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Graham,
I went to Hawaii and Mauna Kea last year.
The biggest bit of advice I could give you is to absolutely minimise your time in Waikiki. It is a tourist trap on steroids, and by far the most expensive part of the state. Spend your time on big island instead. There is heaps to do there, and no crowds except for Volcanoes national park. Even that's not too bad. Car rental is astronomical in Waikiki, about $200, and at Kona on big island it is $60. Same deal with food.
Getting up Mauna Kea is a bit restricted. Car rental companies won’t let you go up to the top. You can take one of the tours out of Kona, but you only spend about 30min at the summit for sunset, then it’s back down to the visitors centre to use the telescopes.. If you’ve got the whole day and are the fitness type, you can probably hike up from the visitors centre in the morning, then back down in the afternoon. Remember the altitude though, it’s only for the very fit.
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