{"id":3155,"date":"2022-11-07T20:43:15","date_gmt":"2022-11-08T00:43:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/steveandmarleneontheroad.com\/?p=3155"},"modified":"2023-01-26T20:55:42","modified_gmt":"2023-01-27T00:55:42","slug":"november-7-2022-trip-8-day-6-haleakala-national-park-the-road-to-hana-hookipa-beach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/steveandmarleneontheroad.com\/?p=3155","title":{"rendered":"November 7, 2022 : Trip 8, Day 6 – Haleakala National Park, the Road to Hana, & Ho’okipa Beach"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The other reason we left for the hotel right after sunset the previous night was because we had to get up at 3 am the next day to greet the sun at Haleakala National Park. Our very early morning drive was over some very dark and mostly winding mountain roads. We also got an occasional moonlit glimpse of the ocean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This picture is out of chronological order. It was quite dark the first time we drove by the entrance sign to the park. We had a resting bike rider take this photo as we were leaving the park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We got to the summit while it was still pitch dark. There were already several people there. We were all waiting in the cold for the chance to see something exceptionally beautiful. We watched the sunrise from about 5:30 am until 6:30 am. Watching a sunrise from a mountain top is an experience that defies explanation. Seeing the sky go slowly from almost complete darkness to full light is amazing. As we watched the sun rise up behind the clouds, it became obvious that a sunrise is a huge rainbow that lights the sky as it grows. In the photos you can see red on the horizon and blue, indigo, and violet high in the sky. In person, you can see all the colors grow and change as the sun comes up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Once the sun was up and lighting the sky, we could see we were 10,000 feet above sea level. From the mountain top, we watched as the shadows disappeared in advance of the coming light. In the last picture in this four shot series you can see the parking lot at our next location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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After the sunrise, we took a short hike around the mountain top to see a 360 degree view of the island and to see the the barrenness of the landscape. Our next stop was the Haleakala Visitor Center and a nearby hike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Visitor Center was not yet open when we arrived. A short walk from the Visitor Center revealed a path to a view to the Pa Ka’oao overlook. The trail was steep, rocky and stark. It lead to an unbelievable vista of a volcano caldera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When you are at the top of a mountain, you can only go downhill. So that’s where we headed. As we drove toward the Kalahaku Overlook, it felt like we were at the edge of the earth. Each curve looked out into the clouds with no land visible. Sometimes, you could see other mountains in the distance. When we prepared to hike toward the Kalahaku Overlook, the feeling remained. It felt like walking out into the air to step from the road to the trail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Haleakala is a very rocky mountain with little vegetation. Our climb to the overlook was again a steep rocky path. Along the path, we could see back to our hotel, about twenty miles to the town at the bottom of the mountain in the second photo. At the lookout, we got a new perspective of the caldera. It is huge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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After the Kalahaku Overlook, we drove to the Headquarters Visitor Center at the bottom of the mountain. They did not have any postcards or patches, so we drove back up the mountain to the Haleakala Visitor Center to get our souvenirs. Then we drove to the Hana Road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hana Road is a windy road along the east coast of Maui. It is quite rustic and rural. It is also a slow drive. It seemed even slower because we had a time specific pass for the state park at the other end of the Hana Road. The views and the waterfalls make it a great drive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We drove the Hana Road to Waianapanapa State Park. It is a state park that packs a lot of scenery and activity into a small area. It has a black sand beach, a rocky coast line, hard pounding surf, and a variety of animal life, including spiders. It even has surf created rainbows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The only way back to our hotel was via the Road to Hana. We took our time driving back. We got to stop and enjoy the waterfalls, the painted eucalyptus trees, the beaches, the rainbows and the flowers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Our last stop of the day was at Ho’okipa Beach. The sun was getting low in the sky. In one direction we could see calm seas and blue skies. In another direction we saw a rainstorm and a double rainbow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From the 3 am alarm to our 5 pm return to the hotel was a long and very enjoyable day. Here is a sample of the plants and flowers we saw today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Seeing a sunset yesterday and seeing a sunrise this morning was a wonderful pairing. The travel around Maui from the mountain top to the beaches made today a special day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The other reason we left for the hotel right after sunset the previous night was because we had to get up at 3 am the next day to greet the sun at Haleakala National Park. Our very early morning drive was over some very dark and mostly winding mountain roads. We also got an occasional 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