So excited to experience this adventure! So many "largests" and "biggests", "oldests" and "youngests" in the world on this trip to the heavens!
Tried to do the trip previous years but it has always been booked out - so book early if you are visiting Kona - it's one of those "bucket list" experiences! It has you "seeing stars" it is so fantastic! :)
The ancient Hawaiians thought the top of Mauna Kea was heaven and where the Gods and Goddesses lived. No wonder -it is the world's tallest mountain when measured from the base, and an amazing 13,796 feet when measured from the sea, and it is stunningly beautiful! 15,000 feet below the sea! Incredible!
What an amazing day! Loved every moment! Unreal feeling to stand on the summit of the tallest mountain in the world! Goosebump material! We were way above the clouds! To the Hawaiian's it is the most sacred place in Hawaii. A very exhilarating and special experience!
We began our 8.5 hour adventure mid afternoon. We boarded the very comfortable Mauna Kea Summit Adventures 4x4, turbo-charged, micro-coach van in Kona and after a scenic and informative drive north and a pick up at Waikoloa along the Kona-Kohala coast we began our stunning mountain ascent. We learnt so much from our very knowledgeable guide Jim about the geography, geology, natural history and Hawaiian Culture along the way. Not to mention what he knew, or didn't know!, about astrology and astronomy once we were on the mountain. His informative delivery brought the Big Island alive in so many areas!
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| Jim getting us organised |
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There are cinder cones all over the island left from the eruptions of the volcanoes.
This one is close to the sea on the Kona-Kohala Coast |
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A view across to the oldest volcano on the island (there are 5 on the Big island) - Kohala Mountain
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As we ascend we meet the beginning of the Inversion Layer - where warm air meets the cool air.
Incredible once you pass through it as you climb the mountain - you go from misty, wet weather and
then you pop out into bright sunshine and clear skies towards the top of the mountain. |
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| Our first glimpse of Mauna Kea - her size was deceptive from here! lol |
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| A huge, deep cracks formed from glacial action |
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| A rainbow between the cinder cones - a special touch! |
At 9000 feet we stopped at the Onizuka Visitor's Centre. Here we enjoyed a delicious vegetable lasagne and a huge piece of chocolate cake ( good for helping you adjust to the altitude apparently! -not complaining! ) while we acclimatised to the altitude - 40% less air pressure than at sea level so less oxygen! Must admit felt the "head spinning" a bit!
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| Above the clouds! |
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The Onizuka Visitors Centre
Named in honour of Ellison Onizuka, a Hawaiian astronaut
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| A telescope to view the sun. |
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| Great theatrette - interesting films about all aspects of life on Mauna Kea |
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The rare plant Silversword only found in the world on the Hawaiian Island volcanos
There were very few left on Mauna Kea but through careful propagation there are about 1,000 thriving atop the mountain
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Telescopes to stargaze through at the Visitors Centre
Many people drive up to the Visitors Centre, but from there the road to the summit is dirt and neds a 4x4 vehicle to tackle the bumpy, rough winding ascent! |
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| A carnivorous insect found making the summit of mauna kea its home |
The world's largest telescopes are located on Mauna Kea and Jim told us interesting stories about the lifestyle of the astronomers who live for a clear night sky. They are housed in a community of units built near the Visitor's Centre. Mauna Kea is "heaven" for astronomers - they love to come here and work.
We donned our hooded Parkas and gloves - 30 degrees F average temp on the mountain! - ready for our 30 minute climb to the summit of this magic and mystical mountain.
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| From this to this........ |
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The views ascending to the summit of Mauna Kea were stunning.
Mauna Loa looks on in the background, while we leave the clouds and lower level cinder cones behind |
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| The Visitor's Centre nestled amongst the cinder cones |
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| Higher...... |
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| .....and higher..... |
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| Looking back at the Visitor's Centre and the Astronomer's Village tucked under the mountain at front |
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| Picture stop! |
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| Now it gets eerie - The Ice Age! |
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These rocks have the same composition as the rocks on the moon.
Long, long ago - millions ago! the earth was hit by something huge resulting in the earth and its moon.
It was this collision that tilted the earth 23 degrees and with the separate moon amazingly brought about our stabilisation of our planet, the four season we know today and life on earth. |
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In the centre of this cinder cone is a high elevation lake- Lake Waiau - meaning swirling waters.
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| Still climbing! 14,000 feet is a long way!!!! Took us 30 minutes! |
From the summit we observe the various world renowned telescopes as the observatories open and the high-tech, multi mirrored telescopes rotate into position for the night viewing. Greg, Jim's offsider, informed us about each of the Observatories and Telescopes that distinctively stood atop the summit of Mauna Kea and the role/job of each. Awesome!
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Greg expounding the his knowledge about the Telescopes and Observatories - these fellows
are passionate about their interests |
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| An amazing interntional collection, each with its distinguishing shape and feature and purpose |
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| We passed this huge telescope facility as we wended out way up to the summit. It is nestled in the crater of a cinder cone to protect the telescopes. The SMA studies and researches BLACK HOLES! |
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The Caltech Submillimeter Observatory.
Love the shape and form, and the panels reflected the incredible colours around it. |
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Left to Right
The Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope; Gemini Northern 8meter Telescope; University of Hawaii 2.2 meter Telescope; the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope |
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The "sight" aloft
Love the colours, contours and shadows and the clear, clear blue sky!!! |
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A closer view of the Canada-France- Hawaii Telescope and the Gemini Northern 8meter Telescope
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A closer view of the University of Hawaii 2.2meter Telescope and the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope
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James Clerk Maxwell Telescope
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Subaru Telescope
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14,000 feet below the sun was sinking into the Pacific. We were seeing it sink majestically behind the incredible land of cloud below! Incredibly Mauna Kea cast its huge shadow across the roof of clouds below - an awesome sight!
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Title "Watching"
Left to Right
Subaru Telescope; W.M Keck Observatory1; W.M.Keck observatory11; Nasa Infrared Telescope Facility
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| Rising above the clouds on the horizon is the volcano Haleakala on the island of Maui |
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| Incredible! Magic! Mystical! |
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| Venus appears in the nights sky as the sun sets |
Jim and Greg set up the telescope just after sunset and we viewed Venus with the naked eye - so bright! We observed Saturn, close by to Venus, through the telescope - amazing to see the ring around the planet!
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| Getting cold up here! |
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| Greg setting up the telescope to view Saturn |
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| Pete spying on Saturn |
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Saturn - taken with my camera through the telescope- the purplish blur if you can see it :)
Didn't capture it quite as well as we saw it through the telescope - the ring was so clear!! |
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| Venus left and the pin prick to its right is Saturn |
After watching the amazing sunset and viewing Saturn we descended to mid-mountain to stargaze. The van has a large 11" computerised telescope, capable of 30-350x magnification that gathers up to 700x more light than the unaided eye! Wow! This high tech telescope guided by satellites can kind objects generally more difficult to find manually. Haven't seen so many stars before - they bejewelled sky.
Jim was the commentator at our stargazing party and did he know his stuff - he was so passionate and excited about what he was revealing to us in the nights sky. It was incredible to see the constellations and view the stars through the powerful telescope. He pointed out what the stars and constellations with a laser beam so it was really easy to identify the stars and constellations.
We viewed Polaris, the North Star - it is positioned immediately above the North Pole and is the only star that doesn't move. The ancients used it as an important navigation point.
We saw the birth of stars by looking at the Lagoon Nebula - a swirling mass of Hydrogen and Helium and the stars the gases were forming.
The Sagittarian Open Cluster was a great example of young or "teenage" stars as Jim described them. This was in the middle of the Milky Way - also an incredible sight to see!
In the skirt of Hercules we viewed a dying star which looked like a fluffy cotton ball through the telescope.
The constellations were incredible. Jim pointed out the Dragon; the Big Dipper; the Scorpion (liked that on being a Scorpio!); Sagittarius; Hercules; the Tea Pot; and the Swan or Cygnus - the eyes of the swan we viewed through the telescope - the unique thing about these stars are that they are coloured - the left eye was blue (a younger star) and the right eye yellow( an older star).
It was a very quite van of sunset followers and stargazers that descended Mauna Kea - lots of reflecting on an incredible day of experiences and sights! Mauna Kea weaved her magic!
Pete's comments:
Up there with my best ever travel experiences.These mountains are immense, it is so deceptive looking up at them from the coast.The tour was most interesting, made even more so by the knowledge and expertise of the guides.This is definitely a "Bucket List activity".
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