Sunset on the Big Island of Hawaii
How to enjoy the sunset of a lifetime on the Big Island of Hawaii
During my few days on the Big Island, I never had the chance to formally see the sunset. Either because I misremembered the sunset time and was rushing in the mountains, or because the clouds were so dense that I was panting to catch up. Until the last evening, at Mauna Kae, I finally witnessed a beautiful sunset that I will remember for half a lifetime😭
Before departure, I was indecisive. The guide described the difficult road up the mountain, and although I rented a four-wheel drive, the fear of the unknown made me start looking for a guided tour up the mountain. However, I was scared off by the high price of $750 for a chartered car🙂 Strictly speaking, it was money that drove me to face the fear of the unknown🙂
The road to Mauna Kae is divided into two sections: the first is to navigate to the Mauna Kae Visitor Information Station; the second is from the visitor information station to the observatory (no navigation required, there is only one road).
The first section of the road leads to the visitor center, which is a normal mountain road without much difficulty. On the way, you will pass through the clouds, visibility is low, and it may rain lightly (see picture 14). Drive slowly, this road is very beautiful, with quiet rain and fog, strange plants, and a sudden drop in temperature, full of mystery and emotion. At the visitor center at an altitude of about 2000 meters, you can stop for a while to adapt to the high-altitude environment and use the restroom (the restroom is very clean, and if you continue to go up, there are basically mobile restrooms). But if it's close to sunset time, if your body allows, it's best not to stop and queue up the mountain as soon as possible. The queue will be checked one by one by the ranger, who will teach you how to shift gears when going up and down the mountain, and will also chat a few words. If the queue is long, it is likely to miss the sunset.
The second section of the road is described as a terrifying mountain road in various guides, but if you have driven on more primitive mountain roads in China, this road is nothing! The first three-quarters are dirt roads covered with small stones (but it feels like they have been leveled), and the last quarter is a well-paved asphalt road. Proceed slowly in the correct gear throughout the journey, and when there are no other vehicles, try to drive close to the center of the road, and there will be no big problems! About manual shifting, we checked various materials a few days in advance, memorized various fancy skills, and found that even if you don't know anything, when you face the ranger, they will patiently teach you how to shift gears and which gear to use when going up and down the mountain. This is not complicated! You will understand it as soon as you hear it! It even seems that the same gear is used for going up and down the mountain, and the ranger teaches the safest way. In fact, we still shifted to other gears at a slower speed on some sections of the road. If you are not an old driver, you should follow the instructions! Safety first!
Drive all the way to the end, and you will reach the observatory at the top of the mountain. The altitude here exceeds 4000 meters. If you are worried about altitude sickness, you can refer to my experience. Generally speaking, when the altitude exceeds 2000 meters, I will feel dizzy, and if I stay for a long time, I will have symptoms of headache and nausea; when the altitude exceeds 4000 meters, I will stay in bed and not get up🙂 We stayed at the observatory for forty minutes, and only in the last five minutes did I clearly feel dizzy, my eyes were spinning, and my ears were ringing, so as long as the time is not too long, you don't need to worry too much about altitude sickness.
it was such a beautiful experience. especially learning about the stars. highly recommend wearing super warm clothes tho
Mauna Kai is one of the many volcanoes in Hawaii. It is a huge and interesting space. The volcano is quite huge and the whole volcanic atmosphere is quite good. There are some quite big things here. The vegetation near the active volcano is very dense.
At 13,796 feet (4,205 meters) above sea level, this is the highest mountain on the Big Island of Hawaii. If the part of it that is submerged in the sea is counted, its height will exceed 10,000 meters, making it the highest mountain in the world (higher than the Himalayas). However, height is only one indicator of its measurement. What I like is the stargazing experience on the mountain. In the minds of traditional Hawaiians, it is a sacred place. The weather here is dry, there is no light pollution, and there are more than 300 clear nights throughout the year. Therefore, it has become one of the best places for astronomical observation in the world. Various astronomical telescopes from all over the world are scattered on the mountain. Drive there in the afternoon, enjoy the spectacular sunset on the earth in the sky, step on the brown volcanic land, and have an infinitely wide field of vision. You will feel as if you are outside the earth. At night, you can see countless twinkling stars in stargazing, which really fulfills the saying "you can pick the stars with your hands". It's very cold, but I really don't want to leave the bright starry sky.
The most beautiful sunset over the sea of clouds can be seen from the top of Mauna Kai (4,170 meters above sea level, still decreasing year by year). When the sun shines on the clouds, the sea of clouds is as warm as silk, flowing with an orange-yellow luster, and the sunset is just a moment, which is very shocking. There are 13 observatories on the top of the mountain, including NASA's circular observatory. Generally, to view the starry sky, you need to return to the visitor center at an altitude of about 2,800 meters. There are few light sources here, and you can see the sky full of stars, and sometimes you can see artificial satellites and fleeting meteors.
The Maunakaya volcano is more than 4,000 meters above sea level and looks like a cone. In winter, there is snow on the top of the mountain. When the volcano erupts, a large number of lava pours out continuously, which makes the mountain growing.
As a standard astronomy enthusiast, Mount Moneyji is a must-see place, where there is one of the purest stars in the world, and volunteers give astronomical explanations at night, which is a worthwhile trip. There are two small tips. If you want to see the sunset at Keck Observatory on the top of the hill, you must borrow the Four Drivers to go up the hill as far as possible before and after sunset. You can just go back to the tourist center to see the stars after sunset at the top of the hill.
This volcano is a dormant volcano and the highest peak on the island. Over 4000 meters above sea level, it's very strange to climb to the top of the mountain and see the white clouds under your feet. It's also one of the best places to watch the stars. You can see the magnificent galaxy at night. But it's very cold in the mountains, so we should keep warm, and don't exercise vigorously at the top of the mountains, and be careful of ups and downs.