hawaii tips

[graham.hobart (Graham stevens)]

one of my rellies is getting married in Las Vegas and I think I will be going, so I thought I would break up the flight and stop in Hawaii on the way- maybe three or four days. Anyone got any tips about which Island/place to go/ good astro stuff?
I would like to say that the budget is no problem but then I would be lying out my ****hole. So suffice to say, sensible recommendations please. No Lava kite surfing at 2000metres or multi- Island hopping.
I have heard that the scopes are so high you need a while to acclimatise. Don't want no cerebral oedema for the wedding.
I have a dive ticket but I think the interesting WWII stuff is deep and maybe even a nitrox dive?
Anyhoo, answers to the usual address

Cheers

Graham

[TrevorW]

http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/mko/visiting.htm

[whzzz28 (Nathan)]

Originally Posted by graham.hobart

Anyone got any tips about which Island/place to go/ good astro stuff?

If your interested in the astronomy side of Hawaii then you want to go to the Big Island
http://www.gohawaii.com/big-island

The observatories are above the sky line and there is little oxygen at these levels. You will not be allowed to go up there if you have any health issues. Consult your doctor before going and advise of your plans.
You pretty much need to go on a 'tour' to get there, or hire a 4x4 and be a very good driver as there is no road to the top - its all steep rock/gravel.
There is a high rest point, that is paved so you can drive yourself up there if you want (they still recommend 4x4's though as the low oxygen may not play well with some cars). There is a shop where you can do some star gazing and if you take a tour, they will often have their own SCT that they will setup. This is where most people end their tour. If you do go up further to the top, you won't be up there long.
Ive tried to investigate going up with a polarie and doing some nightscapes but the low oxygen and remoteness of the area have been a spanner in the works.

There are a few places that do tours, just google and you will find a lot of them. Most pick up from town.

http://www.gohawaii.com/big-island/g...ics/stargazing
http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/mko/visiting.htm

Good luck!

[tlgerdes (Trevor)]

If you are interested in Island hopping, wait to you get over there, dont pre-book from AU. There are 100s of travel shops on Oahu that will flog you a 2 day excursion to another island for about 50% what you pay here.

We did it about 15 yrs ago, it was something like $300 for flights, car hire and accom for 2 people to the big island.

[graham.hobart (Graham stevens)]

When I get to Stateside, what's the deal with bringing back electronic goods ?
I have my eye on a lodestar and maybe an AO unit so combined value of approx $2000- do I still get whacked with import duty at customs?
Cheers
Graz

[mithrandir (Andrew)]

Originally Posted by graham.hobart

When I get to Stateside, what's the deal with bringing back electronic goods ?
I have my eye on a lodestar and maybe an AO unit so combined value of approx $2000- do I still get whacked with import duty at customs?

Yep. That will be over the limit, unless you are going for over 12 months. See page 14 of http://www.customs.gov.au/webdata/re...llers-WEB2.pdf

The US price + duty would almost certainly be less than you'd pay here.

[barx1963 (Malcolm)]

Hi Graham
I was in Hawaii back in June. As already mentioned the Big Island is the spot for astro. Oahu (where Honolulu is) is really very touristy, though there are some nice spots. Fares to get to the Big Isl;and are not prohibitive, so try to get there.
I did a trip to the summit on Mauna Kea with Mauna Kea Summit Adventures (http://www.maunakea.com/ ) They take you up in the evening have a meal and get acclimatised at the Visitor Centre and up to the summit for a look at the scopes. Watching the sunset up there is brilliant. We then had a few hours stargazing with a couple of C11's down at about 9000ft. The sky is amazing and the views in the scope are awesome but having to share 2 scopes with 30 others was a bit tiring. Luckily one person had brought along a little 100mm refractor so we used that as well.
I am not sure about tours inside the actual observatories but I amsure that can be arranged.
With the altitude, at the summit you certainly notice it, especially if you sit down and then stand up suddenly, but if you are in at least reasonable health and fitness should never be an issue. I went up twice and second time acclimitised for 45 minutes and was easy. First time I rushed it a bit and felt a little bit of lightheadedness, but nothing serious. We had peaple on the Transit tour in their 70s and 80s and they all handled it well.
Also although it is not cheap, a helicopter flight with Blue Hawaii helicopters (http://www.bluehawaiian.com/) I did the Big Island Spectacular tour which is about 2 hours and worth every cent.
The helis are the best way to see lava and volcanoes, unless you are VERY lucky the ground based tours will not allow you to get very close at all. Nevertheless the tour I did with Hawaiin Forest and Trail (http://www.hawaii-forest.com/) was very enjoyable. They also do MK summit tours.
I can highly recommend the Marriott Beach resort at Waikoloa, very comfortable, lots of activities, much nicer setting than Kona or Hilo, ancient Hawaiian ruin just down the road, lots (and I mean lots!) of lava.
One interesting thing you will find, especially if you head up the saddle road (goes across the island between MK and Mauna Loa) is how much some of the country looks like Australia!

Thats all I can think of off the top of my head.

Malcolm