Hawaii Trip

[graham.hobart (Graham stevens)]

Hiya! folks, we as a family are off to Hawaii next March for a wee break. We are initially stopping in Honolulu. Now I am travelling with a 2.5 year old and five year old so bear this in mind.
Those that have been there, what are the logistics are some astro- related stuff?
I can see that I would have to travel to Mauna Kea and probably book a hotel there and then leave kids with Mum if I wanted to see the scopes etc.
How much hassle is there getting bookings?
I am thinking of taking an extra few days to spend on Mauna just so I can do this so I would need some idea of which hotels are good and something for the kids to do whilst I trek up the Mountain.
I really don't want to go all the way there and miss this chance.
Thanks for any advice
Graham.

[Larryp (Laurie)]

It's a long time since I was there, Graham, but I remember just booking a night tour through the hotel we stayed at. We were picked up from the hotel and brought back when the tour was over. Some observing was included.
Sorry, I can't remember the hotel we stayed at.

[graham.hobart (Graham stevens)]

Hi Larry-I'm hoping most Mauna hotels will do it and I know you have to be 12 and over to go to some of the higher sites.
Thanks for reply!
Anyone stayed there thought the hotel was particularly good for little ones? We are at the Hilton in Honolulu first which has a nice lagoon for the kids to splash in.

[barx1963 (Malcolm)]

Hi Graham
Was in Hawaii in June just gone and also visited back in June 2012. There are no hotels close to Mauna Kea itself, but the area around Waikoloa is very nice. The Marriott Resort at Waikoloa is very good. From there it is about a 1.5 hour drive to the VIS on Mauna Kea. Be aware that you usually shouldn't travel to the summit of Mauna Kea without a true 4WD. The road is very steep and rough in places. There is info here http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/info/vis/v...he-summit.html . The VIS does run escorted tours (see here http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/info/vis/v...mit-tours.html ) but you must have a true 4WD to participate. They also have public star gazing nights but only at the VIS not at the summit.
Also be aware that there are protesters on the summit road who have a camp at the VIS and the road may be shut down by them.
Also be aware that access to the scopes themselves is very limited. There is a gallery in the Keck building but it is only open occasionally.
An alternative is to take a commercial tour. I have used Mauna Kea Summit Adventures and they were very good. the observing was so so as it is tailored for non astro types but the rest of the trip was great. their website is www.maunakea.com Pickups are easy at Wailkoloa as the meeting place they use is at the shops over the road.
One other thing with the commercial tour is you are there for sunset on the summit (be prepared to be very cold!!) but you do get to see some of the domes start to open for the night! I wouldn't be there after sunset and attempt to drive down myself, low oxygen, dark and a bad road are a nasty combination!!
The Keck observatory has a base at Waimea north of Waikoloa, that is quite interesting. Might be worth checking out.
There are telescopes on top of Haleakala on Maui but no public access to that part of the summit, but you can see them from the visitor centre about 1km away.

Other things to do that are fun are snorkelling, best place for beginners on Oahu is Hanamua Bay, visiting the Volcanoes on the Big Island is fun, did a day trip with Hawaii Forest and Trail and they were very good (see http://www.hawaii-forest.com/) and they also do Summit tours. Helicopters are great on Hawaii, Blue Hawaii Helis run flights from the little strip at Waikoloa, not cheap but one of the best things I did.
On Maui (if going which I recommend) try to be there on a Friday and check out one of the Friday Night Street parties. Details are here http://mauifridays.com/ we did the one at Wailuku and it was a lot of fun.

Good luck with the trip!!

Malcolm

[barx1963 (Malcolm)]

Oh one other thing, if island hopping, the little airlines can be more fun, we used Island Air and Mokelele Air, bit different to Air Hawaii and usually cheaper. Plus you get to fly lower in smaller planes so you see more.
Only downside is they don't do direct flights from the Big island to Honolulu so you have to go Air Hawaii for that one.

Malcolm

[OzEclipse (Joe Cali)]

Hi Graham,
Haven't been to Hawaii so can't recommend touristy stuff.

The total eclipse on March 9, 2016 can be observed as a 0.70 magnitude / 63% obscuration partial eclipse.

Maximum eclipse occurs at 14 deg altitude in the west and the partial eclipse ends with the sun on the horizon.

Some air intercepts of totality are being planned out of Hawaii

Joe

[AussieTrooper (Ben)]

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.

[barx1963 (Malcolm)]

I didn't actually talk about Waikiki. We stayed there and if you can afford one of the beachfront hotels, as you do as the Hilton is not a bad one, it is pleasant enough. But it is really just a tourist trap, quite expensive and we just treated it as a base to travel to other places from.
The other thing is note the number of ABC Stores! They are a chain of 7-11 style stores that sell groceries souvenirs and cheap rubbish. the local joke in Waikiki is that ABC stands for "All Blocks Covered" as I believe there are over 50 of them in Waikiki alone. Anyway you will be sick of the sight f them by the time you leave.

Malcolm