Did you know that 75% of the Hawaiian island of Maui is taken up by the Haleakala volcano? The name is pronounced “Ha-lay-a-kala“.

We made the trip to the Haleakala National Park, about 90 minute drive from our hotel in West Maui. The weather was dreary, some rain and heavy mist. So dreary, we almost did not go. But being lazy was not really on our agenda, so up the mountain we went…. rain or not. We then realized that we would go right through the low hanging clouds and emerged in glorious sunshine and blue skies. How wondrous!

And how amazing it turned out to be!

Our hotel lies behind that mountain in the middle of the shot. That “shadow” of land in the background is the island of Lanai, the nearest Hawaiian island. As you can see, we are still below the clouds here.. still a long way up to the top.

Once through the clouds, we were rewarded by beautiful clear skies. We walked up to the rim and looked down into the crater which displayed magnificent sections of reds and greens. What a breathtaking view.

We had been attracted to the “Sunset tour”, an event you need to prebook as they only allow a limited number of people. We decided against that for several reasons. Firstly it meant leaving the hotel at 3am and second, it meant driving the route (which entailed multiple switchbacks and tricky rods) in the dark.

The sunset visit is an event rooted in Hawaiian history and legend. You can read all about that here. But in summary; the Hawaiian Demi-God Maui’ s mother Hina complains that her kapa (bark cloth) is unable to dry because the days are so short. So Māui climbs Haleakala and lassoes the sun’s rays as the sun comes up. The sun pleads for life and agrees that the days shall be long in summer and short in winter. This event is perpetuated today, by these sunrise events. 

The volcano crater lies well above the treeline with only small shrubs and plants growing among the distinctly volcanic rocks. Noteworthy is the Haleakala Silversword, a silvery plant that has adapted to the climactic conditions on the volcano. They are protected and we saw lots of them. 

This unique plant flowers only once in its 50 year life, the flower produces over 50,000 seeds and then the plant dies. It is believed to have evolved from a California Tarweed that arrived in Maui more than a million years ago (probably by a bird). It is now unique to Hawaii and only grows on the slopes of Haleakala and nowhere else in the world. Its Hawaiian name is “Ahinahina”.

Also unique to Hawaii is the Nene (pronounced “nay-nay”), a goose that is a relative of the Canadian Goose. The Nene is an endangered species and we saw two. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a shot.

At the very top of the volcano is an observatory that is dubbed “the Science City” because its near-absence of light pollution, as well as the high-altitude air and the mountain’s tremendous height. The combination of these conditions render it one of the most superb and valuable planetariums in the world.

Here are a few more images taken at the top of the volcano.