Please share your experiences of your visit to the Mauna Kea Observatory on the Big Island
Feb 1st, 2002, 05:10 AM
#22
Guest
Posts: n/a
Hi, Lisa - I can tell you a little bit about the driving. Probably Kalena (who posted earlier and knows the area really well) can help.
On the drive up, we ran into very heavy rain on the Saddle Road which interefered with visibility. That isn't usual, but it does happen. Another thing that happens more regularly is that you get stuck behind an army convoy (there's a military base there) which moves very slowly. That can be annoying, but obviously isn't dangerous. Higher up, you have to drive in first gear for part of the way, on the way up and on the way down. It's pretty steep, and hard on the engine of the car. I've driven on mountain roads in California, Switzerland, BC, etc. that seemed trickier to navigate in terms of the actual driving. The big problem for me was that there isn't a single car rental agency on the BI that will allow you to drive on the Saddle Road. My luck, I would have had some kind of problem and would have got into deep doo-doo for violating the agreement. Hope this helps!
On the drive up, we ran into very heavy rain on the Saddle Road which interefered with visibility. That isn't usual, but it does happen. Another thing that happens more regularly is that you get stuck behind an army convoy (there's a military base there) which moves very slowly. That can be annoying, but obviously isn't dangerous. Higher up, you have to drive in first gear for part of the way, on the way up and on the way down. It's pretty steep, and hard on the engine of the car. I've driven on mountain roads in California, Switzerland, BC, etc. that seemed trickier to navigate in terms of the actual driving. The big problem for me was that there isn't a single car rental agency on the BI that will allow you to drive on the Saddle Road. My luck, I would have had some kind of problem and would have got into deep doo-doo for violating the agreement. Hope this helps!
Feb 1st, 2002, 12:18 PM
#23
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Aloha all:
Thought I'd top this with this article from today's Advertiser, and a daytime look at Mauna Kea. Don't worry, the rest of the state is not nearly as cold. Check the weather section for local weather conditions.
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/current/sp/recreation
In general, the car rental agencies will not allow you to drive on Saddle Road. So if anything happens, it's your responsibility, etc., etc.
There is one company that rents four-wheel drive vehicles for back-country trips. We went through them for our most recent trip. It's Harper's Hawaii, and I'm attaching the link to their web site.
http://www.harpershawaii.com/trucks.htm
Other than this last time, we usually take private vehicles, some non-four wheel drive. Driving conditions vary, but I agree that the driving is not nearly as risky as in the Alps or the Sierras. But you do assume liability with a rental vehicle if you waive the provisions of the rental agreement.
Thought I'd top this with this article from today's Advertiser, and a daytime look at Mauna Kea. Don't worry, the rest of the state is not nearly as cold. Check the weather section for local weather conditions.
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/current/sp/recreation
In general, the car rental agencies will not allow you to drive on Saddle Road. So if anything happens, it's your responsibility, etc., etc.
There is one company that rents four-wheel drive vehicles for back-country trips. We went through them for our most recent trip. It's Harper's Hawaii, and I'm attaching the link to their web site.
http://www.harpershawaii.com/trucks.htm
Other than this last time, we usually take private vehicles, some non-four wheel drive. Driving conditions vary, but I agree that the driving is not nearly as risky as in the Alps or the Sierras. But you do assume liability with a rental vehicle if you waive the provisions of the rental agreement.
