Big Island - Mauna Kea tours
 

I got such good advice from folks here about condos on Maui I thought I'd ask if anyone has been on one of the Mauna Kea tours on the Big Island? The thought of stargazing in a spot so good that the worlds best observatories are located there sounds really cool to me. My wife and I are planning take a tour from Mauna kea Summit Adventures (http://maunakea.com/) during our visit in late September and I wondered if anyone had any experiance with this tour and might provide some feedback. Thanks in advance!

No direct experience, but I have heard that Mauna Kea Summit Adventures runs a great tour. I have been to the summit, but as part of an astronomy group, not a tour. I will tell you though, that you can drive to the Onizuka Visitor Information Station (VIS) at the 9,300-foot level on Mauna Kea by yourself, with any sort of vehicle. Beyond there, the road goes bad fast and you would best go 4WD. If you rent a 4WD, you can get a free guided tour to the summit from the Onizuka Center for International Astronomy (weekends only). Tours leave from the VIS at 1pm on Saturday and Sunday. At 6pm every night, several portable telescopes (11 to 16 inch Schmidt-Cassegrains) are set up at the VIS, with staff available to give talks, and help you view objects. They even supply hot drinks, jackets, hats, and gloves for everyone not prepared for the low temperatures! Unless you feel a real need to reach the summit, the stargazing is just as good from the VIS.

Thanks ALF. I suppose we can put the $$ we were going to spend on the tour towards a 4WD and just drive up ourselves. Sounds like fun.

John, <BR>The only rental car company that will allow you to take a rental car up Mauna Kea is Harpers Car rental and the vehicles they rent are $$$$$. The saddle road is really a fine road - (We're from Colorado and most of our roads aren't as nice) - but the car rental companies don't want their cars on it. If you take a rental car up and have any trouble - you are SOL - all repairs, towing, liability, etc. are on you - and the rental agent will make sure you understand these facts. One of the lines you will sign on the agreement will restate this understanding. <BR> <BR>When we went up Mauna Kea in June (the Highlight of our trip - Wonderful!) we went with Arnotts lodge for $58.00 per person - a fraction of what the Kona side tours cost. We had a fabulous and extremely knowledgable tour guide. He really made the trip - we would have missed out on half the experience without him. There was snow at the summit, the views were incredible and the stars indescribable. After the tour we could deduce that it really is the astronomers that are probably making it so difficult to get to the summit. Our guide had to be very careful with dust and light control as he came down the mountain - The scientists have millions and millions of dollars of equipment at the summit - the last thing they need up there are a billion tourists with bright headlights, shaking up road dust. So the scientists control the number of tourists at the top by making it very difficult to get to the top. <BR> <BR>The summit of Mauna Kea is also a sacred, spirtual place for the native Hawaiian people - who also understandably would not want it to be overrun with tourists. The Hawaiian people's beliefs must be treated with respect - the mountain should be approached in the same manner one would approach a cathedral in Europe. <BR> <BR>After experiencing the summit - I think the controls in place for keeping the number of tourists down on the saddle road are the right thing. Those few people who care enough to make their way to the top, are also very likely to respect the significance of this special mountain. <BR> <BR>Have a wonderful trip! <BR>

So it begs the question... if the road is not that bad, why are the car rental companies so paranoid about it? I'd be willing to chance it with a 4WD from a regular rental company if it truly isn't that big a deal. Maybe it is only bad at certain times of the year?

We were visiting the BI last May (2000) and we had rented a 4WD. I think it was a Chevy Blazer 4-door. Anyway, it went up the mountain just fine and I was glad we went by ourselves. We went right at sunset--we got there about 10 minutes before the sun hit the horizon. It was magical. I just wished we'd had a thermos of hot chocolate! <BR> <BR>I took my digital camera and got some stunning photos in color, black & white, and sepia tone. <BR> <BR>A good restaurant is the Parker Ranch Grill in Waimea, although I have heard it's closed for renovation (don't know if that's true). <BR> <BR>Have a great trip! <BR>Shel