Haleakala … House of the Sun

What is the best way to use a time change because your body thinks it is six hours later than where you actually are.  We decided to go to watch the sunrise over the crater at Haleakala National Park.  We left the condo at 3:15am for the two hour drive.

Haleakala National Park uses a reservation system to control how many people can experience sunrise.  Reservations are only $1 USD but spots fill up quickly.  I remember when we went prior to the reservation system, you never knew if you were going to get a parking spot.  And if you did, there was still so many people there.

We got to the Haleakala Visitor Centre just after 5:30am. I was not feeling too good, so I stayed back at the car while the others went to find a spot. At about 5:45am, I put on every piece of clothing I had brought with me and went to go find them.

It was not long and the sun started to rise.  It is hard to describe what it looks like to see the sun rise above the clouds while you are looking down into a crater.  Magical is the only word that comes close.

As the sun was rising, two park rangers lead a traditional Hawaiian Sunrise chant. The words are as follows:

E ala e (Awaken)
Ka l? i ka hikina (The sun in the east)
I ka moana, ka moana hohonu (Often translated literally, “In the ocean, the deep ocean,”)
Pi?i ka lewa, ka lewa nu?u (Rise to the heavens, the highest heavens)
I ka hikina, aia ka l? (In the east, there is the sun)
E ala e (Awaken)

It always surprises me how quickly people leave as soon as the sun is up.  We always make sure to take our time to enjoy.

Back at the car, we enjoyed breakfast which we had packed.  We then drove up to the Haleakala Summit Viewpoint. Besides being the tallest point in the park, it is also the home to the Haleakala Observatory.

Since Karen drove the way up, it was now my turn to drive back down.  We made a few stops along the way just to admire the beauty of Haleakala one more time.

No trip to Haleakala is complete without a stop in the town of Makawao which sits on the slopes of the volcano.  It is known for its paniolo (Hawaiian cowboy) heritage and you still can find hitching posts in front of some of the buildings.  Today there are art galleries, cute shops and more importantly Komoda Store and Bakery.  This is where you can get their world famous cream puffs.

We were “close” to Ho’okipa Beach, so we went over to check out the surfers and the turtles.

On the way back to the condo, we stopped for lunch at Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie Shop and picked up a couple of items from Olowalu Farmer’s Market which is next door.

The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing. I headed down to the pool and had it, and the hot tub, all to myself.  Others relaxed on the lanai looking at the turtles.

For supper tonight, we had BBQ chicken which Karen cooked up ocean side. We could go out to one of the fancy restaurants but I think our view is just as good.

After we ate, I got to work on the blog while Karen and Nana went grocery shopping for the last few items on our list.  I am not sure how people who live here afford groceries.  Would you spend $17.49 USD on a tub of ice cream?

How did we finish up for first full day on Maui?  More of what we did in the afternoon … relaxing.