Haleakala Sunrise

[upfee]

Has anyone experienced this event? Wa it worth the effort to get up that

early and deal with the cold?

 

Does anyone know how long a ride it would be to the summit from the port

(Kahului) ? And how would I find out the sunrise time for the date will be

be there?

 

Appreciate your responses!

[bug_dan]

I can help with the sunrise time, just click on the following

http://www.bishopmuseum.org/planetarium/

Strictly a guess, but I would imagine from Kahului, travel time might be about 2 hours????

[spleen93]

The time estimate sounds pretty good. Remember that the temperature is freezing up there in the early morning - bring jackets, hotel blankets, towels, etc. etc. to heat yourself up with. So far, the 2-3 times I've done sunrise on Haleakala, I haven't been all that impressed - but I'm a person to whom sleep is very important so that may play a role in why I would have rather spent the time sleeping in! I think I'm the exception in that I wasn't all that impressed.

 

Spleen

[10X]

We did this earlier this year. It's only a 2 hour drive to the summit clear from Kapalua (west of Lahaina), so it's only about an hour or so from Kahului. We allowed 3 hours from Kapalua and ended up with a hour long nap in the car before sunrise. However, you might want to allow plenty of time to be sure you can park. It gets quite crowded up there. The park service has a telephone number you can call to find out when sunrise is and a suggested time to be there by.

 

And like Spleen said, it's cold up there in the early morning. Bundle up.

 

I have some pictures of the skyline before sunrise posted here:

 

http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=4074962&a=31166402&f=

 

I have many others but did not post them. Let me know if you want some e-mailed to you. It's a beautiful sight up there and I would make every effort to do it at least once. We're headed back to Maui in February and will likely do this again.

 

Denny

shoot3gun@yahoo.com

[upfee]

thanks for taking the time to respond. appreciate the information.

 

Denny, your pictures are beautiful. Where did you snorkel?

[Maui_Wahine]

Has anyone experienced this event? Wa it worth the effort to get up that

early and deal with the cold?

It is, IMHO, the single most impressive event on Maui. We always insist that our visitors take advantage of it. If you've flown directly to Maui from the mainliand, do it the first day you've here as you'll probably be up early anyway (jet lag). Allow ample time, since the road can get crowded and you may get behind a tour bus.

 

As Spleen sed, it will be cold at the summit (50s/60s summer, 40s/50s winter), so dress warm. Sunrise times are at sea level, so subtract about thirty minutes to enjoy the pre-dawn sky from the summit. On the way back, plan to visit the Kula Lodge.

[beachchick]

I've got to say that I agree with Spleen. Sunrise may be spectacular (I have no first hand knowledge, but DH says it's pretty awe inspiring), but going up early to mid morning is gorgeous as well. Of course, I'm also with Spleen on sleeping; but then I usually have to sleep several hours more per day than the average person, so I rarely see any sunrise.

 

If you go in the early/mid morning, bring/wear warm clothes, but be prepared to strip down a level or two (no I am not suggesting nudity--although I personally don't care; lol). DH had me wear/bring shoes and socks (do this because you will be hiking around on slippery earth and rocks), long pants, shirt, sweater, jacket, gloves, and hat. We got there about 9 am--it was getting quite warm. I couldn't wait to take off the jacket and long pants. I'm sure I was an interesting sight changing into shorts in the car. I never even put on the gloves or hat. However, I was glad to have the lightweight cotton sweater for the first hour or so. OTOH, in DH's previous early morning experiences at the summit the weather was quite cold. You just never know, except that pre-dawn it will always be cold.

 

Whatever you do, make sure you get up there--sunrise or later in the morning. I know in the afternoon the thermal layer often (maybe usually) brings in cloud/fog/condensation so the views are obscurred. By the time we left at about 1 pm, the crater was pretty well covered in clouds.

 

Note to Maui_Wahine: Wow. Do you threaten your guests or simply bribe them with the promise of, say, mai tais upon their return? (Just joking with you of course.) Definitely agree about Kula Lodge. Even if it's just for coffee and the view, it's a must do. BTW, we love your island and visit as often as is feasible; mahalo for sharing it with us.

 

beachchick

[Maui_Wahine]

Note to Maui_Wahine: Wow. Do you threaten your guests or simply bribe them with the promise of, say, mai tais upon their return? (Just joking with you of course.) Definitely agree about Kula Lodge. Even if it's just for coffee and the view, it's a must do. BTW, we love your island and visit as often as is feasible; mahalo for sharing it with us.

No mac nut ice cream if they don't do sunrise on the summit...

[spleen93]

No mac nut ice cream if they don't do sunrise on the summit...

LOL!!

 

Spleen

[beachchick]

I suspected it would be something worthwhile--yum.

 

beachchick

[wolfegizmo]

We did the sunrise a few years ago and it was the most spectacular sunrise we have ever seen. It is definitely worth getting up and driving for!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dress warm and enjoy - You will probably never see another sunrise like it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[10X]

upfee,

 

We did one week on Oahu and one week on Maui, earlier this year. On Oahu we snorkeled at Hanauma Bay and did an excursion snorkeling with wild dolphins. Both are fantastic and I would do them both again.

 

On Maui we snorkeled at Kapalua Bay, west of Lahaina. It's a beautiful setting, a gorgeous beach, and tons of fish. We're headed back to Maui in February for our son's wedding and plan to go to Kapalua Bay again.

 

Some of the photos were taken while scuba diving on both islands.

 

Denny

[cctexan]

Denny, with whom did you snorkel with wild dolphins on Oahu? We have an excursion booked with "Wild Side Specialty Tours," and wondered if it is the same outfit. Looking for feedback about them.

 

I too must compliment you on your pictures! My hubby and I enjoyed them and thought that some of them had to have been taken while diving. They just make the waiting until it's "our time" seem to drag!!! LOL!

 

Only 51 more days! :D

[10X]

cctexan,

 

We went with "Dolphin Excursions." http://www.dolphinexcursions.com/

 

We did their early tour for a better chance at seeing them. We spent a lot of time watching whales (we did this in February) then did some snorkeling with the dolphins.

 

You are correct that some of the photos were taken while scuba diving. On Oahu we went with Aaron's Dive Shop and with Maui Dive Shop on Maui. I have many more underwater photos that weren't posted.

 

If you are going to be on Oahu, be sure you do some snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. You won't regret it. However, if I recall correctly, they are closed one day per week, and it might be Tuesday. CRS on this.

[tothill]

I just came back from last weeks sailing on POA and we did the sunrise trip. Woke up at 3 am, got in our rental car (there is parking at the pier in Kahilui) and took the long and winding road to the top. The car we were driving gave us a reading of the external temperature. When we got in the car (about 3:45) the temp was 73, by the time we reached the top (around 5ish), it was 43. Burrrrr. We drove right to the summit and managed to snag the last parking space in the lot. Froze our butts off but it was totally worth it. I'd actually say it was the highlight of the trip for me.

 

We were originally going to book the downhill cycle, but had some problems with the booking so decided to just keep our rental car for an extra day. Have to say, I'm really glad we didn't do the cycle. By the time we got back in th car, we were both tired, and cold, and it was starting to rain. The last thing we would have wanted to do at that point was deal with riding down the mountain.

 

We drove right from there to Lahaina and were having breakfast by the ocean by 9:00 am.

[cctexan]

Oh well, it was worth checking.... In any case, your pictures are great and I really appreciated all the descriptions/fish names!!!

 

We were in Hawaii in May and we did indeed snorkel at Hanauma Bay and like you said, it was fabulous. Of course, we got there very, very early and left when it started getting too crowded (definition: sand getting kicked up messing up the visibility). We plan to spend a little time there again on our next trip - once again, super early in the morning. For those of you who have not done this, DON'T MISS IT! Oh, and yes, it is closed every Tuesday.

[thecruisechick]

How come we never see picture of the sunrise??? I want to make sure it's worth getting up for. :rolleyes: Come on Tothill lets see them.

[bankofdad]

Denny, thanks for sharing the pictures. I've booked Dolphin Excursions for 10/17, the early AM trip. Hope we have the same dolphin viewing success that you had! Thanks again!

[10X]

thecruisechick,

 

I was taking video during the sunrise so my still camera was not in action. However, a friend of mine did take some stills. I'll see what I can do about posting a couple. I'm out of town this weekend so it won't be until next week when I get it done.

 

Some clouds began moving in just minutes before the sun came up so we didn't get a "clear" sunrise but, nonetheless, some of our photos are gorgeous.

 

Denny

[bobnsandi]

How come we never see picture of the sunrise??? I want to make sure it's worth getting up for.

Our lanai faces east, and we have hundreds of sunrise images. Check out a few of them @ http://www.swansongrp.com

[thecruisechick]

Thank you very much. It's very beautiful indeed! Also worth waking up for.

 

10X,

I'll be waiting and thanks!

[10X]

OK cruisechick, the photos have been added. The new photos are the last seven in the group. My wife and I travelled with another couple and he took these photos with a 1.3MP camera, while I was busy with the video camera. I should have given him my 5MP camera. The clouds that moved in caused moisture to form on the lens so getting excellent pictures was somewhat of a problem. At any rate, here is what you can expect.

 

http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=4074962&a=31166402&f=

 

Denny

[thecruisechick]

Very nice, it's so majestic!

 

Thanks for the pictures.

 

Mary

[andreadan]

Earlier this month we did the 9:00 a.m. bike trip and were very happy with not getting up in the middle of the night to maybe see a sunrise, as the top of the mountain could be in the clouds at any time. :(

 

We booked with Haleakala Bike Company, the Super Summit Deluxe Tour, and thought the whole experience was great! :)

[Sammy]

I'm with you Spleen - that's too darned early to have to get up. Did you ever wonder why SUN RISE is so great? What's wrong with SUN SET!! Gee whiz, if the sun comes up over the horizon, it's the same sun going down, just in reverse. What's the big deal about SUN RISE?

 

I say sleep in and let everyone else inch their way up the mountain in the cold of the night.

 

Bah, humbug

Sammy:D