Hawaii Accommodations and Adventure Tours
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!
Aloha to Arnott’s Guests and future guests!
This is an update to the current status of the Kilauea volcano and its eruption. As of January 10th, 2023, there is a spectacular lake of molten lava with one fountain that varies from a few to 30 feet or more in height (10m +.)
The Hawaii Volcanoes National Park staff have have prepared great viewing areas that are very close to the crater and allow spectacular photography. Be aware, however, that the full show does not begin until the sun sets (currently around 6:00 p.m.) and that large crowds and long waits for parking can be expected until about 9:00 p.m.
After 9:00 p.m. and until around 4:00 a.m. there are very few people in the park. It can be very cold at that elevation at night, so bring warm clothes and a hat or beanie for your head.
According to information we learned, but did not observe; around 4:00 a.m. those who want to see the lava and also the sunrise begin to arrive and it may get more crowded.
The first thing to know is that eruptions can stop and start over very short time spans, and there are excellent websites with cameras constantly broadcasting up-to-the-minute information. https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/webcams
The next thing to know is that Hawaii, like the rest of the world, is critically short-staffed so do not book late flights into Hilo. If they are delayed, there may be no Uber, Lyft, or Taxis available, and rental car agencies do not wait up for you. You may spend the night at the airport! Buy travel insurance that covers delays.
Pack light, and use bags that YOU can carry and load, as there is no one to load your bags for you.
Almost all restaurants in Hilo close around 9:00 p.m., and only McDonalds drive-through is open 24 hours.
Be aware that the Kona airport (KOA) is a good 2.5 hour drive from Hilo, and we do NOT recommend that any first-time visitor drive this road (the Saddle Road, also known as Highway 200) at night.
Some hotels, many B&Bs, and vacation rentals have limited check-in hours. Be sure you know the limits of your accommodation.
We look forward to hosting many new and returning guests in 2023!
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.
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.
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.
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
