Mauna Kea Archives

Happy Thanksgiving from Arnott’s Lodge

November 21, 2023 By Doug Arnott

Aloha to all prospective and past guests.

As we approach Thanksgiving 2023 we are truly blessed to be here in Hilo Hawaii in such a beautiful area and having had enough recent rain to keep all the vegetation green while most of the State is experiencing drought.

This past year has seen ongoing changes and evolution in furnishings in our open areas as well as major changes in Landscaping and beautification of neighboring areas under our care.

New guests will experience the beauty of our area and proximity of nearby Beach Parks while our many repeat guests and Educational Groups will still experience the Home away from Home that brings them back year after year.

The County has steadily improved the Hele On Bus system and we now have nearby reliable bus service that goes direct to Downtown Hilo and returns on a longer route that includes the Airport….so you can arrive by Bus. We do recommend our guests rent a car for at least part of their stay as this is a BIG Island and there is a lot to see.

The County has also repaved many of Hilo’s major highways and byways including the one coming to us and continuing on past the various Beach Parks to Richardson’s Beach Park, about two miles past us.

The Famous Hilo Farmers Market has had a major upgrade with solid covered roofing on its many segments and continues to operate on Wednesdays and Saturdays…..many vendors are there every day for your convenience. The Market is a near neighbor of KTA Market a smaller version of KTA Supermarket….so you can complete your shopping for items not sold at the Farmers Market.

Arnotts continues to offer our Mauna Kea Summit Evening adventure for Sunset and Stargazing in our 4×4 vans and can also provide Sunrise charters. Receive a discount on this unique adventure if you also stay with us at our lodge. As many are aware we used to be a premier operator for Cruise Ship Shore Excursions and can still perform custom tours to any attraction on the Island. As well as our vans we have two Luxury Toyota Sequoia SUVs that offer great comfort for smaller groups or Individual charters to Mauna Kea or any other location. Arnotts is the go-to Operator for the west side Luxury Hotels whose guests prefer a less crowded Adventure in a more comfortable vehicle than a hard sprung Tour Van.

For our Group Guests we retained two “15 Passenger Vans” (Driver and 14 seats) although we do not recommend more than 12 adults for comfort. When you are booking your groups with our staff be sure to ask about these vans as we rent them under local van rates and this type of van is the first to sell out during busy periods.

As we are a smaller property you are never far from your vehicle and we do not have Resort or Parking fees or any other Hidden Charges that larger Hotels add to your bill.

All major restaurants in Hilo are within a 15 minute drive, some even closer….we sure to ask our front desk when you arrive as ther have been some changes due to Nationwide short staffing after Covid abated… Kens House of Pancakes for Instance, an Institution for 40 or more years, has gone from 24 hours to 6am to 9pm..

Here at Arnotts for the same reason we can offer you a steep discount for Second and Third day stays…but you’ll need to call us during our 9am to 5pm Front desk hours.

We will be blogging again between now and Christmas, be sure to join us for an after Thanksgiving update..!!

Doug Arnott

Throwback to ’95

October 6, 2023 By Sarah Garcia

This past week we were given a gift in the form of several photos of Arnott’s Lodge and our Mauna Kea tour all the way back from 1995! We want to say a special thank you to Geerten Kalter of Delft, Holland, for sending us his pictures. We have been in operation since 1990 and are so grateful to all the people we’ve met along the way. Things sure have changed!

One of our original tour vehicles. You have to love the old suburban.

The front of Arnott’s Lodge. A lot has changed!

The New Eruption of Mauna Loa

December 5, 2022 By Doug Arnott

On the evening of November 27th at 11:30 p.m., we were just getting ready to sleep when social media became alive with news of a lurid glow over Mauna Loa and that an eruption was in progress. This announcement followed months of increased activity after years of mild tremor recorded by sensitive instruments placed at strategic points on the mountain.

Of course in a very short time the Internet was flooded with pictures from 360 degrees around the mountain of very strong glow.

A quick visit to ever-patient HVO research Webcams on Mauna Loa’s NW corner of the Caldera Rim showed the entire Caldera of Moku’aweoweo flooded with very hot fresh Lava, and for a while it seemed like it would spill out the Southwest corner toward a very steep slope down toward South Kona communities and some residents even evacuated mindful of as little as 3 hours travel time from summit to sea.

Rivers of lava from Mauna Loa traveling towards Saddle Road.
Photo by Glory Arnott

In the morning of November 28th, some stunning footage began to appear on official and social media pages, including amazing footage from Paradise Helicopters’ early morning overflight of a breakout eruption on the old fissure line toward the Northeast, which includes historic flows toward the Mauna Kea turnoff and points East, including Hilo and a few miles short of Kea’au.

Everyone was on their devices getting updates as the flow developed and intensified, with high-volume fountaining and many rivers of lava headed downslope more or less toward about the 26 mile mark on the Saddle Road, or a few miles short of the Mauna Kea turnoff on the Hilo side.

As the hours went by, some fountains died while others sped up and a high volume of lava cut the access road to the Mauna Loa NOAA Observatory, a key player in monitoring CO2 in the atmosphere.

As of today, December 2nd, the fountaining has died down and the drain out to a lower 7000ft elevation has the flow stalled almost 3 miles from the highway.

View of the Mauna Loa eruption from Mauna Kea.
Photo by Andras Toth

Thousands of residents and visitors (some say 10,000 at a time), flocked to view the once in a lifetime spectacle and some have taken our Mauna Kea Sunset tour which gives a unique perspective from slightly HIGHER than the Eruption 25 miles across the Saddle between the two mountains. The last eruption of Mauna Loa was in 1984, 38 years ago. Right now is the first time in decades that both Mauna Loa and Kilauea are erupting at the same time.

Spectators on the summit of Mauna Kea have a fabulous view of the eruption of Mauna Loa.
Photo by David Collier

We have seen Photos or Images from Pro Cameras with huge lenses as well as iPhones and Androids, and all are spectacular…definitely as its night, your phone will catch colors but be a bit fuzzy on detail. Professional cameras on a tripod are producing AMAZING images and several webcams on Mauna Kea have been repositioned to catch elements of the eruption.

Land of Fire and Ice: our guide Andras captured this moment of snow on the summit of Mauna Kea while viewing the rivers of lava streaming from Mauna Loa.
Photo by Andras Toth

Here at Arnott’s Lodge we have a few rooms available at more affordable prices than larger fully staffed Hotels AND we have daily space on our Mauna Kea Sunset tours that now include an overview of this amazing Eruption As you visit Hawaii please be aware that the world is short-staffed right now, so be patient with Airport Staff, Stores, Restaurants and yes, even at our Hotel, especially if you are arriving late as we also are short-staffed and may be personally checking you in.

Please also be aware that If Hawaii Island was a football field this eruption is taking up less area than a Hot Dog Stand. There is NO risk to your safety right now.

A twilight view of the eruption of Mauna Loa
Photo by Sarah Garcia

Doug Arnott Discusses our SUNSET and stargazing Mauna Kea tour

June 8, 2021 By Doug Arnott

Aloha guests and future guests.
My Blog today is about our Mauna Kea Summit tour and why some companies advertise the use of expensive telescopes while we use a Laser Pointer, and also why our emphasis is on SUNSET and not so much on stargazing.

Most people who go up Mauna Kea, have never experienced anything like this amazing adventure, nor have they experienced the clarity of our atmosphere that has you gasping in wonder with your eyes; not even with binoculars.
Many realize for the first time that we are part of a highly visible VAST galaxy that looks like a River of closely associated Stars in their Billions: this is what drove ancient Egyptians to build the Pyramids in perfect alignment with this River.
If you want to look through a telescope at one object among the billions; fine, step into the line of 9 other guests (Covid rules) or soon to be 14 other guests and wait your turn in the freezing cold. Try to adjust your wide open vision to the focused light in the telescope and often leave in frustration…using a high powered telescope is an art that takes time to assimilate.
We have evolved a far superior method of introducing you to the wonders of the Universe….a laser pointer powerful enough to seem to go all the way to the object….so as the heavens roll around their seasonal changes and we make our way around the Sun once a year we may be able to show you the North Star and the Southern Cross in one sweep and ooops there goes the International Space Station…try doing that with a Telescope. We show you the clusters and individual bright Stars that ancient Hawaiians used to navigate the Pacific and to Tahiti and back. We show you zodiac signs as they occur during the year.

Photo of an Arnott’s guide giving a starshow

There is another important reality which is why we emphasize SUNSET and diminish Star Gazing; the simple fact that there are MANY nights on Mauna Kea that either the Moon’s brightness or cloud cover lower on the mountain preclude any Stargazing at all. Mauna Kea is an almost 14,000ft spire sticking up out of the Pacific and makes a lot of its own weather out of passing Trade-wind driven moisture or East Bound cold fronts crossing the Pacific to become mainland storms. The moon itself for a week before the full moon makes stargazing virtually impossible…is that the week you’re going with another company because we don’t have a telescope? There are also individual Rangers on Mauna Kea that can alter your experience by insisting all leave the summit immediately after sunset and go all the way down to the Visitor Information Station, while other more public oriented rangers will allow some limited Stargazing well below the summit but well above the VIS….these are variables that most companies will not bother to explain….that in fact ANY Stargazing is subject to pure Luck.

Photo by @kbgoesoutdoors on an Arnott’s Mauna Kea tour

Go to Mauna Kea for the Sunset and if you get some Stargazing with or without a telescope that is a bonus. AND please be aware that rarely but on occasion incoming storm systems that have not closed the road can block a good Sunset. Your Operator, no matter who they are, have no control over this and YOUR Karma may be involved, so if we get you to the top safely we have done a good job.
If you want to do In-Depth Stargazing with an amazing Operation set up for the specific purpose, in the warm air at Sea Level, go to Stargazehawaii.com. Email: stargaze@stargazehawaii.com Operator: Wayne Fukunaga (808) 323-3481 is well known. He operates at several west side resorts and enables even the youngest members of your family to participate. Wayne has four Telescopes so you are not standing in line and not cold…he also showcases the various Apps available and how to use them, giving you a lifetime of enjoyment ahead.
Lastly we do HIGHLY recommend that you invest in a small but good quality pair of binoculars and learn how to use them both for daytime and night star gazing.
Enjoy your Mauna Kea experience: just to go up in a rugged 4×4 is an Adventure.

Doug’s Blog on Visiting the Big Island during COVID

March 21, 2021 By Doug Arnott

Aloha All Visitors reading my Blog.
The problem for any destination that has a Main Feature is how to draw visitors to come when that feature is not doing its thing.
The burning question is whether the destination has other charms for Visitors besides its main feature.
Paris without the Eiffel Tower is still amazing Paris, Japan without Mt Fuji is still rich in culture and scenery.
Many have visited Italy many times without seeing Rome or the Volcanoes.
And so it is with the Big Island, or as our Visitor Bureau likes to call it, “Island of Hawaii”.
For a start this is a BIG Island with three Huge Mountains: two over 13,000ft above sea level. One is Mauna Kea, which you can drive (4×4) or take a tour
to the top, the other is Mauna Loa, which hosts the famous NOAA Science Station that monitors World CO2.
We have a Windward side and a Leeward (west side ) that are completely different in character providing variety for your visit.
We have world ranked beaches with Lifeguards and small rocky coves where you can observe Green Sea Turtles feeding in nature.
There are White sand beaches formed from Coral and Seashells, Black Sand beaches formed from eroded Lava and
Green sand beaches formed from wind separation of Olivine from old Lava.
Once a year around Easter Hilo becomes the Hula Capital of the world for the Annual Merrie Monarch Festival where all hotels are booked out a year in advance and the most amazing costumes are created using flowers and foliage from the surrounding countryside.
In a little known fact Hilo has the highest per capita participation in youth soccer of any town in the USA.
While Covid played havoc with restaurants nationwide, Hilo responded with a rich variety of delivered food and beverages of every kind.
Hilo has several unique Bistro style restaurants with great food and wine selections. We have one Liquor Store: Kadota’s, run by a family famous for its
absolutely world class selections and its “Back Room” where serious wines from around the world can run to hundreds of dollars…and we have unique
Farmers Market food stalls selling a vast variety of foods representative of our diverse cultural heritage. Hilo’s Farmers Market is a must every Wednesday
and Saturday for fresh vegetables, fruits of every kind and even the Coconut vendor to lop off the top and give you a “fresh from the tree” nut with a straw.
Getting to the Island of Hawaii has never been easier with many major Carriers having direct flights from Mainland Cities to Kona and both Hawaiian and Southwest offering numerous daily flights from Oahu to Hilo. Just be aware that Hilo while under 100 miles from Kona is a good two hour drive in daylight and we discourage our guests from driving it at night for their safety, and that of wandering nocturnal Donkeys, Goats and Pigs.
As our accommodations have evolved, most budget priced accommodation is on the Windward (Hilo) side of the Island and most Luxury Resort Hotels are on the Kona (Leeward) side…so if coming to Hilo, plan your Kona flights accordingly to arrive with enough daylight to get to Hilo.
If your plans take you to Oahu first you can fly into Hilo on Hawaiian or Southwest many times a day and all the usual Car Rentals are available here.
When Covid is over, United Continental has a once a day direct flight into Hilo from LA which arrives around 7pm and departs at around 10pm…this is a great flight if you can capture the price break times.

So lets get down to why you are coming to the Island of Hawaii and that pesky Volcano that may or may not be erupting visible Red Lava.
With or without any visible Lava the Volcanoes National Park is a must visit especially if you are Hikers or interested in Geology…it is well set up with descriptive plaques at all main features and is at the 28 mile point going south, at the 53 mm is the town of Pahala frozen in time from the Sugar Plantation Era and be sure to buy its new product Kau Coffee which has already reached world attention…at the 56 mm is Punalu’u Black sand beach famous for the many Green Sea Turtles that regularly haul out on the sand for a rest…continue on 10 miles to Naalehu Town the Southernmost Town in the United States with its Famous Punalu’u Sweetbread Factory…a must visit. From Naalehu to Green Sands Beach trailhead is 16 miles and takes you past South Point, the South most point in the USA. Google maps knows “Green Sand Beach Trailhead”…there are often people with pickup trucks offering rides, it is a rugged trail and banned to Rental cars…DO NOT leave anything valuable in your car.
Back in Hilo for your next day you may decide to visit the aftermath of the enormous 2018 Eruption that destroyed over 700 houses and you can pass through the famous “Wild West” Town of Pahoa on the way to highway 132 which is a road cleared over and through the 2018 Lava Flow…AMAZING. During recent heavy rain (3/21) rainwater filtered down to still 800f rock and came back up as dense steam making it difficult to drive, Highway 130 will take you to Kalapana, where another famous Lava Flow stopped at Uncle Roberts Hawaiian Village and leads you to Highway 137 that will take you to Pohoiki the enormous new Black Sand Beach formed by the 2018 Lava Flow.
You can drive out a short distance from the listed end of highway 130 out to the flat Lava Fields that once allowed visitors to walk right up to slowly advancing flows…today some property owners have returned and erected shacks and in some cases elaborate house on top of the Lava that inundated their land…Please act with respect if visiting this area and drive very slowly so as not to create dust.
Off for another full day we are going North along the Hamakua Heritage Coastline on Highway 19. First turn is just out of Hilo not even a mile there is a scenic turn out on the right that overlooks the Harbor and the massive Breakwater that protects it. Depending on weather and ships this point can provide spectacular views of Shipping and sometimes huge surf conditions. Continue on to the Scenic Route just past the 7 Mile Marker which will lead you through magic dense forest to views of Onomea Bay and the Botanical Gardens…a short distance on is “Whats Shakin” a wonderful fruit smoothie shop. You will rejoin the highway and drive to the Honomu and Akaka Falls turnoff just by the 14 Mile Marker. Honomu is an old sugar town and that big cut you came through on the highway below is the old railway line before they needed roads…keep going up to Akaka Falls….you can park on the side and walk a ways or drive right in and pay for parking…either way its an over 400ft waterfall and very beautiful.
As you travel north from Honomu you will pass over bridges that once held Sugar Cane Trains while a crude road snaked around below. Each of these bridges crosses a valley and most are worth stopping for a look…..almost all have upstream waterfalls in view…DO NOT slow down on the bridge pull off the road before or after…plenty have been before you and pullouts are obvious…you will also pass Iconic small towns each held the cane workers for an area and some had sugar mills to partly process the cane before roads. At the 25 mile mark you will enter Laupahoehoe a small town with a STRICT 45 mile speed limit and the only gas station and food stop before Honokaa the next medium size town where our manager Glory was born and went to High School. Honokaa has weathered the loss of sugar and the new cross Island Saddle road (which cuts passing traffic) better than others and has converted its main street to shops of more interest to visitors….if you are headed to Waipio Valley the Malama Market at the main intersection is the place to stock up.
If you follow the road into Honokaa you will miss another Icon of old Hawaii…Tex’s drive in with its famous Malasadas which is on highway 19 above Honokaa…either way BOTH are worth a visit….but back to Waipio Valley…drive through Honokaa Town by taking a right off the highway, pick up supplies at Malama Store and you have 9 miles to go to the Waipio Valley overlook…this alone is worth a visit and is also the entry point for Hikers and Adventurers to try some famous trails and waterfalls….be sure to get latest info on arrival as there has been a swirl of proposed law changes lately to restrict the access which is a precarious 4×4 only, 25% grade hill down and up with narrow one way in the middle. This is a hike takeoff point for Waimanu Valley: a rugged A grade hike by any standard.
Continuing on our trip around Mauna Kea you will return to Honokaa and make your way back up to the highway and turn toward the next town Waimea. This is a cute mix of old and new, has two competing shopping areas across from each other and hosts both Burger King and McDonalds as well as specialty shops and a food court. One restaurant you should not miss is the Lilikoi Cafe around the back of Parker Ranch Center…with a great selection of healthy food and pastry.
The town of Waimea hosts the headquarters of several world class telescopes that can be seen on the distant summit of Mauna Kea as well as Parker Ranch with its history and huge acreage…there is also a Western Style store, a Food Court, Health food and regular Food Markets
At this point we turn back toward Hilo on highway 190 to return via the famous Saddle Road where we will rise to 7000ft to cross between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa mountains on our way back to Hilo…but before we start to climb from Waimea at 2500 ft we cross a vast flat plain of wind blown grasslands that is part of Parker Ranch, arriving at about the 10 mile marker we have a choice as the Old Saddle Road Hwy 200 forks off to the left…this a very scenic but narrow and twisty road that meets the cross island highway about 15 miles toward Hilo….OR you can continue on 10 miles to the intersection with Daniel Inouye Highway which is a wide modern Highway all the way to Hilo, most of it 60mph but be aware of slowdown passing the Military training area as it is well Policed. Both Routes are incredibly scenic with 3 major mountains surrounding you, A stop at the mid way Gil Kahele County Park is a must for well maintained bathrooms and to take in the scenery at 7000ft…this Park and its surrounding are also a great place for night Stargazing and Meteor watching.
The scenery on the Saddle Road is so diverse it takes a book to describe so just enjoy and pull out on wide shoulders to take in amazing scenery, as you continue on toward Hilo mile markers will be counting down so as you approach 29 and 28 slow down as you are on a VAST very flat plain of relatively smooth Lava that stretches in all directions….this is the 1934 Mauna Loa Lava flow that formed a huge glowing lake that had to get deeper and deeper to overwhelm the small ridge at the 28 mile marker where it then flowed toward Hilo.
At this point at the 28 mile marker is the turn off to Mauna Kea Visitor Center and if you have a 4×4, access to the summit. It is up to 20% grades to get to the Visitor Information Station ( VIS ) and you need good brakes and use of lower gears to get safely back down…if it is late in the day you may want to come back on a separate visit as Mauna Kea can be a day by itself…
You now head down a continuous Hill for the next 28 miles into Hilo and you drop over 6500ft in altitude, the highway is very well made and most is 60mph but be cautious of over use of brakes to hold speed to the limit as many vehicles get burned out brakes on this one descent…as your vehicle tries to exceed the speed limit first turn off Overdrive if you have one…if there is no overdrive downshift your automatic from D to a lower gear 4, 3, or 2 so as the engine is holding you at the limit and not repeated use of brakes. Arriving at the end of the highway you can take a short jog to the right then an immediate left which brings you in a couple of miles to Hilo’s Fast food center at Puainako Center and only 10 or 15 minutes from our Lodge.
Thank you for taking this journey with us, we will be adding pictures soon so that even if you can’t come soon….you can enjoy the Big Island with or without Lava Flowing.
Doug Arnott

A Blog by Doug Arnott, founder and owner of Arnotts

December 20, 2020 By Doug Arnott

Douglass Arnott standing in one of Arnotts guest areas.

While 2020 with Covid raging around the world has presented its challenges, we find ourselves approaching Christmas with a deep appreciation for Hilo and the Big Island of Hawaii where we are based.
Our small population…only 200,000 on a large island and our sense of Ohana (family) and of Kuleana (ones obligation to others) has seen us through; far better than many other places.

Going into 2021 we will probably see hesitancy by our usual clients of Paddling, Hula, Soccer, Rugby, Biking, Adventure Hiking and of course our Au Pair camper groups to travel in numbers, and so we find ourselves pondering who might we reach out to who could utilize our unique Hotel and the vans and buses which used to serve for Mauna Kea (mountain) adventures and the Cruise Industry. As the result of a group of college age students who were supposedly here to do serious study, we installed World Class WIFI with Gigabit service throughout most of our rooms and public spaces (this translates to VERY fast service at your laptop on WIFI….Gigabit is Spectrum to our Routers.)

Due to some PPP Stimulus money we did extensive refurbishment and art projects around the lodge.
We are located in a delightful coastal area where even Hilo residents from other areas come to walk, ride bikes and swim in the blue Pacific Ocean.
We are interested to attract both those visiting our Islands as Tourists and also some individuals or working groups interested in distance learning or distance working while living in delightful surroundings.
We have extensive public areas reserved for our guests as well as maintained garden grounds so that even future Covid spikes can be taken in a pleasant manner with outside space and sunshine.
Our public areas allow for conversations while distanced so a Community of Remote workers or Entrepreneurs could exchange ideas in a productive environment. As with many towns on the mainland, we have a vibrant food and grocery delivery business sector that has sprung up in response to quarantining and social distancing. You can get virtually anything delivered locally, and both USPS and Amazon and Fedex, etc. have swift delivery to Hilo.

With 9 two-bedroom apartments and one 3-bedroom apartment we can accommodate almost any configuration from full Suites with kitchenette to individual rooms within a Suite. Also, VERY Important to those who are not already used to living in the Tropics: we have superb ductless Fujitsu Air Conditioning. Very few apartment or budget rentals in Hilo have AC.

This Blog is addressed to the Individuals or the Movers and Shakers who have a handle on the evolving Distance Learning/Distance Working reality and might like to join us in utilizing our facility.
You can message back or contact me directly at arnottd@gmail.com. If you want to make a reservation, please go back to our website and access through that medium.
Aloha…have a safe and Wonderful Christmas and a much better New Year.
Doug Arnott

Hau’oli Makahiki Hou from Arnott’s Lodge

January 3, 2020 By Doug Arnott

The Christmas Holidays have bought major occupancy back to Hilo hotels, along with the reopening of the Mauna Kea Summit road after a lengthy closure due to cultural differences over construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope. As we have provided free transport to the summit of Mauna Kea to cultural practitioners for the past 27 years, we understand their passion over this issue, which is not finished but on hiatus for the winter.

Winter weather in Hawaii usually means night temperatures can drop to the mid 60s F or 17 C with daytime temps still ranging from the mid 70s to 80s F or 23-28 C. This relatively minor change in yearly temperature averages is one of the golden reasons why Hawaii remains such an excellent year-round destination. Our modernized air-conditioning system and peaceful surroundings will keep you comfortable at all times.

Arnott’s Lodge is steadily adding solar! We currently have panels to run our water heating system and some of our electric needs.

Image result for Hawaiian winter — Photo of a sandy snowman from Oahu via Houston Style Magazine

Arnott’s guests, with directions from our Front Desk, have lately been enjoying sea turtles swimming at both Carlsmith and Richardson’s Beach Parks nearby. Some guests have spotted the big old turtle with the GPS antenna and reconstructed fiberglass shell (after he was attacked by a shark some years ago.) Some lucky guests may be able to see whales passing by as well! Humpback whales usually visit Hawaiian waters between November and May, with peak viewing opportunities about to begin in January. Our near neighbor with his collection of ducks, geese, and a parrot, and migratory visitors such as ducks and Golden Plovers from Alaska provide endless enjoyment for kids especially.

We’d like to wish all of you a wonderful holiday season and Arnott’s best wishes for the new year to come.

Author: Doug Arnott

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