably you dont hear much because most come to see the active volcano. It's about 1-1/2 hr drive one way from Hilo. This will pretty much take up your whole day.

Here's the website:

http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/mko/visiting.htm

Hi,

 

Probably you dont hear much because most come to see the active volcano. It's about 1-1/2 hr drive one way from Hilo. This will pretty much take up your whole day.

 

Here's the website:

 

http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/mko/visiting.htm

Good point. I think I'd rather see the volcano!

Hey, there's my excuse to return! I don't even have my first trip to Hawaii planned, and I'm already making plans for the return :)

Felicia

Okay, here's some basic info. First, the only time you can go to the summit is during the day. After sunset, no one is allowed at the summit except the astronomers and support staff. Second, the Keck viewing room is the only telescope you can see. There is no planetarium. There are numerous telescope facilities, which are owned by various companies, universities, and countries (often in some combination). Third, you MUST have a 4-wheel-drive vehicle to drive from the Visitors Center (9,000 ft) to the summit (14,000). Which leads me to fourth, the summit is 14,000 ft. Children, pregnant women, anyone with respiratory conditions, and anyone diving within the specified time limit (24 hours or 48 hours; can't remember) is not allowed to go to the summit. You must spend a full hour or more acclimating at the Visitor's Center before heading to the summit.

I think that the reality of the Mauna Kea summit may not be what you are envisioning. It's not a commercial venture, if you will. Most of the telescopes are not open to the public under any circumstances; a few sometimes have tours which must be arranged in advance. The University of Hawaii has weekend tours where you meet at the Visitors Center, have an hour to acclimate and learn some stuff, then caravan up to the summit. Everyone MUST have their own 4-w/d vehicle as the UoH doesn't offer transportation. At the summit, the tour group goes to the Keck viewing room (privately) and gets a full tour of the UoH telescope (very cool). In addition, there are commercial companies which do the summit (although they don't have access to the UoH telescope or anything other than what's open to the public), but they also must leave the summit after sunset. Those tours which offer stargazing do it at the Visitors Center, not at the summit. The UoH has stargazing, free and open to the public, every clear night of the year (about 320) at the Visitor's Center, where they use their "portable" telescopes, and during the day they sometimes set up sungazing at the Visitors Center (that was cool).

The Mauna Kea summit is a full day and is not a little "jaunt" by any means. Don't get me wrong. It was one of the most amazing days of our lives when my DH and I went up with the UoH a couple of years ago. We'd do it again in a second. It is a commitment of your whole day and is not for everyone. First time visitors are far more likely to go to VNP. I think that's the better choice on a short cruise stop.

beachchick

p.s., Excellent that you're already planning your "next" trip.

Agree with what Beachchick has said

Highly recommend it and it is well worth the trip. We enjoyed it as an excursion from our Carnival vessel. Below is from my cruise notes.

CRUISE EXCURSIONS TAKEN:

HILO, ISLAND OF HAWAII

Saturday, April 24, 2004: Mauna KeaSummit Tour

Mauna Kea is a sacred place with the ancient history, cultural sites, and magnificent beauty created by fire and ice. The ancient Hawaiians considered it the home of Poli’ahu, the snow goddess. Today it is the world’s premier spot for astronomy. This memorable journey took us to the peak of the Pacific, the 13,796-foot summit! The view atop Mauna Kea can only be described as majestic moonscape and looking down on the clouds is mesmerizing. The tour included a ride through Downtown Hilo, Rainbow Falls, Mauna Loa lava flows, Kipuka Pu’u Huluhulu Native Tree Sanctuary, Onizuka Center for International Astronomy, and the world’s largest telescope at Keck Observatory. Jackets were provided and we wore long pants and comfortable shoes. This was a very informative fully guided tour. The minibus stopped in the parking lot atop Mauan Kea by the observatory on the top of the mountain. The observatories that we saw from the outside were:

1. The NASA’s 1st Observatory has a 24 inch telescope that was built primarily for satellite tracking and later was given to the University of Hawaii:

2. The Lowell Observatory contains a 24 inch telescope and was later donated to Leeward College on Oahu:

3. The University of Hawaii’s Observatory has an 88 inch telescope that when it was dedicated it was the seventh largest optical/infrared telescope in the world;

4. The Canada, France and Hawaii Observatory has a 3.8 meter telescope dedicated infrared telescope;

5. The United Kingdom Observatory has a 15 meter submillimeter antenna to look at the short radio wavelengths emitted by vibrating molecules in space;

6. The James Clerk Maxwell Observatory is a joint venture between the United Kingdom and the Netherlands and is one of the world’s leading observatories at submillimeter wavelengths;

7. The Keck I and Keck II Observatories were built by the University of California and Caltech. It is a 10.4 meter novel lightweight technology using multiple mirrors and automated control mechanisms to support a segmented mirror four times larger than anything before it. It transformed optical and infrared astronomy world-wide by being able to make observations that previously were impossible in a whole night of observing now can be accomplished in an hour or so, enabling many observations and real statistics to be obtained for the first time on critical faint objects like quasars and galaxies. For the first time astronomers can make reliable measurements of the density of the universe, and cosmology moves from guess work to measurement. The twin telescopes can work independently, each with its own suite or instrumentation. They also can work together, directing their two light beams down into a sophisticated beam combination room below the workshops. Keck was the firs large observatory to achieve this goal in 2001. The 10 meter aperture of a single Keck telescope provides a maximum theoretical resolution of about 50 milliarcsec at infrared wavelengths. With both Keck beams combined the maximum aperture increases to about 100 meters for a ten fold increase in resolution. This is equivalent to resolving a dime about 25 miles away and is the kind of fine resolution necessary to examine many astronomical sources;

8. The Gemini North Observatory has an 8 meter telescope that has a thin meniscus design and has controls on the mirror surfaces and all telescope parts that can be adjusted to maintain position and curvature as the telescope structure moves under gravity. It is a twin to the later built Gemini South located in Chile;

9. The Very Long Baseline Array or VLBA, consists of 10 identical 25 meter radio dishes spread across the United States from Hawaii to the U.S. Virgin Islands. All these dishes are operated remotely from Socorro, New Mexico and the data are transported fro subsequent combination and analysis. The 10 VLBA dishes effectively form a single “synthesis” telescope with an effective aperture of 8,500 kilometers;

10. The Submillimeter Array which is a collaborative project between the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics in Taiwan. This array of eight, 6-meter dishes exploits the synthesis and interferometry aspects of physics to form a versatile telescope for observations in the submillimeter region. A single submillimeter dish has relatively poor resolution of about a dime at 100 yards away. By combining several dishes together with larger baselines this can be improved by factors of 10 to 100. Each individual disk can be relocated by a large forklift to provid a compact array which maximizes the resolution or the dishes can be spread out to almost 1 kilometer baseline to achieve maximum resolution, but with reduced sensitivity.

We did enjoy the “Sea to Sky” experience on this adventuresome journey! We also saw the snow atop the mountain and all of the various observatories located atop the mountain. The altitude affected our breathing somewhat in that it required us to take deep breaths and move slowly. The box lunch included a bottle of water and a very large and delicious deli sandwich with chips and cookies. The tour lasted approximately 6 hours and was well worth the price.

Naha and Pinao Stones: 300 Waianuenue Avenue in Hilo is in front of Hilo Public Library. The Pinao Stone was an entrance pillar of Pinao Temple. The Naha Stone was used as a test of fitness for royalty. Reputedly only chiefs of Naha blood were able to move it. Legend says that Kamehameha I overturned the stone and later justified the belief that he who succeeded in performing this feat would be the greatest king.

Rainbow Falls: Located off of Waianuenue Avenue on Rainbow Drive in Hilo. In the morning a rainbow often appears in the mist around the falls. The volume of the falls in Wailuku River State Park dwindles during the dry summer months.

Kipuka Puaulu: Is on Mauna Loa Road. A kipuka is an island of older soil and vegetation surrounded by more recent lava flows. A 1-mile trail loops through its forests and grassy meadows.

Mauna Loa: Adjoins Kilauea to the west and reached via Mauna Road. It is the world’s largest volcano. The summit rises about 31,784 feet above sea level. This enormous mountain was built by innumerable lava flows. In the last century Mauna Loa has erupted on an average of once every 3.75 years. Lava produced during this period has totaled more than 3.5 billion cubic yards. The summit may be hiked one way from the end of Mauna Loa Road is 18 miles. One of the most voluminous flows in recent history began in 1950. Highly liquid lava escaped from a fissure 13 miles long and reached the sea in less than 3 hours having advanced at a speed of approximately 3.75 miles an hour. This massive eruption amounted to about 600 million cubic yards of lava and is enough t pave a four-lane highway 4.5 times around the world. With the exception of a brief eruption in July 1975 Mauna Loa waited 34 years before generating another major eruption. On March 25, 1984 Mauna Loa began a 22-day eruption that sent lava flows down its northeast flank from a vent at the 9,400-foot level. The two longest flows extended about 16 miles from the vent. This eruption coincided with yet another eruption of Kilauea for the first time that both volcanoes had erupted simultaneously in 65 years.

Mauna Loa Road: Branches off of Hwy 11 opposite Kilauea Caldera and reaches an elevation of 6,600 feet. The road may be closed due to high fire danger. A short turnoff leads to molds of trees formed when lava made a shell around the trunks. A trail at the end of the road passes through mountain parkland and above 10,000 feet enters barren lava fields; ice lingers in cracks protected from the sun at the summit. This path follows the northeast rift zone. The trail considered one of the island’s most difficult hikes might be closed due to high winds or deep snow. Under any circumstances the ascent of Mauna Loa can take a toll on the unprepared hiker in the form of severe sunburn and worn shoe soles. Shelters at the 10,000-foot level at Red Hill and near the summit are available on a first cone first served basis.

Mauna Kea State Recreation Area: It is located 35 miles west of Hilo on Hwy 200 at the 6,500-foot level on Mauna Kea. Near the park are cinders and spatter cone formations and examples of shield volcanism. A road leads to the 9,000-foot level at Hale Pohaku that is a base camp for the University of Hawaii’s Mauna Kea observatory and continues to the summit. Skiing is available weather permitting from November through January. Access to areas off Hwy 200 is by foot or four wheel drive vehicle. Note that there is no drinking water available. Open from dawn to dusk and admission is free.

I think that the reality of the Mauna Kea summit may not be what you are envisioning. It's not a commercial venture, if you will. Most of the telescopes are not open to the public under any circumstances; p.s., Excellent that you're already planning your "next" trip.

Oh you're right, I did have something different in mind. I don't think I'll have time to do it and the volcanoes, too, so it has to be volcanoes!

I booked and paid for my flights, hotel & cruise today! I'm soooo excited!

Felicia

We are looking forward to visiting. On our trip to Kona next December, we plan to go up for the star gazing one evening (it is a land vacation.) We will have to save the summit for another trip due to our daughter's age, but it is just one more thing to look forward to. :)

Today it is the world’s premier spot for astronomy.

Steam, I was hoping it was a place where one could gaze at the planets and stars thru high powered telescopes, and I wondered if it would be possible during the day. I'm disappointed, but can surely do this again another time.

Felicia

Oh you're right, I did have something different in mind. I don't think I'll have time to do it and the volcanoes, too, so it has to be volcanoes!

 

I booked and paid for my flights, hotel & cruise today! I'm soooo excited!

Felicia

Sounds great. You can change that "don't think" you'll have time for both in one day to "it's a physical impossibility to do both in one day." Each is its own day, especially VNP in that one day is not enough to really "do" it all there.

The drive from Hilo to the Visitors Center on Mauna Kea is about 1-1/2 hours; then there's the acclimation of minimum 1 hour; then there's the "graded" gravel road from the Visitors Center to the summit, which takes at least 1/2 an hour. So, you're talking about 5 hours at an absolute minimum of just driving and acclimation time. At the summit, you must walk slowly and carefully and monitor how you feel. Even the healthiest person can experience altitude sickness. There are no facilities at the summit except the restrooms at the Keck. The altitude sucks fuel like crazy, so you have to have a full tank when you leave Hilo. The experience of the summit is so worth it though. The views are beyond breathtaking and are, in fact, basically impossible to describe fully. The whole landscape is astonishing. Oh, I should mention that it's cold up there. In the winter, the road to the summit is sometimes closed because of ice and snow. We were there in June and still needed long pants, long sleeved shirts, light jackets, gloves, and sturdy shoes with socks. A visit to the Mauna Kea summit is an investment of 7 to 8 hours.

Although the entrance to VNP is less than an hour from Hilo, you need to plan 1-1/2 to 2 hours r/t drive time for that. Then, Crater Rim Dr. needs at least 2 and preferably 3+ hours. If you want to do Chain of Craters Rd. down to the literal "end of the road" where the flows destroyed the road that used to go around the south of Kilauea, add at least 2 more hours, including some stops along the way. If you want to hike out on the cooled lava flows, add some time for that. (BTW: Long pants and sturdy shoes are an absolute MUST to hike out at all on the beds.) Bring a light jacket or sweater because it is cooler at 4,000 than at sea level. A minimum VNP day is 5 to 6 hours (and preferably 7 to 8 to include Chain of Craters Rd.)

As the current flow is not accessible by the public, the only way to actually see flowing lava is by air. There's no current ocean entry, and the current flow is at least 4 hours hike (probably more) one way, but a moot point because the area is unsafe and has been closed to the public.

Here's the thing though. Some people seem to believe that the only reason to go to Kilauea is to see red hot flowing lava. Sure, that's incredible, but VNP has so much, much more to offer. It's an awe-inspiring place with all kinds of various sights. Imagine standing at the edge of the caldera and looking out at the floor where you can see steam vents, every color of the rainbow (and then some), and a surprising variety of plant life that takes hold in what seems to be a barren landscape.

So, save the Mauna Kea summit for your next trip. I suggest that if you don't want the hassle of drving that you look at one of the (IMO quite expensive) commercial tours. If you are a very confident driver who is familiar with 4-w/d on barely graded and somewhat steep gravel road, then rent from Harper's (they're the only company which allows their 4-w/ds to go up to the summit). It's a very pricy rental. Our hard-body was more than $100 for the day. And do check the vehicle carefully before leaving, pointing out and having documented every ding, bump, scratch, etc. because there have been reports of Harper's trying to blame customers for pre-existing damage. We did not have that problem. The free weekend tours offered by UoH are amazing. They have tour leaders, astronomy grad students, geology grad students who caravan up with the tour and act as guides. The drive from the VC to the summit was not a knuckle-biter for us because my DH is an excellent driver and is familiar with what amounts to offroading. The weather was perfect for us that day (in fact, the only perfectly clear day of our land visit to the BI that summer); we could see Haleakala on Maui. Also, we totally lucked out because one of the Keck astronomers was at the telescope doing some prep for the evening. He walked out to the floor and said hi, and then went into the conrol room and treated us to a full display of how the Keck functions. Wow doesn't begin to cover it. The whole day gave me chicken skin (what we mainlanders call goose bumps).

Although you will not be able to gaze through any of the telescopes at the summit, the "portable" ones used by the UoH at the Visitors Center aren't exactly tiny. I put portable in quotation marks because they're not telescopes we'd ever be likely to own or transport anywhere. They're pretty darn powerful. The ones they set up for sungazing during the day (some days; not all) are pretty amazing. What a sight. The evening star gazing at the VC with the UoH telescopes is also quite special. Definitely worth a day on a land trip. You can make a day of it by packing a picnic lunch and picnicing at the VC. There are picnic tables, and we had a great time eating while gazing out over the valley (between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa) and watching a small flock of nene play. Then we spent the afternoon at the summit (on the university tour). After sunset, many people stayed at the VC for the early evening stargazing. A truly remarkable day.

Have a great trip this time and on all your "next" trips in the coming years. I'm telling you, visiting Hawaii is an addiction for some of us.:D

beachchick

Sounds great. You can change that "don't think" you'll have time for both in one day to "it's a physical impossibility to do both in one day." Each is its own day, especially VNP in that one day is not enough to really "do" it all there.

 

beachchick

Beachchick, you are a plethora of information! I appreciate everything you wrote. I had no idea there was so much involved in the summit, but it does sound worthy of a trip the 2nd go-round.

I did want to ask you about something you said, about clothing. Did you mean that when I see the lava, I will need to wear long pants and a light jacket because it's cooler? I thought lava would be hot, so it'd be hotter the closer I got to the volcanos. (Sounds like I need to read up on volcanos!) :D

Again, thanks for the information.

Felicia

Happy to help. I'm glad you're considering Mauna Kea for your "next" trip. It's well worth the investment of time and money. Amazing.

As for the cooler temps. First, keep in mind that you're not going to get close to any flowing lava right now. Second, the caldera of Kilauea is at about 4,000 ft. It is cooler up there. You're not driving into a hot, active area of the volcano. Yes, there are steam vents and various other "active" spots, but the overall temperatures are about 20 degrees cooler than at sea level. The only parts of the volcano where it would get hotter the closer you got was if you were hiking from the end of Chain of Craters Rd. (which is almost back down to sea level, so the temps there are about the same as in Hilo) out on the lava beds toward the current flow. The current flow doesn't encompass the whole volcano, so you're not going into the "fiery jaws" of an inferno. Besides that, the flow is currently so far away and in such an unsafe area that no one is allowed to hike out to it anyway...Plus, you'd be looking at about a 3 to 4 hour hike one way. Kilauea is the only current active volcano on the BI, but you never know when Madam Pele might decide to show off.

For Kilauea, you should plan on bringing a light jacket or sweater, but you likely won't need long pants. It can be somewhat windy at Kilauea as well. (However, long pants are a must for the Mauna Kea summit at all times of the year.)

If you plan to drive down Chain of Craters Rd. and hike out onto the cooled (and accessible) lava beds then you need to wear long pants and sturdy closed-toe shoes. This is not because it's cold; it's because the lava is sharp and is a challenge to hike on. You do NOT want to fall on sharp lava wearing shorts and a tank top. You need to protect yourself as a "just in case" measure. If you do decide to hike out any distance, you'll need to bring plenty of water, wear sunscreen, and bring energy bars or the like. If you just want to drive down to the end of Chain of Craters Rd. and take a short walk or lookout onto the lava beds, then you won't need the long pants, but I'd still recommend sturdy shoes if you plan on walking out onto the lava even a short way.

Hope that clarifies a bit. Here's a link to the National Park website. It should help you get started on learning about VNP and such:

http://www.nps.gov/havo/

beachchick