11th July 2017
The sea is like polished glass this morning, the usually swaying palm trees are still, the forecast is for cloudy skies. Still we stick to our decision to take a drive up to the Haleakala crater. After breakfast and our morning ablutions, Amanda packs us a lunch of freshly made sandwiches ready for our trip. We are soon on our way south east along the Honoapiilani Hwy towards Kahului. We hug the coastline for 20kms or so overlooking the sparkling channel between Maui and Lanai, before turning northwards. Two other islands are visible as we make the turn, Kahoolawe, the smallest of the eight volcanic islands in the Hawaiian chain and Molokini a crescent shaped tip of an extinct volcano that forms an islet in the Alalakeiki channel. Once through Kahului we turn again south westwards and start our long sometimes torturous climb upwards towards Haleakala national park. This is the fourth time we have made this trip, the first for Matt but the journey is always interesting and different. As we climb we pass through lush green pastures, horse country, with rolling hills and jacaranda trees that are spectacular when in bloom but today we see only a few of the last remaining purple-blue blossoms. Then suddenly we are in a forest of eucalypts before bursting into ancient rocky lava fields filled with tussocks of yellow-orange grasses tinged with a little green. Intrepid cyclists make their way down hill as we travel upwards, their faces showing a look of distain as they alternate between wet and dry zones. As we proceed ever higher the clouds spill out their water laden contents in buckets. Then having passed the atmosphere dries, the black top still holding the heat from the last burst of intense sunshine creates wispy trails of steam that run in river-lets along the bitumen like snakes running for cover. The cars temperature gauge is dropping as we rise through 6000ft then 7000ft then 8000ft then 9000ft eventually settling around the 58f mark (14c).
It is an eerie feeling driving with clouds parallel to you not above you, a cloud fills your field of view at every hairpin bend almost urging you to fly, the closest I’ll get to being a pilot.
Eventually we reach the entrance of Haleakala national park, pay our entrance fee and proceed the last 10 kilometres or so through the almost barren ancient lava fields, now reddy brown with the oxidation that comes with their extreme age to the summit at 10,000ft.
The cloud encircles the summit around it and above, it is windy as we venture out of the car and walk around to the various viewing points. The occasional patch of blue shows through the whitest of clouds in one direction while darker clouds drift across from another anointing our heads with small droplets of Hawaiian blessings. From one of the viewing points we can see clearly into the crater the rusty cinder cones clearly visible, the cloud moves in like a huge blanket sending its wispy fingers curling down as if searching for a hold on which to pull its bulk further forward. I am standing on a rocky point facing off a wall of pure white cloud as it moves across my field of view obliterating the scene completely. At other viewing points small streaks of cloud seem to be trying to escape the craters grasp desperately trying to move skywards. The Haleakalā High Altitude Observatory Site is clearly visible, at this elevation we are in the first one third of the earths atmosphere making it an ideal astronomical viewing site.
We climb back into the car and begin our descent, Amanda has taken the back seat this trip, steadfastly occupying herself with her IPad rather than look out at the steep drop offs as we round each bend. Matt sits in the scary seat beside me constantly working the non existent brake pedal that would in Australia normally be on his side. The car just cruises back down the way we came its own mass adding to the momentum as we build speed occasionally needing third gear to slow our descent.
Growing hungry and in need of a coffee I spot a sign to the historic town of Makawao, we make the right turn and are soon in a busy country tourist town. There is more than a hint of cowboy to this town, with horse floats and huge dual cab four wheel drive vehicles lined up along the street, particularly around the general store. There are galleries of local artworks amongst gifts shops and coffee houses all housed in buildings dating back to the 30’s and beyond. Parking spaces are rapidly snapped up as they are vacated. Fortunately we find one soon, right out side a coffee shop. Inside though the coffee is dispensed from huge urns, black only. The ice cream looks interesting with flavours like sand and coffee crunch, but it is coffee we crave and so walk back along the main street to a cafe sporting a sign “real Italian coffee served here”
Inside the gleaming espresso machine is a positive sign, the resultant cappuccino appears thick and creamy when I lift the lid on the takeaway container to add my dusting of chocolate. First taste tells me this is good coffee, Matt agrees his flat white is just to his tastes, we order Amanda an iced herbal tea the server brews a fresh concoction of mint and fruity flavours for her, she is delighted too!
On the way back to the car we pass a restaurant with a catchy sign out front “Come in and Eat or we will both Starve” got to love the humour.
Driving out of town we find a shady spot under some enormous Norfolk Pines adjacent to a cemetery with ancient looking tomb stones to devour our packed lunch and coffees then we are back on the road heading back to Ka’anapali.
We settle back into the apartment just as the light is beginning to fade, from the balcony the sun is low over the ocean cascading blinding light in our direction, dark clouds hang over the island of Lanai where pineapples are still grown today, the sunset should be spectacular. We are distracted though and miss it completely, darkness descends the flaming torches throw reflected light back from the swimming pools the end of another day approaches. To end the day we rustle up some chicken marinated in black pepper, olive oil, honey and lime juice, Matt makes a garden salad and we sit with our glasses of Washington State Chardonnay and he with a very nice Maui brewery beer in the cooling ocean breezes discussing the day and coming events.