Haleakala Crater - Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) / Ron Dahlquist
Searching for Paradise? You will have to travel a good distance to get to it but it is well worth the time. Where? To the top of Haleakala Crater. Located on the east side of the island of Maui, in the Hawaiian Islands, Haleakala Crater rises 10,023 feet above sea level below and was aptly named the House of the Sun by early Hawaiians.
The crater is approximately seven miles across, two miles wide and twenty-six hundred feet deep. It is an amazing sight and feeling to stand on the very top, looking both down to the depths below and out to the horizon beyond surrounded by nothing but pristine Pacific ocean for as far as the eye can see. One does truly feel that one has reached the ends of the earth (or perhaps the beginning of Earth).
My trip began with a morning at the beach followed by a drive up to Haleakala. An unsuspecting tourist, after my morning at the beach, I was clad only in a bikini and a towel for a wrap. As our rental car made the climb to the summit, the temperature began to drop lower and lower. Though down below we knew that on that August day, it was a lovely, if not overly warm in-the-nineties day on the beach. Not so on the road to Haleakala. Higher we climbed. And definitely not so at the top. So traveler be warned, if you plan to venture up, throw something long sleeve or long legged at least, in the car, though I can assure you it is the only time in Hawaii that you will need it, or just brave the cold in your skivvies.
Our arrival at the top was greeted by a lone but very friendly, park ranger. He quickly gave us our guidelines and as many know, at 9,740 feet, the Haleakala Visitor Center is the best place to watch the Haleakala sunrise. We however arrived in early afternoon but were not short-changed. It felt like we were standing in heaven, standing right among the sky and the beautiful white puffy clouds, so close you try to touch them. It was awe-inspiring and has always remained the very top vacation spot on my list. Little can compare to the view and experience of standing high atop Haleakala Crater; feeling both special and isolated, yet completely connected to all that is.
If you want to get away from it all, including the crowds, stay in Hana, it's a charming coastal Hawaiian village. Rates are lower and you cannot ask for a more romantic ambiance.
Whether you stay in Hana, Lahina, Kahana or anywhere else on the island, with a visit to Haleakala, your visit to Maui will become magical and will be an experience that will remain with you always.
For information on accommodations and more in Maui, please visit our Maui directory.
Cheryl Bruedigam, Editor
Guidebook America
http://www.guidebookamerica.com/
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