Day 04 Maui - Haleakala Sunrise & Beach Time

July 26, 2022

Early bird catches the worm.... Or so they say...

The alarm clock rings early.... Very early!

Yesterday evening, I prepared bagels, packed snacks in the cooler, and packed drinks. Our night ends at 2:15. It was actually a funny coincidence that we chose Maui as the first island. In hindsight, it was the best decision because we (at least I) still benefit from the jet lag. Despite it being pitch black outside, I'm surprisingly energetic. Unlike the youngsters who are fast asleep...

The husband and I load up the car - by the way, it's warm despite the night - (76 Fahrenheit ~ 24°C) and then wake up the kids. Their enthusiasm is "boundless"...

The husband is already dressed in long jeans, a polo shirt, and a sweat jacket even at 24 degrees at night. Just looking at him makes me sweat. We can't estimate how cold it will be at Haleakala later. Our friends already did the trip a few days ago and said, "Not cold - as soon as the sun is up, it gets very warm, shorts & a sweater".

I don't fully trust this statement, but I do tend to sweat more than freeze, so I'm wearing 3/4 pants, packing my thick fleece and a wind jacket. That should be enough.

The husband and kids are wearing slightly warmer clothes - so let's get started!

In the dark, we drive towards the airport, then turn right towards Haleakala at some point. The kids are sleeping while we drive up the winding road to the volcano. We reach the park entrance at 4:20 a.m. Our permit is checked (our name is already on the ranger's list) and we pay the $30 entrance fee (valid for 3 days - also for Haleakala NP along the Road to Hana!) and drive towards the Summit. At first, we thought we were way too early, but on the contrary, we snagged the LAST parking spot at the top of the Summit!!! Phew, we got lucky!

It's cold - and windy....!

The husband doesn't even want to get out of the car, and the kids struggle to get out of bed and put on their thick clothes. I put on my thick fleece and wind jacket as well. Damn, I forgot the winter hat in the suitcase that I specifically packed for this trip. 🙈

We find a nice spot on the hill in front of the glass shelter (for those who are freezing) in the front row by the wall and wait. My little gorilla tripod barely stands still because it's too windy. Too bad. I would have liked to do a time-lapse, but it's too shaky. So "old school" with the DSLR around my neck, alternating between taking photos and videos with the camera and phone. After about 30 minutes - still far from the sunrise - my fingers are frozen, and my daughter and I shiver along.

Son and husband have already sought refuge in the shelter and occasionally go to the car to warm up, climb the hill opposite, and move around.

My daughter and I persevere in front of the little wall to not lose our spot in the front row because it's crowded! The other tourists are packed tightly together, fighting for the best photo spot. They camp out with winter jackets, some wrapped in blankets, and wait. Quite funny 😆

The starry sky is amazing! Unfortunately, my phone refuses to take an "astro shot" because it shakes too much. To keep the DSLR steady, it's too cold for me. So I enjoy the view - no photo. That's just how it is....

We watch the horizon. It gradually becomes more colorful, first red, then yellow in the sky. The clouds "flow" over the volcano crater. It looks very cool! At first, we were a bit frustrated that it's so cloudy, but the clouds make it even more "dramatic".

By 5:30, it's noticeably brighter, and sometime just before 6, the sun arrives. The actual sunrise is somewhat unspectacular, but the time leading up to it was great!

Shortly after 6, we leave the Summit and drive to the upper Visitor Center to take a look at the crater at the beginning of the Sliding Sand Trails. We briefly considered walking a section of the trail, but we all feel the altitude and shortness of breath and don't really feel like going on long hikes with steep descents and ascents. So we take a look at the crater and return to the Visitor Center, check out the Lookout Pa Ka'oao, and use the restroom.

We drive up to the Summit again and climb the small hill across from the official viewpoint, then drive down the road to the Kalahaku Overlook, continue to the Leleiwi Overlook, which is reached after a short walk, and to the parking lot of the Halemau'u Trailhead, where we now want to walk up to the crater rim.

But first, it's time for breakfast! Our breakfast immediately attracts a "Ne-Ne" couple that nearly jumps on my lap when I open the passenger door.

Feeding the ducks/geese is strictly prohibited...

After breakfast, we pack our backpack with drinks and head towards the crater. The trail is constantly downhill - which is great now, but we'll have to climb it back up later 🙈

Actually, the trail is not particularly difficult, but the altitude is challenging for us. We started walking at 9 a.m. and were already at the crater rim by 9:30, which is veiled by thick clouds. Too bad...

By the way, the temperatures shoot up as soon as the sun appears. Just a few meters after we start walking, we shed one layer of clothing after another, so that in the end, we're standing at the crater rim in a T-shirt.

We take a drink and sit on the rocks at the crater rim. Shortly after, there are sudden breaks in the clouds, and we can see the crater, as well as the path that leads down the mountain into the crater and back up the crater on the opposite side (it probably meets the Sliding Sands Trail at some point and returns to the Visitor Center).

We don't feel like doing such an epic hike right now. The husband and daughter continue along the little path to a hill, while my son and I watch the hiker who is coming up the winding path from the crater with a huge backpack.

After 1.5 hours, we're back at the parking lot, change our long pants into shorts (I also replace my 3/4 pants with shorts, and the T-shirt with a spaghetti strap top - I'm hot!) and drive down the winding road around 10:30.

After a stop at Walmart (it's much cheaper than Safeway!), we go to Baldwin Beach Park and have lunch there. Unfortunately, it's very windy, and the sand is whipping around us, so relaxing and lying in the sand doesn't bring the desired relaxation. Therefore, my son takes the opportunity and jumps into the ocean. I'm not really drawn to the water right now, maybe it's also the tiredness that is slowly setting in.

In the restroom, we encounter a huge spider (at least we think it's huge). It becomes the fastest visit to the restroom in my life (no, in Australia - facing the Huntsman Spider eye to eye, I was even faster 😆), and then we sit in the wind shelter on the beach.

We continue to Ho'okipa Beach Park at around 2:30 p.m. It's said that you can see turtles here. Let's see.

The parking lot is packed, so we park at the lookout parking lot on the cliff above and walk down to the beach. From the road, we already see many rocks and stones in the water, tons of tourists with cameras alongside the road. Hmm - what's there to see?

As we get closer, we realize: those are not rocks and stones - they are TURTLES!!! So many! And they're huge!!!

Damn, we didn't bring snorkeling gear!!!

Although a rope has been stretched on the beach to keep tourists from getting too close to the turtles, unfortunately, that doesn't stop most of them from sitting right next to a turtle and taking a selfie. Unbelievable...

Even the lifeguard's instructions to stop doing that don't interest most people. Too bad...

We take photos from the road, and I also venture onto the beach, but I stay obediently at the rope and wait until one of the turtles crawls out of the water and positions itself right in front of my camera lens with my DSLR and a 300mm lens (it looks like it's right in front of me). Amazing!!!

We leave the beach after a while and decide to come back here for snorkeling for sure.

We continue to Kanaha Beach Park, where we watch windsurfers & kite surfers performing their wild tricks. At first, it looked like rain as dark clouds approached, but the sun prevails, so we all jump into the waves just before sunset! So beautiful!!!

We reach our condo at 6 p.m. Dinner is quick, and the sunset happens without us today. Man, we're tired and exhausted. But it was great!!!