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Hawaii

Haleakalā & Hawaii Volcanoes National Parks

By Scott Richardson

December 19^th, 2021

We planned to spend our tenth wedding anniversary celebrating the things that make us unique. So for us, that meant taking an epic Hawaiian vacation, getting our hiking boots dirty, and witnessing a natural phenomenon that we've never seen before.

Our first vacation was a road trip to Maine to visit Acadia National Park, and we spent our honeymoon exploring Zion and Bryce. Naturally, we'd hop to Hawaii to see two more national parks to celebrate this milestone.

Our timing was near perfect; we avoided the strict quarantines and governor's request to stay away from the islands due to COVID, captured enough sunny days within the island's rainy season, witnessed a lunar eclipse and an active volcanic eruption.

A pit stop in San Francisco

We flew to San Francisco early in the morning, with plenty of room to stretch out due to a mostly empty plane. We woke up over the snowcapped peaks of the Sierra Nevadas as we started to descend into SFO.

After a quick Uber ride to our friend's house, we took their suggestion to have breakfast at a Guatemalan cafe nearby. We spent the rest of the day searching for the city's best tacos, wine, beer, and hipster Chinese food. We took in the view of downtown from their balcony and roasted marshmallows over a fire pit in their yard.

The following day we drove across the city to pick up pastries from Arsicault Bakery and took them back home to enjoy while we watched the F1 race. That afternoon we headed to Mt. Tamalpais and hiked through an everchanging landscape of forest, hills, and ocean views. Someone had just finished setting up a swing in a tree overlooking the city skyline and coast. We ended the hike just in time to see the sunset over Stinson Beach.

The west side of Maui

Our friend drove us to the airport early Monday morning to catch our flight to Maui. We left the grey skies of San Francisco behind in search of a more vivid landscape, but Maui was also pretty grey. We selected the brightest car we could find, a "Bikini Blue" Jeep Wrangler, and headed to find lunch. Less than an hour on Maui, and I already had a Hawaiian lunch plate in hand, complete with mac salad and a scoop of white rice.

We spent the first day acclimatizing ourselves to Maui's west coast. We stopped at a cloud-filled Iao Valley, then continued towards our hotel at Napili Beach. That night we enjoyed the beach, pool, and several Mai Tais.

The following day, we rented snorkeling gear and headed north from our resort. Our first stop was the vivid blue waters of Honolua Bay. The surf intensified its force as we drove further north, pounding the coast at the Nakalele Blowhole.

At our next stop, signs warned us of the dangers of entering the Olivine Pools, where unsuspecting travelers have been swallowed by an unrelenting tide and dragged out to sea. Luckily, we only came to admire the coastline from a safe distance.

We continued to drive the northwest point of Maui and had to decide where to find lunch. Google Maps noted a food truck a few miles up the road, but when we arrived, it was closed. With no food for about an hour in either direction, we decided to continue driving the tight twists and turns of the Kahekili Highway towards civilization at its end. Along the way, lush green valleys gave way to epic views of the coast. The road narrowed with every turn until it was just a single car wide. Towards its end, the narrow highway hugged a rock wall on one side and a sharp cliff edge on the other.

Safely on the other side of the highway and back on standard width paved roads, we found an open food truck for lunch, then headed towards calmer seas at Maui's south end to snorkel.

That night, we took in a traditional luau in Lahaina and learned about Hawaiian history and beliefs. All the while, they fed us course after course of sweetbreads, salads with pineapple and coconut cream dressings, salmon, poke, taro hummus, sweet potato mash, several preparations of pork, chicken, steak, mahi-mahi, poi, pineapple upside-down cake, and if that wasn't enough, a loaf of banana bread for the road.

After two days near the beach, it was time to switch landscapes. We stopped in Lahaina to visit a bakery, see its gigantic Banyan tree, then headed towards upcountry.

Haleakalā & Upcountry Maui

We struck out in our search for to-go sandwiches as we headed into Haleakalā National Park. Luckily, the park had other plans for us and greeted us with fog that hid the crater from sight. So, we hightailed it to the summit, scouted out a viewpoint for the next morning's sunrise, then headed out of the park in search of a more scenic way to spend the afternoon.

We snagged a last-minute reservation for a late-afternoon wine-tasting and arrived at the winery with several hours to spare. Across the street, we shared a cup of stew, then asked if we could start our wine-tasting early. Luckily, they had a spot open, and we sipped sweet wine and a cocktail and scouted out the winery's feline and lizard populations.

We were on the edge of the back road to Hana, and still had a few hours of daylight left to kill. So, assuming this would be our only chance to drive this famed road, we headed out in search of a cloudy view of the backside of Haleakalā. The route started in excellent condition with a freshly paved surface. We dodged cattle and goats as we traversed open range. Along the way we witnessed dozens of abandoned cars, all ransacked. These eerie sights of rust and trash were set against beautiful views of a cloudy mountain in one direction, and a rocky coastline in the other.

As we traversed the Piilani Highway, we started to wonder why so many guidebooks say to heed caution. The desolate coastline felt like a completely different island compared to the rest of Maui. Lava fields stretched from the mountain to the coast, and a tranquil rainforest lay at the road's end. However, as we made our way towards the island's southeast tip, we found the conditions we had been expecting: deteriorated dirt road, blind turns, steep cliffside corners. The challenge of driving this road was half of the fun.

As daylight faded, we turned around and started to make the 50+ mile drive back along the slow highway. The epic views of earlier had turned into a frightful journey of avoiding suicidal goats and clumsy cows who crossed our path.

We woke up around 4 am to start back into the national park. The best $1 we had spent on this trip was to reserve a pass to enter the park for sunrise. It took nearly an hour to wind our way up to the summit, but we knew where we wanted to be, thanks to our scouting trip the day prior.

We put on our headlamps and hiked a half-mile up a hill to an overlook of the crater. Unfortunately, another couple beat us to our spot and spoiled the silence of the early morning by playing music. The couple also ignored a sign warning of staying on trail to protect fragile plant life and were quickly reprimanded when a ranger arrived.

As the sun emerged above a layer of clouds, the ranger sang a native song to welcome a new day.

After sunrise, we drove a few miles down the mountain, parked the Jeep, and walked to a pull-off designated for hitchhikers. The hike into, and thus out of, the crater is steep. To make the best use of a day, it is recommended that you leave a car, hitchhike to the summit, and hike back to your vehicle through the crater. So, we heeded this advice and hoped someone would pick us up. Most of the early morning traffic was headed down the mountain after sunrise, but it took only 10-15 minutes for a car to notice us on their way up. A swiss couple picked us up and deposited us at the trailhead for the beginning of our hike.

The Haleakalā crater looks like every movie depiction of Mars: desolate, rocky, and sandy in every direction. But even in this desert landscape, natural life abounds. Ferns, berries, and a rare plant called a Silversword decorate the area. The Silversword is endemic to this crater and hillsides of Haleakalā, evolving from a plant native to California. A similar plant grows high up on Mauna Kea on the Big Island, and on parts of Kauai.

The hike along the Sliding Sands trail through the crater is unforgiving. Starting with a steep 2,000' descent into the crater, the trail flattens for a few miles as you walk along the crater floor around a series of cinder cones.

Mid-hike, there is a steep climb up a cinder cone, then a few more miles to get to a rest stop at the wilderness Hōlua cabin. Luckily for us, our rest came with entertainment as a pair of endangered nene geese poked at a water spigot until another hiker turned it on. Looking uphill from the cabin, we could see our fate—a steep hillside with a neverending series of switchbacks that would deliver us to our car.

The final section of the hike featured a 2300' ascent along three miles of switchbacks. The dusty landscape of the crater floor turned into lush, green rainforest as we climbed into the clouds.

For our nights near Haleakalā, we booked a unique Airbnb with a view of the stars. I've never seen a more unique listing in all of my travel searching. Its owner is a contractor who turned an average house into something more fitting of its unique location. One balcony faces West Maui's mountains and the island's airport; another faces Haleakalā's mountainside. Inside is a perfectly comfortable bedroom with every amenity imaginable (including a heated toilet seat and illuminated bowl). On top of the house: an inflatable dome set up for stargazing as you nod off to sleep.

On our first night, I wondered how I had bungled my trip timing to coincide with the peak of a full moon. The moon's light was as bright as daylight and washed out our view of everything but the brightest constellations and planets. But by complete chance (and news even to the property owner), we were lucky enough to spend our second night witnessing a rare lunar eclipse. The full moon was gradually obscured over a few hours. Once the earth's shadow stretched fully over the moon, the moon turned bright red and the darkness allowed for prime stargazing from our perch across the rooftop.

The Road to Hana

We were happy that the eclipse reached totality around 11 pm; we had plenty of time to sleep. The following day, we headed towards one of Maui's most famed day trips, the Road to Hana. Before reaching the road, we stopped at a bakery in Makawao to sample their malasada donuts. These little pastries were life-changing: light, fluffy, and endlessly satisfying.

Sugared up, we started our drive on the Hana highway. At our first destination, we were waved on as the parking lot was already at capacity. In hindsight, it was probably for the best as we spent the day finding more off-the-beaten-path attractions: a hidden bamboo forest, rainbow eucalyptus trees, and dozens of waterfalls. We respected parking restrictions and private property signs and found plenty of serene places to enjoy: a forest reserve, an empty beach, and plenty of places to buy banana bread.

As we continued towards Hana, we veered off the main highway to view a lava rock-covered beach where the waves exploded onto the shore. The route continued its hundreds of turns, around waterfalls and through green valleys.

Once in Hana, we killed some time before dinner at a local art gallery. In talking with a woman at the gallery, we realized we might literally run into a roadblock. Last-minute roadwork to replace a bridge had been scheduled, and we were on the wrong side of a bridge that would not exist in a few hours from our accommodation. We called our Airbnb and confirmed that the bridge project was real; the bridge was scheduled to close at 8 pm and would cut off access to the national park which we planned to visit for the weekend.

Bummed and unsure of how we would adapt our plans, we found dinner at a taco food truck, then made the drive to our Airbnb along a narrow, windy, rocky road. We crossed the bridge with an hour to spare and arrived in the dark at an off-the-grid hippie retreat now literally cut off from civilization.

The Back Road to Hana

We had planned to spend the weekend exploring the coastal Kīpahulu District of Haleakalā National Park, but since the park was now inaccessible from the main highway, the park service shut it down. We made the best of our unplanned day by driving the Piilani Highway along the backside of Haleakalā once more, although this time because it was the only way out.

Our first stop found us detouring from the main highway through a row of large trees along a dirt road. At the end of the road was the Palapala Ho’omau Church, situated amongst a garden along a stretch of rocky coast. Behind the church was Charles Lindbergh's grave. After traveling the world, he had made the Kīpahulu area of Maui his vacation home. His simple gravestone was surrounded by lava rock and surrounded by tropical flowers.

Our next stop was at the Laulima Farm Fruit Stand, searching for coffee and breakfast. We arrived at a stand full of fresh papayas, bananas, starfruit, passionfruit, mangos, and more. We ordered coffee and a fruit plate, all sourced from the farm that surrounded us. We had never experienced many of these fruits before, but they were all delicious. The farm cat, Panda, wandered around as we ate until he found a child to feed him a coconut.

We stopped at every interesting waypoint along the way: a dried-up waterfall, black sand beach, and a rural church.

On the other side of the road, we again stopped for lunch across the street from the winery and planned the afternoon. We planned to stop for more life-changing donuts in Makawao, but they were sold out and already closed upon arrival. So we hopped around to a few stores, then headed to our newly booked Airbnb in Paia.

That night, we had the best (and cheapest!) meal of the trip: take out from The Tin Roof in Kahului that we enjoyed while watching Netflix in our Airbnb. Something about that simple chop steak and mochiko chicken just hit the spot.

The Big Island – Kona

We ended our time on Maui by searching for malasadas once more from a bakery in Wailuku, but they fell short of the light, fluffy pastries we had earlier in the week. So, we headed to a nature reserve to work off those calories by taking a short hike along the coast.

That afternoon we flew to the Big Island and stopped at the Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park just a few minutes from the airport. We searched for petroglyphs along a boardwalk trail, but many of the carvings proved challenging to find.

We walked towards the beach to learn about the native fishponds but detoured when we spotted sea turtles along the shore. We watched from a distance as turtles rested on the rocks and slowly paddled through the water.

We ended the day's activities at a local park where we searched for life in the tidepools and observed a vibrant sunset.

At Ola Brew in Kona, we found a new favorite spot for drinks and dinner. The beers and ciders were delicious, and they served up quickly. They listed another location in Hilo, so we made a note to visit it later in the week.

We ended the night at a resort hotel and walked around the property to decide if we should take advantage of any of its amenities before checking out the next day. The small beach and saltwater lagoon paled in comparison to what we could experience in nature, so we planned an early start. We did hit the hotel bar for a nightcap before drunkenly fading off to sleep.

Our next stop was Pu'uhonua O Hōnaunau National Historical Park to learn about this historic refuge area. In times of war, warriors would escape their opponents by fleeing inside the walls where priests and gods protected them. The site has recreated buildings and fishponds to learn about its history.

We set off on the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail (1871 Trail) to learn how native people historically traversed this area. The unforgiving landscape of sharp lava rock was softened to provide a narrow trail suitable for walking. Later, it was widened to accommodate travel by horseback. We listened to an audio tour to learn how the area was used for fishing, agriculture and how royals used the site for recreation during intertribal retreats.

Papakōlea

We drove towards the southernly most point of the United States at the bottom of the Big Island. Our next destination was a rare green sand beach tucked in a cove along the rocky shore.

We arrived at a parking area crowded with cars and people summoning us to board their rickety pickup trucks for a ride to the beach. From what we read online, these trucks operate illegally, and they certainly mar the landscape as they drive the 4x4 tracks along the coast. So, we hiked the 2.75-mile trek one-way to the beach. The hike was unremarkable, and the dry, truck-scared landscape made it seem longer than it was.

Rocky cliffs surround the small beach on three sides. The beach is covered in olivine crystals from a cinder cone in the Mauna Loa volcano. These green, glassy bits combine with black lava rock fragments and white shells to create the beach floor. The weight of the olivine crystals allows them to remain on the beach as the tide washes out lighter materials.

Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park

We hiked out just in time for daylight to fade to dusk, and we drove through the darkness towards our next accommodation in Volcano. We witnessed the bright red and orange lava glow in the clouds above the Kilauea eruption as we neared town.

Despite its location at the base of the national park, Volcano doesn't offer many options for food. We arrived at the only open restaurant around 7 pm and waited for a table at a Thai restaurant in the rain. We were lucky to be seated before they switched to takeout orders only and ordered warm bowls of curry that were the perfect complement to a rainy evening.

We arrived in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park early the following day and staked out a parking spot near the Devastation Trail. We planned to make a large loop of trails throughout the day, then visit the lava viewing area at dusk. We knew parking would be limited later in the day, so we felt good knowing we reserved our spot nine hours early.

We headed towards the Kīlauea Iki Trail, and walked through the rainforest until a clearing allowed us our first view of the active eruption. A large plume of smoke emerged from the crater. The crater wall prevented us from seeing any active lava flow from this perspective, but we knew we'd see that later in the day.

The Kīlauea Iki Trail leads through the solidified lava lake formed during a 1959 eruption. Vegatation grows in the cracks of rocks throughout the crater, and olivine crystals glimmer amongst the black lava rock.

We walked out of the crater and ate lunch beside the Thurston lava tube. Then we explored the short stretch of cave, and emerged back into the humid rainforest.

Next, we walked along the upper edge of the Kīlauea Iki crater, got our park passports stamped at the Visitor's Center, and headed toward the floor of Kīlauea.

Kīlauea's crater is massive, stretching for miles among three elevation levels. We hiked to the upper-most level, barricaded for our safety due to the current eruption. We hiked up along the ledges of the crater wall and eventually landed back at our car, which was now in a parking lot at full capacity.

The park rangers set up an area to view the active lava lake and eruption safely. We hiked a mile along an old park road to the viewing area and found hundreds of people already waiting. At dusk, the scene came alive. Smoke spewed out from the crater, and the lava below glowed against its cloud. Orange lava exploded from a vent and sputtered out into rivers that filled the lava lake below. The whole area glowed orange. We spent several hours admiring the eruption; it was like nothing else we'd ever seen.

Before we walked back to the car, we enjoyed the dark sky by walking to a less populated section of the road. The abandoned road buckled from a previous eruption just past the viewing area and was barricaded off for safety. Still, we scared a group of hikers looking to trespass and witnessed another group making their way back from beyond the gate.

We stayed on the safe side and photographed lava glow obscuring the night sky and watched the tail of the milky way rise as we walked back to the car.

We spent our last day in the national park exploring the Chain of Craters Road. We witnessed lava flows from eruptions throughout the twentieth century as we drove towards the coast. Lava cooled into folded patterns, constantly changing the landscape, and overwhelmed park infrastructure such as an old road.

We walked a few miles through a 500-year old lava field to view the Puʻuloa Petroglyphs, an extensive ancient art gallery of carvings. Many carvings' meaning is unknown, although some tell the story of birth and share a hopeful message of a long life in this hostile environment.

The rough surf continually pounds the rocky coast at the end of the Chain of Craters road. We watched waves explode along a series of shallow sea caves. A short distance beyond the road sits the Hōlei Sea Arch, the remnants of an old lava flow that is biding its time until it crumbles into the sea.

On our way back to town, we saw a family of feral pigs roaming near the road. While cute, the park's service has spent considerable resources to control wild pigs' damage to native plant species within the park.

The Big Island – Hilo

Our plans for the end of our trip changed with the weather. Thanksgiving morning brought us rain and fog. We confirmed our love for malasadas ran deep as we waited in the rain in a long line of locals picking up their thanksgiving pies. Then, we headed to the airport in Hilo in hopes of observing Kīlauea's eruption from a helicopter, but wet weather and poor visibility canceled our flight.

We walked around Hilo searching for coffee and made a plan for lunch at a snack stand open for Thanksgiving breakfast. Unfortunately, by mid-day, they had shut down and left only one restaurant in the entire city to deal with crowds of hungry tourists.

We drove around to various waterfalls surrounding Hilo and toured a lava tube cave that ran deep under its suburbs. After lunch, we headed up the coast and got soaked while on the hunt for more waterfalls.

That night, we made friends with the hotel cat and headed out for Thanksgiving dinner. Luckily, we had planned and reserved a spot for eating our traditional turkey dinner while sipping Mai Tais that reminded us of our surroundings. We ended dinner with more drinks, cake, and bread pudding, then let the tryptophan take over and lull us asleep.

We spent our last full day zip lining along a series of waterfalls (eh, it's an ok way to kill a morning, but much too touristy for this set of tourists...), and drove up to 9,000 feet to learn about the stargazing observatories perched on Mauna Kea.