Haleakala Crater

* Read about our trip to Maui on the Hawaii Superferry.

The Superferry docked at Kahului Harbor, Maui. We were already sitting in our car when we docked, and disembarked quickly. Our hotel check in time was not until 4pm, and it wasn't quite 10am when we arrived. A few minutes in the car and the Sandman had his first victim. (You know the lullaby!)

Son1 looked at me with heavy eyes. "Mommy, the two crocodiles are very sleepy." And what do you know, he was next to go.


Well, this made our decision easy. The best way for these kids to nap without a hotel room was in our car on a long drive. There was only one place I wanted to see this weekend anyway, Haleakala Crater. Off we went!

A looong time ago the Haleakala volcano built itself up, and then went dormant for several hundred thousand years, just like the other Hawaiian volcanoes. Meantime, two huge valleys formed on either side by erosion, 5,000 feet into the core of the volcano. They met back to back at the summit. Haleakala then became active for a series of final volcanic eruptions, starting from the summit, and filling these two canyons with lava, and raising the summit floor. The volcano became extinct, and sank under it's weight back into the sea. Unlike the Big Island volcanic craters, this crater was formed by erosion.

The road to Haleakala has tons of switchbacks. The landscape changes between the foot of the crater to the summit drastically. Between 2,000 and 4,000 feet elevation we saw cattle and horses in the upcountry. The green rolling hills were a surprise in the tropics. The drive was beautiful, and reminded us of the California wine country. Our favorite trees were these purple Jacaranda trees. The purple flowers were so intense and bursting against the crisp blue sky. They only bloom this time of year.
I am not sure what this tree is called, but I call it the trumpet tree. These Lily trumpets were humongous, like bananas hanging from the tree.
The higher we climbed in elevation, the more the vegetation changed. Soon we saw plants with shorter green leaves and stubby pines. The clouds moved rapidly with the trade winds, which blow westward, toward the earth's equator. Our kids awoke about this time, and Son1 thought we were seeing lava steam, like we had on the Big Island. When he realized we were driving higher than the clouds like an airplane he was in complete awe and three year old wonderment.

We stopped at the Leleiwi Lookout. It was a five minute walk from the parking lot. We were over 8,000 feet high. The temperature dropped an average of 3 degrees for every thousand feet above sea level, so it must have been about 50 degrees. We sustained the change in altitude so quickly, and could hear our breath getting shallower as we walked. The rest of the trip we made sure everyone was hydrated, because dehydration is also common. The body has not had much time to adjust. The ascent was nearly two miles high in a matter of several minutes.

We stood at the guard rail, and were greeted by the brimming crater, with the clouds rolling in. The unique formation of the crater, the altitude, and the trade winds all contribute to why the cloud scenery can look different in five minutes. Since the atmosphere is so thin at this level and the sun is quite bright, it is also pretty easy to sunburn, in the cool 40 to 50 degree weather. (Of course, those are midday temperatures!)

Pitching rocks into the crater

High above the clouds

Leleiwi Lookout

The Silversword plant is now unique to Hawaii, however, a California bird brought over it's seeds over a million years ago. The silver hairs allow the plant to retain water and repel the bright and warm sun at this altitude. Silverswords live nearly 50 years, flower once, and then die.

People used to pluck them out of the ground for decorative purposes, and they became an endangered species. Today they are protected and the fine for picking them is more than a vacation on Maui!

We continued up to the summit for the majestic view inside of the crater. The colors were vibrant, and the cones in the middle were glorious.

Since I am not a professional photographer, here is a photo from someone who is.

We finally made it! The final point of the summit was over 10,000 feet high. The blustery wind bit through the kids, but it felt good to us. Son2's nose looked like a cherry.

This is my favorite picture. It captures the absolute wonder of the moment. Hubby is holding Son2, and talking with Son1 about all that is below. They are talking about the clouds that roll in, and the crater below. We all talked again about Who made all that we saw.

Intelligent. Unbelievable. Incredible. Boundless. Indescribable. Marvelous. HE truly is Amazing!

We climbed back in the car, ready for our descent. There was only one more sight to see, but not really see, Science City. It is closed to the public. One of the Farmer four has made it inside.

Experts from all over the world come to this astrophysical complex operated by the Department of Defense, University of Hawaii, Smithsonian Institution, Air Force, and Federal Aviation Administration. The air at the crater is clear, dry, and still, without lights, and located above one third of the atmosphere. Haleakala is one of the most superb locations in the world for ground-based telescopes. This area offers the fourth best viewing on the planet. Some of the telescopes operated by the Department of Defense are involved in researching man-made spacecrafts, monitoring satellites, rockets, and laser technology. Others research celestial objects.