Every time that we have visited Maui, we always set aside one of the days to watch the sunrise at Haleakala Crater. And this trip would be no different. Because Haleakala National Park is located on the other side of the island from where we are staying, it is a two hour drive.
Even though sunrise was scheduled for 6:54am, we left the condo around 4:00am to give ourselves some extra time to get there. When we arrived at the park entrance, the ranger told us that the summit was already full. What time did those people leave this morning. It is fine because the Visitors Center has lots of parking and it is the same view, just at a slightly lower elevation. Driving to the parking lot is somewhat intense since you are driving in the dark, on a very windy road with many switchbacks and one wrong move and you are falling down the side of a volcano. We arrived safely just after 6:15am and the temperature was 41 degrees Fahrenheit.
While we were waiting, we were debating if there would even be a sunrise. There was a lot of fog and mist and it did not seem to be subsiding. After about twenty minutes, we put on all of our layers and headed to the viewing area. I noticed that it was not as busy as it had been in previous visits. There have been times where you can not even get close to the railing to look into the crater because it was three or four people deep.
As we suspected, there was no sunrise and this was a first for us. After hanging around for a little bit, we decided to drive up to the summit. Because of the weather, there were hardly any people there. But the sun was starting to burn off the fog. I have to say that even though the weather was crappy, I was glad that we went. It just was a different experience than what we normally see.
No trip to Haleakala is complete without a stop in Makawo. This town is known for its Hawaiian cowboys and vibrant art community. We spent a couple of hours checking out the shops and having the obligatory cream puff from Komodo Store and Bakery. When we were planning out the trip, we originally were going to do the sunrise on Wednesday. But we then remembered that the bakery is closed on Wednesdays and therefore decided Tuesday would be a better day.
Just down the road from Makawo, is the Hui No’eau Visual Arts Center. It was hosting the Hui Holidays 2023 which is a holiday shopping event which showcases local and handmade items. All I can say is that Maui has many talented artists and crafters.
It was now just after lunch and we needed to eat. I had found a place in Kahului called Tin Roof. It serves takeout only Hawaiian comfort food. There was a pretty long line so we figured the food must be good. I dropped Karen off to order while I ran over to the bank. By the time I came back, our food was ready. With Costco being only two minutes away, we headed over there and enjoyed our lunch in their parking lot. Afterwards we did a bit of shopping and then got gas before heading back to the condo.
We got back around 4:00pm and spent the rest of the late afternoon on the lanai. Because it has been a long day, we did not want to go out for dinner. So we ended up getting a pizza and finishing up our night with a soak in the hot tub.
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